There is still a sense in the band to experiment and move forward but at the same time we are now more ready to embrace our earlier songwriting energy and expression. We’ve already started writing but will continue doing so on the road. On that subject – what’s next on the agenda for Europe and any hints on where the next album will take you your musical journey?Ģ022 will be as busy as our comeback year of 2004. It’s kind of exiting to know that the next album will be something different than the last yet still part of who we are. We never really planned this, it’s just became our automatic and organic way of working over the years. We tend to want to move in a slightly different direction when we start writing for a new album to inspire us and help us creatively. Some bands sticks to their sound and way of writing and recording. Is that an intentional thing? Do you always strive to do things differently and go down new musical paths? Or I spend time working on the drum sound in Superior Drummer 3 to get a vibe going for inspiration and work from there.įor every new Europe album, you’ve always seemed to find a slightly new musical angle while still managing to sound like Europe. Either I quickly get a beat going with EZ so I can go to work on chords and melody. EZdrummer 2, it’s just quick and easy, well executed recordings and great-sounding kits with loads of different “feels” and variations. Superior Drummer 3 If I have more time on my hands to fiddle with sounds etc. On that note: Which Toontrack products do you use and how do they help in the creative process.Īfter determining the feel and the BPM for an idea I use EZdrummer 2 in my Pro Tools. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than experimenting and finishing up various rough ideas, turning them into fully fledged songs. I work on melodies, drum patterns, writing new parts and move things around. Then I go to work playing guitar, bass and keys if needed. Always with a BPM so I can easily pull them into Pro Tools. Sometimes just guitar or keyboard “riffs,” but sometimes more intricate full-sounding demos with no vocals. If I don’t finish a song by myself, the other guys in the band have developed into such great writers and often send me ideas. How does normally a Europe song come to life? Walk us through a typical scenario! There were so many interesting things to absorb that were connected to being an artist. That was a time when I learned the art of playing, writing and recording. Back in the day when I wrote songs for WOT, TFC and OOTW I could work until four in the morning and start again as soon as I woke up. That is something I had to learn and adapt to over the years. Being a family man I do sometimes have to schedule and discipline my work to certain hours in the day. When I start working on developing these ideas further in my studio, I tend to work for longer hours. Generally I try and play guitar or piano for a few hours everyday no matter what, I collect short rough ideas usually on my phone. If you play frequently and have many ideas on the go, the subconscious mind tend to help you sort out the good ones. What’s your creative process like? Do you set aside dedicated writing time or do you write when inspiration hits? Now we’re up and running and will be moving forward for a long while yet. Who knows when I will feel like communicating with the outside world that way again. Europe is still my main priority. There is no secret I admire “greats” like Dylan, Robertson, Newman, Young, Morrison, Browne and Waits. I write all the time different kind of stuff. Any more on that front coming out up ahead? To most people, you’re of course known as the lead singer of Europe, but you’ve also done a few solo albums with a much more acoustic, singer-songwriter-driven sound. That made us feel we were an alright band after all. There are so many special moments, but one that sticks out is Europe receiving a prestigious Classic Rock Award and performing in front of all those great artists at the Roundhouse in London in 2015. If you had to pinpoint some personal highlights along the way, ones that you’ll treasure forever, which ones would they be? You’ve had an amazing journey with Europe – had number-ones, toured the world, played arenas, met and done gigs with your childhood heroes and so much more. Lucky for me my parents had acquired instruments for my older sister, so I started practicing as often as I could. Hearing David Bowie and Elton John on the radio when I was very young made me want to emulate what I heard, learn the chords on guitar and piano. If we rewind way back to the beginning, where did your passion for music stem from and how did it all start?
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