MANZANA
By Falber Teles • Feb 16th, 2008 • Category: Interviews
SOURCEWEBZINE - First off would like to congratulate you on your new album “Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart”. I am pretty sure most of our readers do not know your background, so could you start by telling us a bit about you and your musical background?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Manzana is a Pop-metal band from Finland. Manzana was founded by Henkka , the guitarrist, and Heikki , the drummer, in summer 2003. By that time I, Piritta, was in a band called Lumous , but it was going down already, so when Henkka asked me to try out for a new band, I said yes. I liked the songs and got to write too, so I put my old band to rest and stepped in. We played a lot of gigs in small places with differend bassists just to test the songs and have fun, and after a year or two there was people coming to see us and we still had fun!
We released an EP in summer 2005, and decided to make an album too since the feedback was good. We had Ville of the Bombfunk Mc’s to play the bass for four years, and now we have Klasu, who’s still quite new but fitting in great. Musically we all loved 90’s grunge and alt metal music, so that’s been the bottom line of our sound from the beginning. Separately we listen to different stuff from Zappa and Slayer into Depeche Mode and Bon Jovi , too.
We’re all from Tampere and have played in differend bands for years, but for the last 3 years Manzana has been the only love for me and Henkka. So we have an old-fashioned history of being a live band with a lot of touring, and then making an album, not visa versa =).
SOURCEWEBZINE - How has the response been on “Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart” and what kind of expectations do you have for it?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) -The first single “Falling To Pieces”, went on chart number 3 and we were really really surprised about it! The album also went on chart, number 24 , and we got quite a lot of TV stuff and interviewes in Finnish media. The moment when I realized the album really went quite well, was 2 months after the release, when I was in Stockholm with Ville, being interviewed fot the MTV Headbangers Ball, and Taija, our promoter calls us that “Falling To Pieces” was taken on Radio Rock playlist. What the F***? I remember thinking. We’re in the Headbangers Ball and our song is in the radio! We felt so happy after many years of work that things were starting to move.
In November ‘07 we also got the album published in middle and southern Europe after touring Germany and Switzerland with Lovex. We’ve got reviewes in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, Italy and Greece, and hopefully will get more since some places it was out just now in January.
SOURCEWEBZINE - If you should choose one song, which represents the essence of Manzana on the album, which one would that be and why…
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Call. It is poppy and heartbroken like a little sister, but angry and strong inside. That’s Manzana - Poisoned apple; fresh from the top and dangerous inside.
SOURCEWEBZINE - If you weren’t playing music, what would your career choice be?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - I’ve graduated from theatre school, but even there it felt like music and writing is the only thing I can do. The boys are all full time musicians, they propably would be just drunk all day without the band! They mix and edit other bands, and Heikki teaches drumming.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What were the major influences for the songs and overall feel of “Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart” ?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Henkka wanted to combine Tori Amos, Iron Maiden and Rammstein and make it groove. To be tough and elastic at the same time. Lyrically I wrote a lot about finding hate from yourself as a mean to defend yourself and about quitting being a nice idiot that everyone screws. Dark stuff, guilt, passion, being abandoned and used. And above all, the terrifying power of life that makes you go on no matter how much you fight against it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but on the way it can hurt like hell. I love life! It is such a bitch.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What does “Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart” mean to you personally as an album and as a statement?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Nothing as whole as a broken heart, is about letting life in. If you get your heart broken, it makes you more human, because nobody is whole. Only through a crack in your perfect shell, the true human beauty can be seen. We have to be brave and take hits and get up again. Dare to love no matter how much it hurts.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Where does the band name come from?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Manzana Venenosa (Poison apple) was the first idea. I love spanish language and the word has a great rythm. I have to admit, that in the beginning we didn’t know what it meant… Apple can be nice, fresh and nutritious, but also poisoned, raw or forbidden. Sounded like Pop-Metal.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What’s the best thing about being Finn ?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Snow and silence.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What’s your perception as the best thing about being Brazilian ?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Sun and coulours. We’ve also heard that Brazilian little boys don’t have teddy bears in their beds, that they sleep with their arm around football! You also have Max Cavallera and that must be good too.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What do you think about the Finn metal scene of today? More specifically the hardcore and metal scene.
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - There are many good Finnish bands touring the world, and some of them are not well known in Finland, because they are so much abroad. I like Finnish bands like Him, Entwine and Poisonblack a lot, and also Diablo. I’m not after the hardcore, I’m a bit too romantic for that, but there is great stuff there too if you like it, Rotten Sound for example. I’m very proud of bands like Him and Nightwish, because they pioneer for all of us. I think a lot of Finnish bands try to sound like NW or Him now, and it’s a bit funny but understandable because they’re so big coming from a small country. Metal is like the Finnish winter, cold and strong and quite popular over here.
SOURCEWEBZINE - When can we expect a new album or recordings from Manzana ?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - We are writing stuff and recording at the moment, and first single “End Of The World” from the new album will be out March 5 th. We are also shooting a video for it , it will be out March 17th. So quite soon! The album will be out after summer, August 2008.
SOURCEWEBZINE - What do you guys want to accomplish as a band, or has it already been accomplished?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - We want to make many albums, use all the million ideas, and tour tour tour… We love performing live. As long as I get to sing to people I’m a happy woman. Manzana wants more of everyting! We just got a little started.
SOURCEWEBZINE - Thank you very much for taking the time to give this interview, anything you want to say in closure to your fans?
Piritta Lumous (Vocals) - Dare to be yourself and love. We´re all broken and endlessly craving for love, so why not to share it!
Manzana
Manzana - Myspace
Dynamic Arts Records
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