Who is Eva?
Oh, it's years since I got to know her, but nevertheless I cannot tell. She is still a mystery to me.
You started singing in a schoolchoir at the age of 11, did you already knew back then that you wanted to be a singer?
As a little girl at the age of nine or ten I already dreamed about being a singer. With a friend of mine I performed in our living room, singing songs of ABBA. Then later I was afraid to take center stage and preferred hiding, first in the choir, later behind the drums.
At what moment did singing became something serious for you and what did you need to do to call yourself a real singer?
Singing was always part of my life. It became serious when I recognized, that I have to work on my voice. This was about the time when I had my first gigs with Anubiz and the guys weren't very satisfied with my voice. So I took lessons 2000, and again in 2003 and 2006. I always had to quit the lessons after a few months because I couldn't afford more. I still think that I have to work on my voice and I should take some more lessons. Maybe I am too self-critical.
You started in the gothic metal band Anubiz, originally as drummer but later as singer. How do you look back on those days, what were important experiences you gained in being a singer?
Those were really great years! For one year I did nothing else than singing, looking for gigs and looking for other bands to organize gigs with. My voice developed nearly in light velocity. We had a very great time! We recorded two Albums and did about twenty gigs together. Leaving the Band was a very harsh cut. But I had my reasons. They wanted to become harder, I wanted to become softer, more Keyboard-oriented. And there were personal reasons, too.
start the band Unrein?
I cannot remember who of us found whom. But at this time Andy planned to found this project. So we met in summer 2006 and soon we realized that we wanted to do and also liked the same stuff. And after a few rehearsals and a few dozen bottles of beer, we had four Songs. Then I had to leave Berlin in 2007 to start my apprenticeship in Bonn. We both thought that this was the end of Unrein. The end before the real beginning. But then a friend of Andy encouraged him to create a bandpage on Myspace. The reactions there were so great! So we carried on working on songs. And it wasn't as difficult as we feared. After our first gig, we even realized that we don't need to rehearse before playing a gig. That was really astonishing!
The lyrics are based on the writings of Charles Beaudelaire, why did you choose to work with his writings, why are his writings so good for Unrein?
Not all the lyrics are based on Baudelaire, only four songs, namely “Marvin 1”, “Marvin 2”, “Gloria” und “Gleich nach der Geburt”. In schooldays at the age of 15, I won a literary award with my poems. One of my classmates compared mine with Baudelaire. So I got to know his lyric. Working on “Marvin1” I had no idea what lyrics I could write for this song. By chance I read “Die Blumen des Bösen” again after years and found two poems that fit perfectly! So I asked Andy, if it's okay for him and he was totally enthusiastic because he loved Baudelaire the same way I do.
So how do you create your lyrics, what inspires you. Can you use your own poems in the lyrics, maybe with a little transformation?
Yes, very often I used my poems and added some things or changed some words.
I get my inspiration from daily life and the emotions I go through. I don’t always use my own life, I also use ideas from books, other music or just thoughts that go through my head while driving by bus and reading headlines of the daily newspapers.
When I got a first idea, maybe just some words or a phrase, I can develop a story about it. That’s what I did writing “Odin” for example. I had this idea of writing some lyrics about the persecution of heretics and when I started writing, it just came out of my head.
Just a few days ago you left Unrein, why did you do this?
After I realized that I cannot count on Andy last October, I now found out, that he betrayed me in a way I cannot forgive. I don’t want to go deeper into detail because I think it is his turn to tell, what he had done.
Unrein had a completely different sound than gothic metal, it’s electronic. Does this affect your singing? In what way is singing in a gothic metal band different compared to singing in an electro act?
At a Gothic Metal Band the singer has to find his/her space between all the guitars, the drums and whatever. Electronic music offers you some more space. It offers the voice more attention. Another thing is the number of bandmembers. At Anubiz I had to cooperate with six individuals. Sometimes it was really hard for me to accomplish myself.
I prefer singing and performing live shows. Doing studio work is also very nice but you don't get very much feedback there. Of course it's also rather technical.
You now are singing for Traumtaenzer, can you give a brief introduction to that band?
Traumtaenzer is a very sympathetic band from Witten (Ruhrgebiet) consisting of the singer Marco, whose voice is stunning, the composer and guitar-player Tom O'Connell, whose also part of The House of Usher, and the violinist Sandra. We want to create music with German lyrics beyond the usual clishes.
In Traumtaenzer you are singing together with Marco. How do you decide on who sings what part in the songs?
Tom as the songwriter mostly has some ideas about who should sing which passage. If we have other ideas we decide together. There has not been any problem about this yet and I don’t think there will be any, because no one of us needs to be the center of attention.
Is it different to have 2 singers in a band for you?
I already know this situation from Anubiz. Of course it is different, but I like it very much, because I admire Marco's voice. And I think our voices fit very well.
What is the thing in Traumtaenzer’s music that appeals to you the most since it’s sound is very diverse?
I like the variety of sounds. The way Tom plays is the guitar is always different, he doesn’t always do the same dum-dum-dum. And of course I love the violin, it adds this beautiful melancholy. The whole sound let’s you dive into another world as if you were dreaming.
Now that you left Unrein, Traumtaenzer is your only focus, what influence will it have on the band?
I think there will not be a great difference. I always focus on what I do at one moment no matter what I will do at another. And I always have a great commitment to what I do, especially while singing or working on music.
I’m looking forward to the recording of our CD and I wish to present our music to as much people as possible. It would be great to play at one of the great festivals next summer! But we have also some very great gigs to come this year. We are very happy to have the opportunity to play with Lacrimas Profundere at the 4th of June and with Megaherz at the 2nd of October. I hope that many gigs will follow. There is not much left to dream of because for me Traumtaenzer is a dream coming true. I have never felt that content with a band. It’s not only the music that fits perfectly also the individuals. Even without being in a band I would like to spend my time with the guys.
What do you do to keep your voice in a good condition?
I have to confess that I don't do very much. I practice once or twice a week and stop smoking a few hours before the show. That's all.
How does the perfect Eva day look like?
Sleeping long, going for a walk in the “Siebengebirge” with my beloved, having a coffee at my mum's with my niece and nephews around. Just some family life and hanging around.
Any last words for our readers?
Thank you for your interest in me and my music. If you want to get to know more about me (www.myspace.com/evespassion) and Traumtaenzer
(www.myspace.com/traumtanzermusik), just visit me or us on Myspace and write some lines!