ZILLO MAGAZINE
1). You met each other in a bar,
talking about music. When did you recognize, that you could
be a team making music together?
Charlene: Daniel was writing music on an Ensoniq
keyboard and was cool enough to let me hear the songs he had
written. A couple of weeks later I had the courage to ask
him if I could try singing to a couple of the tracks. We
have been a songwriting team ever since.
2). You both like acts like Erasure,
Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. Are these also artists,
which had the most significant influences on your own music
or are there other important acts around, too?
Charlene: There are quite a lot of artists who have
played either a direct or indirect part in shaping our own
sound and style. I would say that the bands listed are the
bands that have influenced us the most. We love the energy
that each band has, especially live, a great live
performance is very important!
3). Electronic pop music is a special
European thing. How did you get in contact with it the first
time and how did you experience that?
Charlene: Electronic pop has always been a big thing
in the United States, however, the relationship the
Americans have with electronics is very different from the
relationship that Europeans have. Europe is the birthplace
of electro music so I think that in Europe there is a
greater bond and appreciation for electro acts. America is
the birthplace of "rock" music so that is why there is such
a prevalence of rock bands in the United States. We both
first discovered electronic music when we were very young
when Americans were craving something different than the
usual rock band. How could an American ignore the HUGE Duran
Duran craze in the mid 1980's?!
4). Where do you see the main
differences between the American and European electro scene?
Charlene: In the United States there is a ton of
electronic based artists in several different genres, but
very few bands exist that write music the way we do. There
is a lot of rap/R&B style artists as well as the sugar
coated pop artists that sing over electronic music that is
basically just a beat with a few sounds here and there. It's
very empty "cheap" sounding music with the intention to draw
attenion to the vocals more than anything else. We would
like to think that our music is full sounding with
complimentary vocals. It seems that Europeans appreciate our
method of songwriting and have a bigger appetite for
complete sounding electronic music.
5). Where does your poetic band name
"Blind Faith And Envy² come from? Is there a special meaning
around?
Charlene: Daniel and I wrote a song several years ago
and part of the chorus' line was "Blind Faith and Envy" we
liked that so much that it stuck with us. There is really no
particular meaning accept that I do believe that "blind
faith" and "envy" is what drives many of us to want to be
successful.
6). With which ideas and ambitions did
you start making music together? What was your starting
point?
Charlene: The idea was to have fun and see if we
could write music together. With practice and a lot of
discipline we both have really grown as songwriters over the
years. I had no previous experience with writing so it was
all very new to me. Daniel had been playing guitar/bass for
several years before I had met him, although he had only
been writing songs for about 2 years before I started
working with him. We have always had the desire to have our
music heard by the mainstream so we have never stopprd
working towards that goal.
7). How did you begin working on the
album? Did you have a kind of concept in mind?
Charlene: We wanted it to be a collection of songs
that were not "genre specific." Although we can call our
music electronic pop music we were afraid that we might be "pidgeon-holed"
into a genre that does not necessarily reflect our true
sound. So, we wrote a collection of pop songs that all
reflect different influences, with the idea that all the
songs should collectively sound like they came from the same
band. We were successful at achieving this, there is
something for everyone on this album regardless of the kind
of music you like.
8). The title "The Charming Factor²
fits very well the feel of the music. Is it your first goal
to be charming?
Charlene: I think it's important to be charming
especially in the music business. Our album is a charming
collection of well written well produced songs that should
make you feel good when you listen to them.
9). Where did you get the inspirations
for the lyrics from?
Charlene: Daniel's music gives me a lot of ideas
"lyrically." The music always come first and then I sit down
and work out lyrics and melody. My lyrics come from personal
experiences and/or feelings I have had in the past. I draw a
lot from past and present relationships for lyrical ideas
and inspiration.
10). How do you work in the studio
together? What¹s usually the basis for your songs? How do
you fit music and lyrics together?
Charlene: Daniel writes all the music and the overall
structure of a song so that I can try to fit lyrics to it.
We have tried to do it differently and it never works out
right. Daniel's new thing is to produce and mix the song as
he's writing it. Once vocals are recorded he has to go back
to the
music and make some refinements in production.
11). What about your next plans?
Charlene: We want to keep writing music as that is what
drives us to keep living and loving. We are very excited to
start playing shows especially in Europe. We keep our
website updated with current events and show information. We
plan and hope for a very long successful career in the music
business!
Interviewed by DIRK from ZILLO MAGAZINE europe