“Then I’ll take nude pictures” – Metrolive.fi

“Lauri Ylönen did not want to change the style of The Rasmus”

The Rasmus’ Lauri Ylönen is a family man who still dares to dress up like an international mega stars. He’s posing in front of his band mate taking pictures in tight trousers and without a t-shirt with Lady Gaga style bird cage on his head. Lauri has so far received more feedback on the pictures than his music.

-“I’ve always admired rockers who can perform at least half naked, but in front of the band performing shirtless would look funny. When I get the chance to perform solo I will not have a shirt on anymore. For next I was thinking of taking pictures in which I pose without clothes,” Lauri laughs.

The solo album was released earlier this week, but Ylönen found himself in front of a new challenge when he traveled to Singapore to write new material for the follow up album after Black Roses. The computer-made demos didn’t really ‘support’ the rough guitar sounds. From this idea came the start of a solo career, so he wouldn’t have to spoil the long Rasmus history by changing the music style dramatically.

-“Yes I was a bit nervous to start calling the guys and telling them about starting a solo career because I didn’t wanted to offend anyone. If someone from the band would have done something like this to me, it sure would have felt like shit.”

With millions Rasmus albums sold, the soloist decided to make electro music, which he couldn’t tolerate at all before.

-“I tried before to listen to house and trance, but I couldn’t just take it. I tried to like it, but I didn’t have the patience to wait for a tip to open in a minute. Now I just enjoy that in the song there is a good bass sound.”

Untypical for electro music, Ylönen made lyrics about quite heavy and tough topics.

-“In one I handle anorexia. We’ve been talking with The Rasmus guys about the issue and an example for it can be found also in our close friend circle. There were no songs left anymore in the drawer.”

-“It has that good old feeling, that every song has been used. When at the beginning we did Rasmus’ first album, we had exactly 11 songs and we went and recorded them all.”

-“On this album it’s more like decisions made at the moment of work. We just enjoyed the parts of the songs in one take, and we weren’t bothered if I sang the wrong tune. These songs are a bit like shit, but in a good meaning,” Lauri told about his way of working

With The Rasmus now for years in turn Lauri enjoys working on low profile.

-“When we were shooting videos with The Rasmus, we were taken from the hotel with rose ways and at the place of the shooting we were given like massage. In comparison, this was kind of an amateur work, because I was making puppets for months long in the garage before I left to shoot the video at the place of the director in Sweden. But I was missing this ‘for small band’ work feeling.”