Lauri Ylönen, singer of the band The Rasmus, has released his first solo-album “New World” this september, which is in contrast to The Rasmus more electronic and pop kind of music. We’ve met him for an interview.

Hitparade.ch: Your recent album sounds more electonic than a typical The Rasmus album.
Did you want to go this way already for a long time or did it just happened so with time?
Lauri: I like bands like Daft Punk, Prodigy and Vangelis, which make such electronical music for a long time. I’ve always been a fan of this music, at the same time of course also rock-music, since I’ve played with The Rasmus. As a band we couldn’t such music, because we use real instruments and this would sound different. We turned up the amplifier and made very much noise. But what I did for the recent album was totally different in the way of producing. You put on the ear-phone and you sit in front of your computer like a computer-freak, create tones and compose them with others.
You take the whole thing in hand in an other way, the result has to sound different. There is no explosive energy, and I didn’t searched for this. It’s more about the cool vibes.

Hitparade.ch: Now you are on tour alone, which also is a difference. What can a fan expect when they see you on tour?
Lauri: I’m not completely alone, I have a band with me. There is a drummer who plays electronic and normal drums, furthermore I have a keyboard-player, and somebody who makes the sampler. They are like my machine-men. I also have a keyboard and a sampler. Of course I also sing. Then I’ve got two girls, singing the background, which is really cool. They bring up a good atmosphere, but they are not on the record, they are very good singers, they are much better than I am. The show itself is completely different as with The Rasmus, we have all our fixed place, you could compare it with a DJ.

Hitparade.ch: Do the other band members also do other projects? Or do they take a break while you’re solo on tour?
Lauri: It did really not much time to do the new album. When I had the idea I just called them and informed them that I want to do a solo-album. They said that I should do what I want to do. We were always joking when they didn’t like one of my ideas that I could use this for a solo-album one day. That’s a very political way to tell someone that the idea was bad. So I think there have been maybe very much bad ideas, which I have used for this record! *laughs ironically*

Hitparade.ch: You’ve said that you really enjoyed working for the album. Do you think that this was just the start for other solo-projects or to go a even more intense way with the electronic style?
Lauri: I feel like being born different, it feels fresh. This album was no expensive production. There was no pressure by others, who put much money in it or someone you have to pay money and there is no pressure of being very successful. I’m really happy with The Rasmus, we have toured all over the world and there are fans everywhere, but there are also negative sides. It tooks too long to make an album, nearly three years. We are together since 17 years and we’ve only got 7 albums, that are  not many. I ask myself if I can call me really a musician, because I do so many things besides just music. There were times I thought I make only promo, that was not necesarilly idea.

Hiparade.ch: I’ve read that you toke piano lessons in the age of 5 against your will. Do you apreciate it now or do you still think that it has been a bad idea?
Lauri: Yes, it has helped very much, but I had to learn it again. I didn’t played for a long time. The only exercise I had was playing in hotel lobbies when I was drunk. I think it is good when I don’t exactly how to play it really well. I use it more as a rhytmic instrument. I use it like a drum player who also has no notes. I really don’t know exact detailes how to use a synthesizer, but it’s enough. For me it was just a big adventure. I didn’t modified it too much. After I wrote the lyrics, I’ve just sung them. A lot of the songs sound like demos.

Hitparade.ch: Your recent record is called “New World”. Is this a reference to the new style you used for the album?
Lauri: Yes exactly, it was for everything. There should also have been a song with the same name but I forgot that I could simply take the album-name. It says much about the situation.

Hitparade.ch: In year 1999 you’ve founded a label called Dynasty, which contains The Rasmus and two other Finnish bands, Killer and Kwan. Now the band Killer makes a break. Do you think the label is at risk?
Lauri: The Dynasty has changed very much in the past few years. Now it’s our own label. I even don’t think that Killer or Kwan will do anything in future. We contracted new finish bands to build a higher basis. We now got 6 artists contracted. I’m already out of this role because I don’t have time for such things, I’ve got a solo-album and The Rasmus, that’s much work. It’s more than just a record, it’s my hobby and my ambition in making music. The more I get, the more creative I am. When I only do an album with 10 songs in three years, which is not much, than I would like to release also other things. I can just make a song and put it on the internet.

Hitparade.ch: You’ve once said that Norway and Sweden have the image of cool countries, but your home Finland does not. What are the most interesting and the coolest things to do in Finland, to change this impression.
Lauri: Oh well… *silence*. There is not much to say. If I gad to show someone Finland I would take this person on my boat, in the central of the city and later to me home, to have a barbecue. I think are really just the people who make the country interesting. It’s always better when you got to know people. So I fall in love with many cities, just because of the people you meet there.

Hitparade.ch: Apocalyptica are famous for working with different, successful singers. How did you react when you were asked to work with them?
Lauri: It took long until we worked together. We first met in a TV-show in 1995 where we played, that’s pretty long ago. Since then we stayed in contact. Then we just had the idea. They also asked Ville Valo of HIM, so we had the idea to perform together. It was more like three bands performing together. It wasn’t like solo-artists. It was as if the singer stands for the whole band. Performing together was really cool. I also did a song with Anette Olzen oh Nightwish, what was very funny.

Hitparade.ch: Did you ever thought about performing with Tarja Turunen?
Lauri: I actually asked her once but she refused it and I only thought: “Bitch”. I don’t really want to say it like this, because this summer we played at the same festival and we talked about the performing with Anette Olzon and Tarja asked me why I didn’t sung with her. I said: “What? We asked you!” I didn’t talked directly to her but someone of her management blocked the question. So I take this back what I said. Oh well it’s already very long ago, 7 years to be accurate.

Hitparade.ch: Let’s have a look at the Top 10 of the Swiss charts. What can you say about this?
Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger
Lauri: I don’t know this new song well, but I like the new Maroon 5 song, because Christina Aguilera sings this part, which normally a rapper does. But they had already been better.
Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
Lauri: Ahh, this song I know! She is a good singer. I like, that she is no typical plastic-girly. She was on a magazine cover with a cigarette, I liked it. Her music is also real, you could play it with a guitar and it would be good.