Interview with Sven Friedrich (vocals) from Solar Fake
In anticipation of the SOLAR FAKE concert in Kyiv on December 21, we present to you a fresh interview with the permanent leader and founder of the project, Sven Friedrich.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: One year ago was the first time you gave a solo concert in Kyiv. What are your impressions of the city, audience and your performance?
Sven: Luckily we had the chance to see some very nice and interesting places during our last visit and I hope this time we’ll even see more. I liked Kyiv very much, the people, the food, it seemed very lively. And the audience at our concert was just great… So all in all it’s been a perfect weekend for us. Regarding our performance… Last time we couldn’t bring our drummer so we played an all electro show with just André and me. This time we’ll have live drums!
RoD: You have been making music professionally for many years. Is there still a thirst for adventure and a thirst for exploring new horizons?
Sven: Well yeah. I mean every trip with the band is kind of an adventure. We see so many places we’ve never been before and meet so many great people. Musically I’m feeling very good with what I’m doing right now. Still, I always want to keep developing it and not being stuck.
RoD: And if you look at the development of SOLAR FAKE, how much has the sound changed, how much changed your creative worldview?
Sven: Well, I think the sound developed a bit from album to album without becoming something completely different or without changing too much. I think it’s because SF is just 100% me and my personality didn’t change very much over the last years ;-) In our live gigs our sound has become much more powerful and lively, due to the drums. I think this makes every SF gig something very special. I’m totally happy about this development and I’m thankful we have found such a great drummer who also fits in personally so extremely well. And of course I’m more than happy that our fans love it as much as we do :-)
RoD: What do you think is the most attractive and most difficult thing in a musician’s life?
Sven: I actually think that it’s different for every musician. For me the best is, that I’ve found a way to express myself and to make exactly the music I love. And of course the concerts, the moment when you feel the energy of the people takes over the action on stage. The exhaustion after a gig, travelling to wonderful places… the presents from fans, hahaha… Most complicated is always the money, because especially in the beginning of a career you have to invest very much and most musicians can’t or don’t pull through… And you never know if you can ever make a living from your music… only very few can… I think most musicians fail because of that. So it’s always good if you have a job or a side job that provides some safety and has no strict working times, hahaha.
RoD: Share with us the funniest story that happened to you as part of a concert or tour? Who is the biggest prankster in your band? Must be André?
Sven: Oh, we have very funny moments all the time. The funniest moment of the last tour I can’t share publicly, I’m sorry… And yeah, André is a lot of fun to be around. Together with our back-liner Kai it can be really a lot of fun. But that’s in general the point of this live band and our crew… It’s like a really good working family where everyone is closely connected to each other, there’s no difference between crew and band, we all depend on each other during a gig, but we can also rely on each other… That’s really amazing.
RoD: Does creativity help you deal with negative thoughts and difficult situations in life? What is the most effective “pain killer” for you?
Sven: Of course it does. It’s a good way to say what I want to say, to share my thoughts. My lyrics and songs are a very private way for me to deal with things. And yes, writing a song can take a lot of pain away…
RoD: How are things going with your second project, ZERAPHINE? Glass of ideas is half-empty or filled to the brim?
Sven: Well, we just recorded and released an album with cover versions exclusively in our fan club. It was fun recording it and it was also fun to play live at the fan event in September. Maybe we’ll have some more gigs next year. About new material I can’t say anything at the moment, because I’m not sure what we’re gonna do next ;-)
RoD: Are there any habits that you'd like to give up? Or do you like all your habits?
Sven: Oh, in general I’m fine. I quit smoking 8.5 years ago, I don’t eat animals or animal products. Maybe I could eat a bit less, because if I eat too much it always takes time and effort to get back in shape, hahaha. But honestly… I think I already gave up those things that annoyed me…
RoD: What is easier for you - to plan or go with the flow and accept what life gives you at the moment?
Sven: Definitely the latter. Plans always get disturbed and the never end up like you imagined… at least for me. So I gave up planning too much and just see what comes up and then react… Of course, some things still need some planning, but I never plan things far in advance…
RoD: What are your current creative plans? Singles, videos, festivals?
Sven: I actually started writing songs for a new album. But I’m at the very beginning. It always takes time to finish an album, but this is what I do next. And yes, we play concerts and festivals in 2020, we also have the 2nd part of our tour coming up. There are some other plans, but just vague ideas… ;-)
RoD: We will be very grateful for a few kind words for your fans and our readers.
Sven: I’m very much looking forward to coming back to the beautiful city of Kyiv, to playing another gig there and to finally present SF live with drums to you!
SOLAR FAKE concert in Kiev on December 21, Volume club - Tickets: https://2event.com/uk/events/1755124 or directly from the organizers:
Russian version of the article: http://bit.ly/2pRnZZp
https://www.solarfake.de / www.facebook.com/solarfake
Pics by 1&2 by Solar Fake / 3&4 by Kateryna Lashchykova
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