Forever Still: World at their fingertips

A poster child for the new reality is Denmark-based independent rock act Forever Still, who now boast among their growing legion of fans, Gazette editor Matt Lawrence.

Formed in 2010 by powerhouse vocalist Maja Schonning and musician Mikkel Haastrup, Forever Still are practitioners of quality melodic rock.

They have released three self-produced EPs to date, the later pair [Scars and Save Me] serving as the first two parts of the band’s forthcoming debut album.

The band is rapidly gaining a strong fanbase in Denmark and recently completed a short tour of several English cities.

For those needing a comparison, think Evanescence with a harder edge and Lacuna Coil with blood-stained teeth.

Maja said there were many elements to the Forever Still sound.

‘‘I believe that’s why people are able to connect it to a lot of different artists and even genres,’’ she said. ‘‘Our influences are not in a tiny box, but often far out of the genre we actually write in. First and foremost, we write from personal experience and emotion. That’s the spine of the music we make.

‘‘In regards to other artists, all our influences are very subconscious. We listen to a lot of different music, all depending on the mood we’re in at the time. These days I’m listening to The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Chevelle.’’

Maja is blessed with an incredible vocal range, which at times is blissfully angelic and at others chillingly brutal.

‘‘In my young teens I loved the vocals of Corey Taylor of Slipknot as much as Tarja Turunen of Nightwish, but I never idolised them nor have I ever aspired to sound like them,’’ she said. ‘‘I didn’t know a lot of female rock singers growing up, so I’ve mainly been listening to male-fronted rock bands when I was younger. I really don’t think it’d hurt to bring more female rockers to the attention of the younger audience and let them know that chicks have a place in the world of rock and metal just as much as men do.’’

Each of the band’s EPs, from the debut Breaking Free, have been produced by Mikkel, who developed his craft under the guide of engineer Flemming Rasmussen, known for his work with Metallica.

Maja said that being independent allowed the band complete creative freedom, from the writing of the songs, through to their creation and eventual marketing.

‘‘Yeah, we like to be in charge of the entire creative process, so we also like to do our videos and art as well as the abovementioned,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s important for us that everything we send out into this world is representing us to the fullest. We want our sound to back up the music we write and we want our visuals to be an extension of the music we create, so it’s all interlaced.

‘‘We’re not so determined to be fully independent that we refuse to do anything else. It’s a crazy lot of hard work. We’re very open to working with people who have the same vision for the band as we do, we just haven’t found them yet. Also, being independent gives us a lot of freedom in doing what we want, which is a huge strength.’’

Between them, Maja and Mikkel serve as the creative core of the band.

‘‘With our style of music it’s crucial to work with someone you can connect with on an emotional level,’’ Maja said. ‘‘When we started writing together, I could feel we were coming from the same place, and I was always able to connect with the emotion in the instrumentals and make that into notes and lyrics supporting it.

‘‘If we didn’t have the chemistry we do, we simply wouldn’t be able to make this kind of music together.’’

Spend a few moments reading through the comments attached to their online profile pages and you get the sense there is a great demand for a full length Forever Still release.

‘‘We’re working on that one,’’ said Maja. ‘‘We’re big fans of EPs, since we’re able to give our audience music more frequently instead of, ‘bam, album, see you in a few years’.

‘‘With our full length, we wanted to release a concept album in chapters and connect it all like that. So the Scars EP is the dark beginning, and part two is the Save Me EP (which was released on April 28). This will become a full, physical album later this year.

‘‘Since we do everything ourselves, the preparations have been completely in our own hands. We went with a process that felt very natural and organic to us, and pushed each other to the max in the studio, so the recordings come across as honest and emotional as we wanted them to. If something isn’t working 100 per cent, we’ve simply gone in and done it again until we’re completely satisfied.’’

Maja agreed with the notion that social media and related technology had been useful tools for the band.

‘‘I think it’s extremely crucial to stay in touch with your fan base via social media as an independent artist,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s the perfect outlet to connect with people who love what you do, and a place for them to share it with other people as well. It also makes it possible for us to talk directly to our fans, when we have a new EP coming out, a tour, or want to know what they wanna see in the merch shop.

‘‘We like to connect and we’re on our social media almost every day bonding with new and old fans. It’s great.’’

At the time of the interview Forever Still were yet to play their UK tour dates. Maja said the prospect of playing to those she’d never had the chance to meet in the flesh was extremely exciting, like many aspects of the future.

‘‘We still have so much more to accomplish,’’ she said. ‘‘We’ve only just begun.

‘‘We want to get the music out to many more people who may want it and even need it. And we want to visit our fans around the world.

‘‘We don’t need much, but if I can spend every waking moment of my life on my music and everything related to it, I’ll be as happy as can be. And that’s really the most important thing in life.’’

The new EP, Save Me, can be downloaded directly from the band’s website, here. The band lets their fans determine the price.

Click here to find out how Editor Matt found out about Forever Still.

Click here for Matt's review of the Save Me EP.