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Interview with: Carmen Elise Espenæs
Conducted by: T.V.
Savn, a new supergroup in the female fronted gothic/symphonic/folk metal sector caused quite a stir among the followers of the genre, especially because of the fact that two members from dormant Norwegian legends The Sins Of Thy Beloved, Stig Johansen and Anders Thue, formed the band. Savn is not a continuation of The Sins Of Thy Beloved as many fans expected, neither is something like Midnattsol, as the two were joined by vocalist and long-time friend Carmen Elise Espenæs. Savn is a band on its own way, not really burdened by the recent trends and they showed this on their recently released self-titled debut album (read a review over HERE). Album was recorded, mixed and produced by Alex Krull (Atrocity, Leaves' Eyes) at Mastersound Studios in Germany, there were many guest musicians taking part on it, like Carmen’s sister Liv Kristine (Leaves' Eyes, ex Theatre Of Tragedy), Michelle Darkness (End Of Green), fiddle players Dag Bjørkedal and Lillian Hodne, additional strings were provided by the famed Lingua Mortis Orchestra directed and recorded by composer and Rage guitarist Victor Smolski. Savn is a fresh breeze for the genre which is in a kind of a stagnation in these last years, they are almost ready to conquer the stages next year and to bring us more albums in the future. Sympathetic singer Carmen was very kind and ready to answer some questions and gave us a bit more of an insight into the core of the band, as well she talks about the collaborations, lyrics, future plans and other things.
T.V.: Hi Carmen! First of all tell me how do you feel being in a band together with such musicians as are Stig and Anders?
Carmen: Hi there! It feels fantastic to be a part of Savn and to have the possibility to make music together with them. Stig explodes with good basic ideas and Anders is a genius when it comes to melancholic touching melodies. I feel free to let the creativity flow in every way and try out new things, and everything is so harmonic. We knew each other before I got involved with Savn, but while we made our first album, we got to know each other much better and became good friends. These two guys are sooo funny!! We are joking all the time and have already got some crazy “Savn-jokes” meant to stay in our vocabulary.
T.V.: I've heard that everything started taking shape when Stig contacted you to sing in just one song. How the things proceeded from that point on?
Carmen: I got a basic guitar line as guide and was suppose to make a good refrain to the song. I was about to give birth to my daughter at that time, but as soon as I came home from the hospital, I wrote the refrain. They asked me to record it in studio a couple of weeks later, without meeting each other upfront or having heard the other instruments. I was super nervous, because I didn`t know if they liked the refrain or if it would fit to the rest of the instruments, but they were speechless and just looked at each other. The song was the growling version of “The Demons In Me”, and it was such a great feeling to hear the result in the car, I almost cried for happiness. Because of this positive experience Stig and Anders asked me after a while if I would like to sing on more songs. We just worked so well together and had lots of fun. Step by step it got clear that it would be best if I would be a permanent member of the band. That was the beginning of a new musical journey for me, which has been amazing so far.
T.V.: Very interesting development of things, really. And you also became the one responsinble for lyrics. Please explain to our readers what are the things that you would like to express with those words?
Carmen: All the songs are about “savn” (deprivation, longing) in some way: missing someone, death, being lonely, losing hope, lost love and being stuck with negative thoughts, to mention some of them, and all are based on experiences or thoughts from Stig`s, Anders`and my life. I think many of the listeners can relate to the songs in one way or another, and I hope that it can give them hope or the feeling of not being alone with one`s thoughts and feelings. There are some messages in between that I want to express as well, like “Hold on (…) there is always a way”, “It`s now or never”, “I am free(…), no one can never ever stop me”, which I hope could perhaps contribute to a change in peoples lives.
T.V.: Are you in any way also involved in the song compositions?
Carmen: Yes, I see myself as much as a composer as a singer. I wouldn`t be part of a band where I was just supposed to sing other ones melodies and lyrics, I want to be a part of the music and identify with it. Stig started the song writing process some years ago with his basic guitar ideas, so when I got involved, a few songs were already made. I was allowed to make some changes though, and we started rewriting every song and wrote new ones. We made ideas on our own, and when we met, we worked with developing the ideas together. It has never been so easy writing songs, it was this special flow over us, and we felt very creative. After my opinion some of the best melodies I`ve ever made came out of this process. But I could never have done it alone, I think we inspired each other to let out the best of us.
T.V.: It's pretty obvious why and how your sister Liv Kristine became a guest vocalist, even though this is the first time you two are singing together on the song you wrote, still how are you satisfied with the result of this sisterly duet? Tell us also what do you think of her main band Leaves' Eyes and her solo albums?
Carmen: She did a fantastic job, we were so satisfied with the result! I wasn`t there when she recorded it, and when I heard the finished song I couldn`t believe my ears: she sang it 100% how I had imagined it– only much better!! Our voices fit so well together and the song is so powerful I think. In addition, it`s of course very special because it`s the first time, it meant a lot to me that she wanted to sing on the song. I feel even closer to her when I listen to it, it has certainly become one of my favorites. I love Leaves' Eyes and Liv Kristine and listen to all her albums! Especially the songs with a bit of folk appeal to me, and of course her solo album Libertine which she dedicated to me, is very special to me. Liv is like an angel with an angelic voice, so crystal clear and beautiful, and the guys are awesome musicians.
T.V.: And what about Michelle Darkness (End Of Green). I like it very much how the song "The Demons In Me" turned out. How did this collaboration started?
Carmen: Great to hear that you like it, thanx! When I listened to the growling version of “The Demons In Me”, it came to my mind that it would be great to have another version with clean male vocals as well. I am a big fan of End Of Green, and then we thought about Michelle, his voice is so emotional and melancholic and would fit so well to the atmosphere of the song. Fortunately, my brother-in-law and our producer Alex Krull knows him quite well and contacted him, and it was such an honor for us that he actually said yes! We are so satisfied with the result, this song was just meant for him! I have to admit that I got goose bumps the first time I heard the duet in the end of the song.
T.V.: As you already mentioned,... also the production is a "family" thing as Alex Krull did it. As each one album he ever produced, which in my opinion is very good, also your debut has a fantastic sound. How it is working with him and how were you satisfied with the final result?
Carmen: Glad to hear you like it, we are so satisfied with the result as well, like a dream coming true! Alex, and Tosso and Sander who also recorded us, were awesome to work with and they had great ideas, we are so grateful for everything! It`s of course fantastic to be able to share something so special like music with your own family and friends. We felt secure and in good hands and had huge fun.
T.V.: Behind the scenes of the video you recently released for the song "Hang On", there's an interesting story how cold it was when shooting it. Can you say something more about that matter?
Carmen: Hehe yes, I have to admit that it was not only cold, but freezing cold! Norway is not quite known for its warm weather. The girl in the video, Susanne Dahle, and I were shivering through most of filming and our skin was quite blue in the evening. But still, I can`t blame anyone, because I wrote the script hehe! The goal was to make it as real as possible, without many effects, and to deliver the fans the story in its best way. And I think it was worth it! A big thanx to Susanne and our producer Leo from Frog Leap Studio (frogleapstudios.com) – they both did a fantastic job!
T.V.: I like the artwork of the album, it's somehow mystical and at the same time relaxing. Whose idea was to take those pictures in the forest and to make this kind of artwork concept?
T.V. Still, where do you see the main differences between the two bands?Savn links: Official website, Facebook
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