A conversation with Blind Channel’s Aleksi
A conversation with
Blind Channel’s Aleksi
Blind Channel is a Finnish Nu-metal band from Oulu. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song “Dark Side“, finishing in sixth place. From the release of their ‘LIFESTYLES OF THE SICK & DANGEROUS‘ album last year to swathes of critical acclaim, selling out shows throughout Europe on their headline tour, and supporting ‘Electric Callboy‘ and other huge acts on the road they continue to be one of the most popular Nu-metal bands in the world.
NSGs Billy Vich had the opportunity lately to catch up with band member Aleksi to talk about all things Blind Channel.
BV: Good afternoon and how are you? What have you been doing today and how’s that going?
Aleksi: Hello! I’m doing well, thank you! We just arrived in Vienna, and we are going to start the tour with Electric Callboy here tomorrow. Very excited!
BV: Where did you grow up and how did your music journey begin?
Aleksi: I grew up in Southern Finland in a town called Vihti. My musical journey began when I was about 6-years-old. I started to play the drums and listened to rock music. Even though I ended up playing keyboards and percussion, drums were my first instrument.
BV: You recently released your latest single “FLATLINE” and described it as “Blind Channel on steroids”. Could you tell us a bit about the single?
Aleksi: FLATLINE is exactly like you said – it’s a Blind Channel song on steroids. When we started to write the new album we are currently working on, we wanted to approach it from live perspective and FLATLINE is an extremely energetic, up-tempo and catchy song to play live. We started to work on this song during the summer of 2022 with a German writing duo called BLYNE and FLATLINE is a song that came out of those sessions.
BV: You have been around quite a long time, since 2013. How do you think your sound has evolved over the years?
Aleksi: Ever since I joined the band in 2020, the sound has for sure got more electronic elements in it. I think the progress of a band can be heard in every album. We are very picky about the songs we release and really want our sound to be top-notch.
BV: You represented Finland in the Eurovision Contest in 2021. Were you surprised to be nominated as a nu-metal band, and what was the experience like?
Aleksi: We think it was a great experience! We also definitely got what we were looking for out of the competition – a lot of new fans. Also a bunch of great memories.
(Blind Channel Niko & Joel_Credit Natalia Pastakeda)
BV: You recently kicked off your massive European and USA tours. It must feel good to be back on the road. Which cities are you looking forward to visiting the most, and what do you do in your spare time whilst on tour?
Aleksi: It feels amazing to be back on the road! We just finished the EU and UK leg with ‘I Prevail‘, and it was amazing to end the tour at Wembley Arena, such a legendary venue. We’re really looking forward to playing in Los Angeles in a month also. In our spare time, we’ve been writing the upcoming album, and doing a lot of interviews but we’ve also had some time for sightseeing.
BV: In your early days, before becoming an established band, who or what were your musical influences?
Aleksi: I think it’s safe to say Linkin Park is the biggest influence of the band, but we also listen to a lot of different stuff. I personally love to listen to movie soundtracks and gain inspiration from them.
BV: You visited us here in Liverpool last month. Had you ever visited Liverpool before and have you ever tried our world-famous stew (scouse)?
Aleksi: We hadn’t actually played Liverpool before but loved every second of our time there. What a great show we had. We haven’t tried the stew yet but will definitely add that to our to-do list next time we’re there.
BV: History tells us that this stew came from Baltic sailors in the 18th century and that you have something similar in Finland called Lapskoussi. Is that correct?
Aleksi: Haha. Yeah, that might be the case somewhere in Finland, but I personally haven’t heard about that. I’ll check It out.
BV: It may seem like a world away now, but can you tell us how you managed during the lockdown, as a band and personally?
Aleksi: The lockdown was tough for the band, but it was also a new beginning I guess. I joined the band mid-pandemic so that was exciting and gave us a lot of new energy in the band. The frustrating part was that the band had just released an album called ‘Violent Pop‘ in 2020 but all the touring around it got cancelled, so we spent the whole time in lockdown writing. Out of that came our latest album, ‘Lifestyles of the Sick and Dangerous‘.
BV: Which country do you think has the craziest fans and why?
Aleksi: I think it’s between the UK and Germany, both have such a crazy energy at live shows. Every country has their own vibe but, if I personally had to choose, I think the UK shows are the craziest.
BV: Who has the strangest hobby in the band and what is it?
Aleksi: I think it’s our bassist Olli, and it’s cycling – even though that’s probably not the strangest hobby of all.
BV: What is the rest of 2023 looking like for you, after your massive touring?
Aleksi: We’re also recording our new album this year so that’s going to take up a big part of the year. And when we’re outside of the studio, we’re touring and loving it!
BV: Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Aleksi: Thank you so much for your time as well! We do appreciate it.
– Aleksi / BLIND CHANNEL
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