“This is the first interview with a lady today that is nice”
I’m curious to know if you are already working on a new album?
Yes we are actually in the middle of the mix so we’ll do Metal Female Voices and then we’ll do India a conference where we have been invited to play. That will be our final show for this year and the new album will be released in spring probably march.
It is exciting because we’ve added some new spices to the music, like some folk. We want to continue in the way of Scarborough fair.
It is quite exceptional for a metal band to perform in India
I’m very excited about it
What kind of conference is it?
I think it is called the Indian music conference in Boa we got an invitation and I would never say no to something like that. I have never been to India.
Actually we have Indian food at home four of five times a week. I just love cooking it. The Indian cuisine is my favourite.
Fortunately the flights from Boa don’t take off all that often so we have to stay for 5 days which I think is good.
How do you combine being a mother with touring and being in a band?
I’ve just been lucky so far. I’m good at planning, I always plan things very well. I would not do this as my profession if I could not combine music with family. Family comes first and I always wanted to become a mom. Of course I always wanted to become a singer too. But luckily my son is really happy when he can come along so I let him decide if he wants to come along and we try to tour when he has holiday. He is six now he just started school. Exciting times. He is not here today, the drive is just too long. He is at his grandparents place. It is ok for one of two days he enjoys that. If we have a long tour we will do it in the holidays and then can come along.
How do you keep in shape?
I run! I’m a runner. I started seriously with running, with trying to get in a better condition and watching the times after pregnancy. I wanted to stay in shape and free my head, free my mind. For me that is the best way to do that.
I do it all myself. Last Sunday I won my first cup. I was first in the ten kilometres. There were 5000 people. Of course I don’t compete with them all. I competed with the women above thirty. I’m so happy. Because I have fun with it. It is not like I’m tearing myself apart. I just want to feel good. I ran this morning. We did some partying last night so it is always good to run. And of course a healthy diet. I’ve been a vegetarian since my childhood. I don’t know exactly when it happened but I’ve never felt comfortable with meat. It just doesn’t suit me.
Because of the animals or the taste?
Well when I was a child I think I was most of all… I was feeling sick one night. And then of course the animals. Today I’m just happy there is an instinct in me saying don’t eat meat. I get sick and I get feverish and then my digestive system just stops working. It is terrible. But is good for me though. But it means I have to eat a lot to refill the energy. Nuts are very important, sometimes eggs. When I’ve been to the gym often I eat eggs.
I love cooking so every day when the band is working in the studio or in the house I cook big meals. I’m the cook.
And of course it is the growing up in Norway. In the beautiful nature, almost like no mans land. Everything which has to do with nature is something very close to me. So running and cooking with fresh herbs… all that just makes me feel happy and connected to nature.
Are you going to use traditionals from Norway?
Yes. We are using two Norwegian traditionals. I’ve written one myself. It is actually a love song in a Norwegian dialect. I started with a couple of lines of a poem. I like writing poems. Whenever I have time I write poems and short stories. I just thought well, let’s make more of it. Beginning with two lines and then I wrote like twenty. If I think of melody which sticks in my head and then I called Thorsten our guitar player, I call him my string slave and we worked it out together.
I write about people, the traditional way of expressing love.
Will you also use traditional instruments?
Some songs have Irish legends. And we had a traditional Irish musician in the studio. He is doing the whistle and he is multi talented. This adds something special to the album.
Do you already have a name for the new album?
Yes, it is called Meridead. Mer means ocean and then dead so it is death of the ocean or the deadly ocean.
You have a connection with water?
I grew up by the fjords, by the ocean. I need water. It is sometimes a little bit difficult to live in the middle of Germany. I moved to Germany fourteen years ago and there is just no ocean what so ever. It is just a matter of time before we move to Norway, back home. I still have my Norwegian passport. But our son boarded school in Germany so I would like him to do the first years here. And it is much easier to travel from the middle of Europe. In Norway you are so far away from everything. You could never drive to Metal Female Voices for instance, it would be insane.
What does Leaves’ Eyes mean?
We, my husband and I, founded the name when we were on our honeymoon in Ireland. He wanted something with Liv, because it means life in Norwegian. I said no that is too obvious. But then he said if we use a word that sounds like it, a homophone: Leaves, of the tree. And then he said Leaves’ Eyes. I don’t know how he came up with the eyes, but I guess it was our honeymoon and you get romantic so he looked in to my eyes. It was just a moment.
Do you have a message you want to convey with your music?
When I founded leaves eyes it was during a run through the forest. I was just kicked out of my old band Theatre of Tragedy and I was thinking about a solution for my soul to get over things and clear my mind. And then I thought Leaves’ Eyes will definitely have a connection to the North. And every album has a concept. The two first lines I wrote for Leaves’ Eyes were: I grew up by the sea, I played under the sun. It is an invitation to something wonderful not only the music for your ears but it is also for you mind and for your soul. When I clean my house I can’t listen to Leaves’ Eyes. I have to sit down and listen to it or I listen to it when I drive. It is an invitation to get out of your busy daily life. It comes from a thought that my mom conveyed to me when I was growing up. When I was little she said: the greatest happiness you can achieve is to give happiness to someone else. And that is what I am trying to do with my art.
My goal is to sell a lot of albums so I can start a music school, for disadvantaged children. To help disabled children who don’t fit in our society.
Interview: Roos Glastra - www.darkroos.com
Photos: Silvana Breur
