Interview: October Changes (Written)

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life being you an interview with electro-melodic metal band, October Changes.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

Lhana: Thanks so much for having us!

I’m Lhana, the singer of October Changes. I met the guys at a venue where my former band and they played as well on the same night.

Luk: No problem and with pleasure. I am the founder of the band. From the beginning I had a real clear view of what I wanted with the band. It was only a matter to find the correct people, with the same vision… It took me a couple of years to find the proper line-up, but here we are.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

Lhana: It’s electromelodic metal. You don’t know it? It’s its own kind of metal. You should check it out!

Luk: It’s truly a blend of a lot of styles that we try to properly combine. We all have our own main genre as preference. We stir it with some electro, jazz, new wave and nowadays modern metal; and voila, October Changes. In the end Lhana came up with the term “electromelodic”, which describes our music very well.

3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

Lhana: We’re currently busy with a couple of new songs. We’d also like to organise a tour next year, with as many stops as possible.

Luk: Correct Lhana. Always busy with new music, new ideas…

4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Lhana: Getting fans, haha. It’s such a euphoric feeling to meet people who appreciate you and your craft so much. And of course, the fact that people love my lyrics. That means so much to me.

Luk: The moment we released our debut music video “Sleeping Beauty”! The amount of views and feedback we received on a short period of time was really a joy to experience .. And more is coming.

5. Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

Luk: The most challenging part must have been when Lhana joined OC. We had a lot of gigs coming up and yet we decided to rewrite ALL of our music in two months. We even had sleepovers at Bert’s place so we could finish the work in time.

6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

Lhana: I think it’s often unfair. Sometimes, big labels look at your likes before they check out your music, and depending on what they see, they decide whether or not it’s worth to check out your music. I think that’s very misleading. There are a lot of hidden diamonds inside the sandpile.

Luk: It’s more or less a matter of going with the flow. Check how others gain a fanbase and try to stand out as well.

7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

Lhana: I think people don’t often get a chance to network, and in this industry, networking is crucial. If I could, I would make specific meet-ups to give people a helping hand in networking with some fellow musicians.

Luk: It was already known, but we only recently encountered it ourselves… it comes down to who you know and who they know. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, without having the proper network, you remain unnoticed.

8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

Lhana: Come to our concerts, buy our merch! If you can’t, share our music with as many people as possible. You have no idea how much it helps us!

Luk: To summarize Lhana’s comment. Without you, there is no us! No reason to be ignorant about that.

9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

Lhana: I love to draw and I love crime documentaries. The human mind fascinates me.

Luk: Writing and composing music is relaxing. The other part is supporting my football team Royal Antwerp FC.

10. Where can people find you?

Lhana: You can find me on Instagram and on Facebook! On both platforms as Lhanaofficial.

Luk: You can connect to us via our website (https://octoberchanges.com), via our Instagram, Facebook and even TikTok. So, essentially on all major social platforms. The music itself is available on al major streaming platforms: Youtube, Spotify, …

Check out our socials, reach out, share the info, share the music, check us out on venues and have a chat with us.