Interview: Violet Blend (Written)

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life bring you an interview with the magical musical menagerie that is Violet Blend.

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.

Hi! Thanks for having having me. This is Giada, I sing, play the piano and write songs for Violet Blend. We’re an Italian alternative metal band, from Florence. The band was formed by me and drummer Michel Agostini, at that time he was a session musician for my solo project, my ex producer introduced me to him because I needed a full band for the tour. Since the beginning it was clear that there was an amazing chemistry between us and so we decided to form the band and immediately started composing new songs. In 2017 the bassist Ferruccio Baroni joined us and that was the year when everything began, that was the time we decided to devote ourselves completely to the band. We released two albums and some singles over the years. The debut album “White Mask” exposed the fallacy of using social media to represent “the self,” and the sophomore record, “Demons”, continues the journey by moving the focus to the more personal, internal mechanism we use to make our own tragic masks. We do this to represent ourselves favorably to others, as our fragile, raw truths remain fatally hidden. We are currently working on a new album. I think that music is better that thousand words, if you want to know us you should listen to it!

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

We describe our music as a blend of different musical genres, forms and styles. We always try to paint a musical discourse of clear sonic eloquence with the right expressive power to describe and dissect feelings. We speak about fears, anxieties, broken dreams, aspirations, joys and hopes of our life. We mix metal, rock, punk, progressive and classical forms that are part of our background and of course reflect our tastes. Our songs speaks about fragile things, painful moments, it’s like an atonement for me to write music, I feel immediately better. I try to speak honestly in my songs, to be real and true, both in the music and in the lyrics, that’s the real me without any mask to protect me. But we also speak about the importance to stand and react against everything that hurts you. When people listen to our music I want them to feel understood, that they’re not alone, we all have dark moments, but we have to find a way to live well. Music can heal wounds, that’s what it does with me.

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

We’re writing new songs now and we’re taking the time to record in the studio. We’re touring only in Italy since June, few dates to have the chance to focus on new songs. There’s a plan for a new album, we already have an idea about the theme and the sound of the new record, because our albums has always a common thread to follow and a general meaning. It will speak about hallucination, addiction, bad influences, redemption, atonement and self-indulgence. We’re still trying to figure out which songs to include in the album and there’s not release date yet. We always write loads of songs, pre-produce them and then we decide which ones to keep and which ones to put a part.

We’re also planning many things for the next year, this will include some new collaborations with other bands and artists and an European tour. We’ll be back in the UK soon, I’m very looking forward to it.

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

It’s been great journey so far, sometimes hard, there’s a lot of work behind a band, behind all things in music business, we’ve done millions of kilometers all around Europe, played thousands of shows, seen many beautiful places, known many bands and artists from all over the world, worked with great professionals in the studio and on the stage, had conversations with our idols like Tom Yorke and Butch Vig, met lots of people. Despite all the sacrifices it’s a great life to live, and then when you work with your second family, with people you call brothers the journey is awesome, we have so much fun. It is worth it.

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

When you are exposed to the audience you are inevitably subject to all kinds of comments and my mind tends to always focus on the negative ones only. I’ve had a hard time letting people’s meanness slide on me, I started doubting myself and my abilities for a long time. I had to learn how to ignore the perpetual situation of anxiety that stagnates in my mind and all those voices in my head that kept repeating I was not worth it, I was not enough. If you let yourself be overwhelmed by negative thoughts you become a slave to your own cage. I wrote “Voices In My Head”, a song that describes a furious urge, a violent need to free yourself from all those mental chains and thoughts that prevent you from living freely. It’s also a constructive reply to all the keyboard warriors and haters dissatisfied with their lives who are looking for a excuse to sink other people.

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?

The hardest part is to be able to do everything at the same time, I mean you have to release new music, tour, post on social medias, write new things, do the interviews, keep practicing and rehearsing, always be online, all at once. You have to be present every single day and not be silent for too long. It’s the price to pay for the times we’re living. We’re living in the digital era, having everything at our fingertips is an incredible resource and I’m grateful that I was born in this time of technological evolution that allow us to connect with the world while sitting in our living room. On the other hand we lack the concrete, the tangible, the contact with reality, the connection with people and this will always get worse. We’re trying to build real relationships with our supporters, to meet them in person and to know them directly when it’s possibile.

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?

In the music industry, music is the least important thing there is, other things matter so much more, this is the first thing I’d change. We should go back to making content the center of the music business, rather than the cover. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter these days, we live in a world where speed is the key to everything, we should get back in touch with reality and with beauty, we should get to know and listen to each other again, but this is obviously a broader discourse that does not only concern the music industry, but today’s society as a whole. I think we should teach people the relevance of art, the importance of creativity and the significance of culture, our days are full of entertainment and poor of contents. We should start from the school.

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

I always say: if you want to support us, please tell a friend. Word of mouth is still the most relevant act that a person can do to help an artist. If a friend of mine tells me about a band I don’t know, I’ll immediately go and listen to it, it ignites my curiosity. So if you like our music please remember to tell a friend our name and recommend them to listen to our music. If you want to take it a step further, visit our Bandcamp page and check out our merchandise, we have loads of cool things, the best word of mouth would be for you to wear a t-shirt with our name on it. Here is the link – https://violetblend.bandcamp.com/

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

I read a lot. Every day I make sure to spend at least an hour reading, it relaxes me more than anything else.

10. Where can people find you?

We are everywhere on the internet! Sounds like a threat. You just have to type the two magic words Violet Blend and we will appear. Here is a list of links:

Website | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube