Interview with Annika Eronen (Her Alone)

We had the chance to chat with Annka Eronen from the Finnish Symphonic Metal band Her Alone. Learn more about this wonderful vocalist, her band and their upcoming music projects.

Hello Annika! I am very happy to talk with you. How are you doing these days?

Hi! Happy to talk with you too. This spring was a busy one. I had a big concert regarding my studies in music pedagogy, so during this summer, I’ve tried to slow down and concentrate on my well-being. It has been rough for a restless soul like me.

That’s great to hear and hope you overcome the challenges! Late last year you released your newest single “Mother Gaia”. Do you have any plans for new releases that you’d like to share with the readers?

Yes, there is! We are releasing our first EP “Dead End Dream” later this year. I’m excited to share it with you all!

Sounds great! How would you describe your sound to someone who never got the chance to listen to your music before?

We are a symphonic metal band that combines ear-catching melodies with heavy guitars accompanied by colorful orchestrations and delicate but powerful singing. We are influenced by a variety of different kinds of genres from traditional hard rock and metal to classical and film score music.

What bands did you grow up listening to and would say have influenced your musical identity?

I grew up listening to a variety of genres, but the biggest influencer for me is definitely Nightwish. They are the reason why I started singing in the first place.

Let’s play a game! I will set a scenario in an alternate universe with new rules and see how you’d react to the different situations. Ready?

Yeah! Let’s go.

In a universe where humans can choose either to be able to teleport from one place to another or travel back and forth in time, which superpower would you pick?

I’d choose to be able to teleport from one place to another. Time traveling could be problematic because I would be tempted to change many things. I think it’s better to learn to live here and now, in this moment. Teleporting on the other hand would come really handy. Traveling the world would be a great superpower for a gigging musician.

In a universe where money does not exist, but instead, people pay for things by making other people laugh, how rich would you be considered?

Really rich. Once you get to know me you’ll notice I’m a childlike person with a wild imagination. If you are not laughing at my jokes, you might be laughing at my weird behavior.

In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed together, what food would you imagine your music would taste like?

I’d say different types of berries. They are sweet but fresh and there are so many flavors.

In a universe where a sitcom-style theme song plays whenever you wake up announcing the start of your day, what would your song be?

This was a hard one! It’s not sitcom-style per se, but I’d say “Sleepwalking Past Hope” from HIM. One might say I’m not a morning person and hence the gloomy start for the day. The ending theme would be happier.

Still sounds amazing! In a universe where you are an evil overlord, what object would you bind yourself with so you would never die?

If I’d be an evil overlord, I’d naturally bind myself to something quite eternal like some supermassive black hole. 😀

In a universe that is a post-apocalyptic world flooded by zombies, would you be hiding in a safe house, on the run fighting zombies, or a zombie?

If those PS4 games I’ve been playing are any indication on my survival skills, I’d probably be a zombie.

LMAO! In a universe where you were chosen to rule a nation, what is the first law you’d change or make?

My first law would be to respect and cherish nature, animals, and other people.

Thank you for playing! I hope you enjoyed this game. Do you remember the first time you performed live on stage? What was your experience like?

I’m not quite sure when the first time was, but I remember some performances when I was in elementary school. I’ve always had a huge stage fright, so those times were especially scary for me. I still do, but I also feel attracted to performing.

With our generation becoming more and more dependent on social media, do you think the pros of social media’s effect on the music industry outweigh the cons?

Of course social media helps marketing your music and reaching an audience, but it’s also too easy to pretend to be something that you are not. Also, there is a great deal of oversupply and it’s increasingly hard to stand out from the noise. For Her Alone social media is mostly for sharing important news and some great moments. Therefore, we don’t post too often, but we do enjoy talking with our listeners in person at our gigs.

Have you ever experienced any kind of sexism in your professional life? What advice would you give our young readers who might experience any kind of discrimination?

I remember one gig when there was some nasty objectifying shouting from the audience. They were not pointed directly at me, but they asked our guitarist some really derogatory stuff about me. There’s been some situations where people have assumed I didn’t know certain things because I’m a woman. For young readers, I’d say that any kind of discrimination is not okay and you should definitely tell someone if you’re being treated poorly. Your boundaries should be respected no matter what. We all are equal and if someone behaves otherwise, they need to change. No one shouldn’t need to accept bad behavior.

Thank you for sharing your experience and for your word of advice, Annika! And thank you for the interview. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I wanna send best wishes for every reader and listener! I also wanna thank you for this great interview. It was really interesting and the questions were well done.