Hi Manuela! first of all, thanks for taking your time to answer our questions. It's an honourfor us.
- WIM: To begin: welcome! We are very happy with your election.
Ok, let's speak about Xandria: how do you feel about your arrival in Xandria?Manuela: I am very pleased and excited to be new singer of Xandria!! From the first moment I met the guys, I felt like I belong there and this feeling still lasts...
- WIM: How did you react when you found out that you were the new singer? Were you expecting it?
Manuela: Marco called me and said that they chose me as the new singer..of course I was very happy about that and smiling all over my face! But I needed a few days until I finally realized it...
- WIM: When did you decide to apply to be the new vocalist? How was the process?
Manuela: I talked with a very good friend about Xandria´s searching for a new vocalist. And he was finally the one who said I should apply, because he knew that this was the kind of music I always wanted to make. Since a longer time I already had the feeling that I wanna experience a new musical way besides Haggard, so I applied for it and Xandria invited me for having band rehearsals with them and to get to know each other. Already in the first rehearsal we had very much fun while playing the songs and I felt truly comfortable from the very beginning...
- WIM: Did you know Xandria before becoming a part of it? Did you like the band?
Manuela: Yes, I knew Xandria, as I am addicted to all kinds of symphonic and female fronted metal. I had the „Ravenheart“ CD of them and I liked it very much...
- WIM: Okay, let's talk about the old singers, what do you think of them? Do you like Lisa and Kerstin?
Manuela: I met Lisa just once and didn´t get to know Kerstin personally yet, but they seem to be very nice persons. Concerning their musical skills I can say that they are good singers and that they did a great job in Xandria.
- WIM: Let's go on to the new album. How is your work going on it? Did you compose something?
Manuela: When I entered the band most of the material for the next album has already been written, at least musically. The lyrics are always written after the music, so I still have the opportunity to write some lyrics to the material and so I do. But also musically there are still details we work on together, there are for example some vocal lines I can bring in my own ideas for. Although Marco is the main songwriter, he likes to have the ideas of everyone in the band included.
I am really excited about the new songs and I loved them from the first moment when I listenend to them! I think the band is doing a big step forward with them! You can expect a great album!!
- WIM: Now, let's speak of you. Did you study music or singing? You have an amazing voice!
Manuela: Thank you! I haven´t studied singing at university, but since I am 23 years old I take classical
singing lessons with private teachers to improve my voice. Shortly I studied musical education at the music university „Mozarteum“ in Salzburg.
Since a few months I take lessons with a very experienced opera singer and every time we practice I discover my voice in a new way. Even if you are a good singer, you can always improve even more...and I try...
- WIM: How is your current relationship with the boys of the band?
Manuela: My relation to the boys is very good as we are totally on the same wavelength...they are all very nice and I guess we have the same kind of humor;)
- WIM: Which is your favorite Xandria song, and why?
Manuela: There are more songs, not just one, but my favourites are: „India“, „Salomé“ and „The end of every story“. I love India, cause I like bombastic, symphonic stuff and there is a lot of in India.
Salomé is a very emotional song, when I heard it the first time, it touched my heart. And „The end of every story“ I love to sing, because it has a kind of medieval touch somehow, even if the lyrics tell „another story“...
- WIM: How was your experience on Haggard?
Manuela: still think that Haggard is a great band and it was a wonderful experience for me to be part of them, to get to know life on tour, to see so many different countries and to meet so many nice people in the band and also at the concerts. I am very thankful that with Haggard I got the chance to sing in front of so many people for the very first time and to discover what I really wanted to do in my life: being a metal singer!
- WIM: What musicians/singers are important influences for you?
Manuela: I grew up with rock music, with bands like Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Dire straits etc., as I often
listened to those bands with my Dad. But there were also bands like Metallica, Nirvana, Bon Jovi, AC/DC or Foo Fighters.
In my family we have never listened to classical music, so I became 23 years old until I discovered my love for soundtracks, oratorios, operas and symphonies and until I got to know bands like Nightwish, Evanescence, Kamelot, Within Temptation...concerning my singing I would say that Nightwish and Evanescence influenced me the most. That´s why I started to sing not only classical opera arias, but also metal songs.
- WIM: Which is your favorite musical style/genre, and why?
Manuela: It will be no surprise if I say that my favourite kind is metal and classical music. The combination of both I like the most. If there is metal mixed up with classical instruments then it feels perfect for me. I feel kind of „home“ when I´m singing or listening to it.
In classical music I love symphonies, soundtracks and oratorios, especially „The Messiah“, „The Creation“ and the „Mozart Requiem“. I think this is the metal music of past times;)
- WIM: With which singer would you like to record a duet? and why?
Manuela: I´d like to sing a duet with Tarja Turunen or Amy Lee, cause I adore their voice...but I could also imagine a duet with Roy Khan from Kamelot...
- WIM: Do you work at the moment in other projects besides XANDRIA?
Manuela: Yes, I am still with my band „Nagor Mar“ of Switzerland. I love their music as well, it has become quite different from Xandria´s music and gone more away from symphonic metal. I´d say it´s a mix between rock and metal with classical elements. But it´s hard to describe...In this band I try to unite rock style singing with my classical technique...
- WIM: Which do you consider your greatest professional achievement at the moment?
Manuela: My greatest achievement has been a concert with Haggard at the „Rock al Parque“ Festival in Bogota (Coloumbia), we had an audience of 100.000 people, that was amazing! And of course being part of „Xandria“ now:)
- WIM: What difference is there between the Manuela that we listen in Haggard and the Manuela we will listen in Xandria?
Manuela: As the frontwoman of Xandria I have the chance to bring myself in more personally. In Haggard I have been more a kind of a backing vocalist. I´d say that Xandria reflects much more better my real musical passion than Haggard did and Xandria gives me the opportunity to live out, what is actually my musical innerself.
A big difference is also, that in Haggard I have never been involved in songwriting. In Xandria I am now able to bring in my own ideas and that´s very important for me, cause I wanna express myself not only as a singer but also in writing own lyrics.
- WIM: The Orchestra Room we saw in the presentation video of you, is it for 'Classic meets Pop'?
Manuela:Yes, it was the rehearsal room of the orchestra for the „Classic meets Pop“ concert, that we had on January 7th 2011, which was a great first gig with Xandria...
- WIM: How did your musical life start?
Manuela: My musical life started very late at the age of 23, cause in my family there hasn´t been a musical education or musical influences (expect listening to rock music;). The only contact with playing music I had at school and at university: In my pedagogic studies I´ve been learning the guitar, a bit of piano and I´ve been also singing in a few choirs. Especially a choir in Finland – I´ve been studiing there for one term - changed a lot in my life, cause there I sang a churchly song called „Kyrie eleison“ for the first time and heard a girl singing a classical solo to it. It touched myheart very deeply, so when I returned home to Germany I wanted to learn singing in the same way and I started to take classical singing lessons...
- WIM: Can you tell us (what do you think) which are the attributes that made of XANDRIA the amazing band they are?
Manuela: I´d say what makes Xandria special are the great melodies and the wonderful atmosphere the music creates! Xandria´s music takes you to another world, where you can find something that´s missing in the real world. It´s a heartfelt and heart touching music, and that´s what people realize when listening to it. And that´s what I try to put across to the audience when singing this music...
- WIM: Would you like come to South America with Xandria?
Manuela: Of course I´d like to come and I am sure we will visit South America once again on tour:)
- WIM: To finish the interview, What can we expect of Manuela and Xandria for this 2011?
Manuela: We hope to record and finally release our new album this year, but nothing is for sure at the
moment, because there are some business issues to be worked on beforehand. But in any case there will be already some live concerts before the release and of course hopefully a big tour after it! See you all then, I can´t wait for it!!
Thanks for the interview Manuela!.
Manuela: When I entered the band most of the material for the next album has already been written, at least musically. The lyrics are always written after the music, so I still have the opportunity to write some lyrics to the material and so I do. But also musically there are still details we work on together, there are for example some vocal lines I can bring in my own ideas for. Although Marco is the main songwriter, he likes to have the ideas of everyone in the band included.
I am really excited about the new songs and I loved them from the first moment when I listenend to them! I think the band is doing a big step forward with them! You can expect a great album!!
- WIM: Now, let's speak of you. Did you study music or singing? You have an amazing voice!
Manuela: Thank you! I haven´t studied singing at university, but since I am 23 years old I take classical
singing lessons with private teachers to improve my voice. Shortly I studied musical education at the music university „Mozarteum“ in Salzburg.
Since a few months I take lessons with a very experienced opera singer and every time we practice I discover my voice in a new way. Even if you are a good singer, you can always improve even more...and I try...
- WIM: How is your current relationship with the boys of the band?
Manuela: My relation to the boys is very good as we are totally on the same wavelength...they are all very nice and I guess we have the same kind of humor;)
- WIM: Which is your favorite Xandria song, and why?
Manuela: There are more songs, not just one, but my favourites are: „India“, „Salomé“ and „The end of every story“. I love India, cause I like bombastic, symphonic stuff and there is a lot of in India.
Salomé is a very emotional song, when I heard it the first time, it touched my heart. And „The end of every story“ I love to sing, because it has a kind of medieval touch somehow, even if the lyrics tell „another story“...
- WIM: How was your experience on Haggard?
Manuela: still think that Haggard is a great band and it was a wonderful experience for me to be part of them, to get to know life on tour, to see so many different countries and to meet so many nice people in the band and also at the concerts. I am very thankful that with Haggard I got the chance to sing in front of so many people for the very first time and to discover what I really wanted to do in my life: being a metal singer!
- WIM: What musicians/singers are important influences for you?
listened to those bands with my Dad. But there were also bands like Metallica, Nirvana, Bon Jovi, AC/DC or Foo Fighters.
In my family we have never listened to classical music, so I became 23 years old until I discovered my love for soundtracks, oratorios, operas and symphonies and until I got to know bands like Nightwish, Evanescence, Kamelot, Within Temptation...concerning my singing I would say that Nightwish and Evanescence influenced me the most. That´s why I started to sing not only classical opera arias, but also metal songs.
- WIM: Which is your favorite musical style/genre, and why?
Manuela: It will be no surprise if I say that my favourite kind is metal and classical music. The combination of both I like the most. If there is metal mixed up with classical instruments then it feels perfect for me. I feel kind of „home“ when I´m singing or listening to it.
In classical music I love symphonies, soundtracks and oratorios, especially „The Messiah“, „The Creation“ and the „Mozart Requiem“. I think this is the metal music of past times;)
- WIM: With which singer would you like to record a duet? and why?
Manuela: I´d like to sing a duet with Tarja Turunen or Amy Lee, cause I adore their voice...but I could also imagine a duet with Roy Khan from Kamelot...
- WIM: Do you work at the moment in other projects besides XANDRIA?
- WIM: Which do you consider your greatest professional achievement at the moment?
Manuela: My greatest achievement has been a concert with Haggard at the „Rock al Parque“ Festival in Bogota (Coloumbia), we had an audience of 100.000 people, that was amazing! And of course being part of „Xandria“ now:)
- WIM: What difference is there between the Manuela that we listen in Haggard and the Manuela we will listen in Xandria?
Manuela: As the frontwoman of Xandria I have the chance to bring myself in more personally. In Haggard I have been more a kind of a backing vocalist. I´d say that Xandria reflects much more better my real musical passion than Haggard did and Xandria gives me the opportunity to live out, what is actually my musical innerself.
A big difference is also, that in Haggard I have never been involved in songwriting. In Xandria I am now able to bring in my own ideas and that´s very important for me, cause I wanna express myself not only as a singer but also in writing own lyrics.
- WIM: The Orchestra Room we saw in the presentation video of you, is it for 'Classic meets Pop'?
Manuela:Yes, it was the rehearsal room of the orchestra for the „Classic meets Pop“ concert, that we had on January 7th 2011, which was a great first gig with Xandria...
- WIM: How did your musical life start?
Manuela: My musical life started very late at the age of 23, cause in my family there hasn´t been a musical education or musical influences (expect listening to rock music;). The only contact with playing music I had at school and at university: In my pedagogic studies I´ve been learning the guitar, a bit of piano and I´ve been also singing in a few choirs. Especially a choir in Finland – I´ve been studiing there for one term - changed a lot in my life, cause there I sang a churchly song called „Kyrie eleison“ for the first time and heard a girl singing a classical solo to it. It touched myheart very deeply, so when I returned home to Germany I wanted to learn singing in the same way and I started to take classical singing lessons...
- WIM: Can you tell us (what do you think) which are the attributes that made of XANDRIA the amazing band they are?
Manuela: I´d say what makes Xandria special are the great melodies and the wonderful atmosphere the music creates! Xandria´s music takes you to another world, where you can find something that´s missing in the real world. It´s a heartfelt and heart touching music, and that´s what people realize when listening to it. And that´s what I try to put across to the audience when singing this music...
- WIM: Would you like come to South America with Xandria?
Manuela: Of course I´d like to come and I am sure we will visit South America once again on tour:)
- WIM: To finish the interview, What can we expect of Manuela and Xandria for this 2011?
Manuela: We hope to record and finally release our new album this year, but nothing is for sure at the
moment, because there are some business issues to be worked on beforehand. But in any case there will be already some live concerts before the release and of course hopefully a big tour after it! See you all then, I can´t wait for it!!
Thanks for the interview Manuela!.
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