Netta Laurenne (Smackbound) and Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast) have two of the most powerful voices in the metal scene today. Together they are LAURENNE/LOUHIMO and with „The Reckoning“ they deliver a strong debut album between traditional heavy metal and hard rock. Laurenne talked to us about the genesis of the collaboration, new friendships and the reckoning with themselves.
You and Noora knew each other before the project and even grew up in the same city, so how did this project come about?
We had followed each others careers and had hung out a couple of times but this project really made us become great friends. There is so much in common, I feel like we are soul sisters. I called Noora late May last year and asked her to join the project. She said yes and here we are.
A project like this can only work if you get along well. Did you even develop a real friendship during the making of the album?
Yes. I think you can hear our friendship on the album.
There wasn’t really anything good about this corona pandemic, but luckily you found the time for this project. Was there anything else positive for you during this time, did you learn something for you personally?
The pandemic made this possible to happen now. Otherwise, the collab probably would have taken place in 5 years or so. This has been one of the highlights for me during these hard times.
What was the worst for you personally, what did you miss the most?
Losing my profession. Losing my income.
You wrote all the songs with your husband Nino Laurenne, did you write anything together before?
We have written several songs together for other artists but not a whole album.
How did the recordings go? Was it still complicated because of covid and different to other recordings before?
The recordings went normally, we just made sure everyone was healthy when they came to the studio.
How did you decide who sings which parts, did you fight over the „best“ bits?
We basically just split every song in half. No fighting at all, we could have split the parts however way. If I started one song, Noora started the next one. We made sure our voices are there 50/50 on the album. It was very easy to decide.
How does it feel to sing the whole album as a duo? In Smackbound and Battle Beast, you are always the center of attention by yourself.
It was great. Much more synergy. Respecting what the other brings to the song, Noora’s own feelings.
You have chosen „The Reckoning“ and „Bitch Fire“ to release as videoclips. Why these two songs in particular?
Wanted something up tempo to start with and then going to a more melodic stuff with the second one.
In the video for „The Reckoning“, you feast with cockroaches and maggots and let them run over your hands and faces. What was the idea behind it and how was the shooting with these little friends?
The reckoning with yourself. It is the ruins of your inner self that you are feasting with and to. We wanted to catch the chaos in our minds. We named the cockroaches so we would feel less intimidated by them… (laughs)!
Your outfit in the video looks like a red superhero costume with that cape. What would be your superpower if you could choose?
Turning into a fire ball and fly.
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The beautiful ballad „Hurricane Love“ seems to be about sorrow and loss, but also about finding happiness again. What is the song about, did you perhaps reflect on personal experiences?
It is a very personal song. It is about the things that you have picked up from it.
Do you want to tell me about the other texts, what are they about? Is there a song or lyric that is particularly close to your heart?
Oh, all of them are close to my heart. Dancers Truth, Striking Like A Thunder and Hurricane Love are my favorite texts.
Is LAURENNE/LOUHIMO a one-time project or can there be a continuation, are there possibly already ideas?
Everything is possible, I think we have only begun.
Are there any plans to perform live as a duo? You could combine that with Battle Beast and Smackbound, even though that would be exhausting for your voices.
We have hopes to be able to perform live together with Noora as we have so much fun together and the songs are just so awesome to sing. We have laughed about having a tour with these three bands but like you said, a lot of work to jump and sing through not one but two gigs in an evening!
As you make are making traditional Hard Rock and Heavy Metal I wanted to ask: What are your favorite Rock/Metal-Bands and your greatest inspiration for LAURENNE/LOUHIMO?
Well, LAURENNE/LOUHIMO is inspired with all the great bands from the 70’s & 80’s we’ve been listening to. But personally, my biggest inspirations are Dio and Pain of Salvation.
Thank you very much for the interview. Let’s wrap it up with our traditional brainstorming – what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the following terms?
Last album you listened to: Ólafur Arnalds – “…And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness”
Social Media: Instagram
Summer: Sun & light
Reading: Patrick deWitt’s French Exit. He writes very similar to my biggest literary idol, Ernest Hemingway.
Time travel: There is a place here in the universe I call home. I wish I could travel back there.
A food that always makes you happy: plate full of great pasta and a glass of wine.
Laurenne and Louhimo in 10 years: Still together, with a lot of great memories made. I’m sure we will be very close friends for the rest of our lives with Noora.
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29. September 2021 Stefan Popp
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