Sunday, January 09, 2011

MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK (MLTR)

IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board

MLTR: You took our heart away...
It is the Danish soft rock band with whom India learnt to rock. Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) were in India for a tour last week and Indians came out and showed their love in this three-city tour. The Delhi leg of the tour took TSI's Anu Gulmohar to the F Bar & Lounge where the three member band ' Jascha Richter, Kare Wanscher and Lentz ' performed a medley of their old and new songs. From 18-year-olds to 48-year-olds, everyone sang out loud along with the band and at times it seemed more like a karaoke event instead of a concert! As the band performed classics like 'Sleeping Child', 'The Actor', and 'Paint my Love', the people in the crowd screamed 'Ecto! Ecto!' hoping that they would go on for Eternity.

Is it surprising to you that songs from Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR), a Scandinavian band, have been loved so much by Indians?

Yes, it is surprising that songs written and composed in Denmark connect so well with people at any end of the world!

Most people who follow your music would remember by heart most of the lyrics of your songs. Has there been a conscious effort in keeping the lyrics so soulful and beautiful?

There has been a deliberate attempt from our side that the lyrics should be emotional and not too difficult to understand. English is our second language too. We've ensured that the lyrics stay simple.

The life of a rockstar or a rock band is usually riddled with scandals. How have you all managed the fame and pressures associated with it and steered clear of the dark side of being a highly successful music act?

Our music reflects how we are. We focus on communicating through our music and stay a bit away from media. We prefer not using commerciality to earn credibility.

It's great to see MLTR making music even after 20 long years. With your latest album being titled 'Eternity', is its title a hint of your intent to make music till eternity?

Yes, the title is kind of spiritual, which is what we like about it. With the title "Eternity" we're trying to convey that there are limitless things that connect us all together.

In which ways has the band and its music evolved in the past 20 years?

It's been some 19-20 years since we've been together. When we played at our first concert we'd been together for only three months and could hardly even play together! The initial years were tough; it was difficult to travel so much. We got better with time, and have evolved a lot since then.

Most bands break-up after a few years. How has the journey been after S'ren Madsen left your group? How difficult was it to regroup and continue after he left?

It was very tough when he left. S'ren had two main roles in the band ' one he was a good friend, he was very outgoing and social and added a lot to the chemistry within the band, and two, he was a great singer. We can't replace that. It took us a year to find the spirit to get back together after he left.

It's the third time you're visiting India. How do you like our country?

We like India; we always have ever since our first visit to this country. India is a very spiritual place. People are very open and polite and relaxed. The food here is fantastic. Indian people are very special.

Have you ever considered collaborating with Indian artists?

Yes, we have. We are very open to ideas for collaborating with artists from any country.

Have you begun work on your next album? What more can we hope to expect from MLTR in the coming years?

Yes, we have started recording the next album. It will be a very classic, very inspired album. The songs for the album have already been written.

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