In Corona Corner, we are asking musicians how the outbreak has effected them, how did they adapt to the situation, what did they learn. Today we have another story from Granada, this time spoken by Heleven!
Hi! How are you doing during corona outbreak?
Hi! First thank you for having us for this interview.
During corona outbreak we have tried to take advantage of the time to work on some aspects that we had abandoned for the band.
We made a cover of Like a Stone in video for YouTube.
On the other hand, we try to study a bit about social media and digital marketing for the release of the second album
What have you cancelled/postponed due coronavirus?
We had 3 concerts planned for the summer. Two of them were quite important festivals in Spain and we had high hopes of achieving good results in them.
The tour of Spain for the first album was yet to close and we had cities to visit.
How the global coronavirus pandemic is directly impacting bands?
The bands live from live concerts and if they take away the possibility of playing and traveling abroad, it will be very difficult for small and medium-sized bands to survive this situation.
When the members of a band decide to dedicate themselves fully to making music, they risk a lot. Luckily, we are in the first steps and still maintain our jobs, which allow us to finance Heleven.
How are you keeping your fans during this chaotic period?
We have created new content for social networks and especially for YouTube. We had some videos prepared.
We also did live on social networks answering questions. But mainly we have focused on working on the second album. We could say that it has been good for us to be locked up to compose the new songs
What will metal look like when we re-emerge from isolation?
Metal has a very strong fan base. We do not reach the large commercial public, but that is not necessary. We are looking forward to festivals, concerts, new albums and new music.
Who will suffer the most after all: musicians, organizers promoters…
Everyone equally.
Music is an industry with great inequality between those who are best and those who are just beginning.
If concerts cannot be held, we are all affected equally. And let’s not forget the members of the sound or lighting technical team, the stage setters, etc.
What is your isolation soundtrack?
If we choose a song by Heleven it could be “Suffering is Gone”.
But “Like a Stone” by Audioslave is a good choice:
Its a song about concentrating on the afterlife you would hope for, rather than the normal monotheistic approach: You work really hard all your life to be a good person and a moral persona and fair and generous, and then you go to hell anyway.
Chris Cornell
Besides gigs, what/whom do you miss the most?
We have missed each other so much among all the members of the band. We had a great time when we met in the studio to work or to chat for a while.
Do you have any rehearsals during quarantine? If yes, how do they look like?
We don’t normally rehearse. We have the theory that everyone is responsible for their work and we do not see it necessary to be continually rehearsing. Excessive rehearsals can cause fatigue and you end up hating your own songs.
During the quarantine we made video calls to talk about future plans for the second album and to see how each of us was feeling.
We said goodbye by sending a greeting to all metal fans. Be calm because very soon we will have our horns raised!
Thank you so much for your time. Stay safe!
