Interview by Erwin Van Dijk

 

An interview with Sabina from Alight.

This interview is with Sabina, the singer of Alight. The band has released their debut album called "Don’t Fear The Revenge" last year. Unfortunately their website reveals little information about the band and the album, so let's discover more info about Alight.

Did you always want to become a singer?

Yes, has been my dream since ever. It really made me curious what it would be like to perform on stage and sing in front of many people. Already as a child I sang along to the radio, I was fascinated by the artists I saw on TV and wondered what their life was like.

And how did you end up in the music business?

As I was told Alight were looking for a new singer all over the world. They had applications from America, London, Austria, Rome and other distant places. Just after a while we went to know each other by chance, my vocal coach knew Mirko and so he told me about Alight looking for a new singer. It is quite strange - we even live close to each other in Bolzano! So you see: sometimes it can be easy to solve problems, one only needs a bit of luck.

And to what kind of music do you listen yourself?

I‘m not really fixed on one certain type of music, I think it is important to be open for many different styles. However, after meeting Mirko and Alight they thought me quite a lot about Metal, they bought me CDs and took me to festivals like the Metal Female Voices Fest. And they succeeded: Now I’m keen on female fronted bands and I’m thankful to Alight for opening this new door for me.

And who are your favourite bands and musicians?

I love Within Temptation! Simone Simons from Epica is a great singer and of course Maria Brink from In this Moment, her style is just adorable. Once in a while I even listen to the radio, for I want to know what is going on in other scenes as well.

Did you have any other bands before Alight and / or are you active in any other bands now besides Alight?

I took part in a female choir of the music school I go to. Right now I am dedicating all my time to Alight, there are no other bands or projects besides them.

What gear do you use on stage?

I use a Sennheiser Evolution G2 wireless mic.

What are your other passions besides music?

I like to go out and meet up with friends, sometimes it is important to have a little party, drink some beer and enjoy life. Besides friends and family I am interested in make-up, piercings and tattoos. I’m thinking about having a tattoo done, I am just not 100% sure yet. Of course I like to write and read, it is good for inspiration. I spend a lot of time writing lyrics.

And is it difficult to combine the band with your personal life?

I have to admit, it’s sometimes not easy to do without free and lazy relax-weekends. I am still at high school, working hard to get my diploma soon. Most of the weekends belong to the band, so leisure is a rare experience for me.

What is the idea behind the name of the band?

One explanation is the following: Alight is standing for light, fire and passion. That’s what we feel in our hearts and at the same time what we want to give to our fans in our music. There is also another, far more personal reason to name the band Alight but I think it should not be spoken out loud and therefore remain a secret.

And how would you describe your music?

We play Gothic Metal with electronic elements, heavy guitar riffs and catchy melodies.

What makes Alight different compared to all those other female fronted bands from Italy?

One the one hand it is the simple fact, that the singer of Alight is really young ;) and therefore brings a lot of fresh energy into all the songs. What is more the passion for our music is not average; we are into Alight with all our heart and soul.

Is song writing teamwork in Alight or is there one mastermind behind the music?

First of all our drummer and guitarist work on the basis of the song that contains as well all the electronic parts and bass lines. After this we all work on the vocals together.

You are the new singer of Alight. Was it necessary to adapt the existing songs to your voice?

Yes, of course it was necessary. Under a musical point of view it was not too tricky the English lyrics really were a tough one for me.

And how did the band get in touch with you?

They were looking for a new singer for quite a while when I heard about this fact by chance. I applied and met up with Mirko and the other guys. I really worked hard to convince them of my qualities.

Can you introduce us to the other members of Alight?

Ok, I will start with the other girl besides me – ladies first ;) She is called Elena and is our bass player. She is only a few years older than me and puts a lot of passion in our music. In the past she played in some rather extreme Death and Black Metal bands, now she is relaxing a bit with us I think and she is doing a great job. Elena is not only a cute and smart young woman but also a close friend of mine.

Also our guitar player Eddie has an important role in the Alight-family. He is a bit older than we girls are and therefore a little more calm and mature. He’s a great musician; he loves to play solos and is very technical in his style. What is more he is a reliable person, always well prepared and he comes up with the craziest ideas when you least expect him to. Knowing him better I found out he is a bit of a dark horse and a lot of fun.

Last but not least there is Mirko, our drummer and the only one left from Alight’s original line up. He founded the band in 2005 and is so to speak our Highlander. He is working very hard, perhaps even harder than the rest of us, for he does all the organization as well. He is planning concerts and keeps in touch with a lot of important folks from the music world. At the same time he is always trying to solve each and every problem in a perfect way and to make all of us happy. He is a is a bit of a perfectionist and very persistent until he gets what he wants.

 

Alight has recently released their debut album called "Don’t Fear The Revenge". What is the idea behind the name of the album?

The title has the aim to provoke all those folks that never believed in us and our music. However this chapter of our past has ended now, we took the hurdle and released "Don’t Fear The Revenge". Now we look to the future and prefer to concentrate on the new stuff instead of bringing up old stories.

And can you tell us something about the songs on the album?

All the songs are about strong feelings like passion, love, disappointment and rage. There are a lot of personal experiences that found their way on this record; we are facing emotions that can find no other way out from our heart – only through music.

What is your favourite song on the album and why?

"Revolution" is very special for me and I even say this on stage sometimes :) The melody and rhythm of this track just make me want to jump and share truckloads of good vibes with the audience.

A special guest on the album is Nell from Theatre Of Tragedy. How did you / the band get in touch with her and what was Nell’s contribution on "Don’t Fear The Revenge"?

Mirko met her on a Theatre Of Tragedy concert, they kept in touch via e-mail and slowly the idea of collaboration was born. We are proud and glad at the same time to have her on the album; her voice fits the feeling of the song perfectly.

All the songs are in the English language. Have you ever considered using Italian lyrics for Alight songs?

English is an international language; we can reach more people singing in English, this is why the main part of our songs will always be in English. On our last tour as a support for Samsas Traum I had a guest appearance during their show, we sang as a bilingual duet, I really liked the experience use my mother tongue but it was only an exception.

Who was responsible for the artwork of "Don’t Fear The Revenge"?

We had the pleasure to work with a young artist from South Tyrol, he is called Daniel Hofer and he really is very talented. We met him and discussed all our ideas, step by step he succeeded in transforming our songs into pictures.

The album was recorded at Majestic Studio and Musica Blu, and produced by My Funeral Records. Why did you choose this studio?

We choose both of the studios for we like them, it is as easy as that. They are nice, it feels good to stay there, the equipment and the technicians are very professional and at the same time it is close to the area where we live.

And since this was Alight’s first album, what have you learned from your experiences in the studio?

I learned that it may look easy or just fun, but in the end it’s hard work. As the singer of Alight you have to rehearse a lot, to prepare well and to pay attention to your English pronunciations! :)

This might be a bit early, but are you already working on new songs?

Yes, we are working on new songs but as you said yourself: it really is a bit early to reveal anything concrete yet. All we promise is to give our very best and try to make the new album even more varied and catchy than the last one.

What are for you the highlights with Alight so far?

I like to remember the first show of our tour with Samsas Traum. It took place in Frankfurt and we never played in front of so many people before. It was just amazing and still makes me smile when I think of it. Besides this experience, there are some great evenings full of laughter we passed together. A future highlight will be our show at the WGT in Germany - we can’t wait to play there.

And what is still on the "to do" list for the band?

To be honest our list is very, very long. We are used to make a lot of plans and leave space for our dreams. If you want to know what is on the top of the list, it’s our strong wish to play at the Metal Female Voices Fest, for we have been there in the past years as spectators. Now we would love to be on stage ourselves. If you check our MySpace and Facebook pages from time to time you will for sure find out if we succeed in shortening our "to do" list a bit.

Alight has done gigs in Italy and Russia and you have a gig at the Wave Gothic Treffen in the city of Leipzig (Germany). Will you do more gigs in West Europe?

By now there are no confirmed dates besides the one you named. We really enjoy playing live a hell of a lot and there are some interesting offers we are still negotiating about. Hopefully we can announce more soon. I just can repeat: have a look at our MySpace and Facebook page. (Links below)

And the last question: is there anything the reader should know that I have not asked?

Of course there are secrets we hide - it’s obvious as we are two girls in the band. It’s just natural that girls always have secrets. If you like it more explicit I can tell you that there is a secret in the booklet of "Don’t Fear The Revenge". By now only one single person found it out, it was a fan from Germany who paid that much attention. Let’s see if now some more people take a closer look to it.

Thank you for your time,

Thank you for your interest in our music, we are happy to get the chance to talk to your readers.

Links 

Alight Official MySpace

Alight Official Site

Alight Official Facebook Page

 

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