They are one of our favourite bands no doubt. They come from Australia and their name is Tonight Alive. We've chatted with singer Jenna to know a bit more about their present and future projects. Don´t miss it!
- Young Guns Music : Hi there guys, thank you very much for offering us the chance to interview you. Many people are starting to know from you right now. How could you sum up in a few lines who are Tonight Alive and what they´re up to?
Tonigth Alive : Not at all, thanks for having us! I guess you could sum us up as a 5 piece pop punk band from Sydney Australia. We finished recording our first full length album in early February and have since toured Australia and America on a 7 week run with Forever the Sickest Kids, Breathe Carolina and We Are the In Crowd. We've been on the road in Australia since we got back from the states 3 weeks ago and are now preparing for some international tours, the release our album and headline a run of our East Coast this July
- YGM : When you became a band and decided to start in the music business did you expect so much sudden success?
TA : I'm not sure how I feel about calling it success just yet, but we were definitely surprised to have moved forward and have our music spread so quickly in the short time that we've been a band! I guess we've always been willing to put in 110% so the last 3 years have truly been one extremely rewarding experience!
- YGM : We imagine that many of you were fans from bands before being idols of so many. How does it feel when you see yourself sharing stage with bands such as Lost Prophets, Owl City or 30 Seconds To Mars? Is it easy to concentrate when you know that you´re there starting for bands you listened to at home?
TA : The Owl City and 30 Seconds tours actually fell through for us but we've been lucky enough to support international acts such as Sum 41, Forever the Sickest Kids, The Wonder Years, 3OH!3 and Mest in the past two years and opening for each and every one of them was such an honour! We always walk away from a tour as a better band than when we started it. Everyone we meet has had something to teach us or help us discover even if they didn't know it. I think that's the best part about sharing the stage with bands that you respect and look up to! We're really grateful to have been given the opportunity to tour with our idols, it's times like those that you realise how lucky you are to be playing music!
- YGM : Which are your main music sources? What bands do you follow and what bands do you get inspiration from?
TA : A lot of our favourite bands include Rufio, Thrice, Blink 182, A Day To Remember, New Found Glory, Starting Line, Sum 41, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimmy Eat World, August Burns Red and Parkway Drive. Each of them have definitely influenced elements of our music! Personally I draw inspiration from bands like Pierce the Veil, Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin, Senses Fail and The Chariot. I love how their vocals are emotive and whilst we obviously sound nothing like them, it's things like their raw passion and desperation that I'm drawn to and feel urged to recreate it in my own way. I listen to a lot of The Fray, The Script, m83 and FrouFrou too though so our influences are really all over the place!
- YGM : I believe that you´re aware of the senseless debate about female fronted bands. For some percentage of listeners every female fronted band has now something from Paramore. How does it feel the controversy? Is it an obstacle to be constantly compared to Paramore or is it a compliment for you?
TA : I like how you referred to it as a 'senseless debate' [laughs]. I wouldn't go as far as to say the comparison has been an obstacle but I'm aware a lot of people say it as a compliment too and I appreciate that. There's no question of why female fronted bands are measured against Paramore because they definitely set a new bar for all bands alike but we're content doing our own thing and don't let the comparison bother us too much! We're not in a band simply to be like anybody else, we're just writing music that feels natural to us and doing what makes us happy!
- YGM : What do you believe that makes your music different to all that we can listen to right now?
TA : I guess honesty is the first thing that comes to mind. We're not following a trend, we're not trying to impress anyone. Our music is what it is, it comes from the very core of us, we write what we want to write and I think that's why it works so well. We like to think we have something for everyone and we just want to make our listeners happy.
- YGM : For European fans it´s unavoidable to compare Tonight Alive to German band Aloha From Hell not just because of the style of music but also taking into account some similarities between Jenna and Vivien (Aloha From Hell singer) : both very young singers with a strong voice and a starting and quickly rising career. How do you imagine yourselves in a near future? Are you friends before musicians? Do you believe that fame or success could change your ideals right now?
TA : I imagine us exactly the same just with a better understanding of music and the world around us! The 4 boys in this band are my best friends and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I don't think a lot of things could really change us; Tonight Alive has never been a business or a bridge to fame or fortune-because we're interested in neither
- YGM : We read that your debut album reached #1 on the World wide Alternative Itunes chart just after 6 hours of placement there. How did you react when you heard of it? Did you expect it?
TA : No way on Earth did we expect that, it was bizarre! I didn't really believe it when I heard to be honest. We'd put a lot of effort into building hype about the EP on the internet and at our shows months prior to the release and it was just really exciting to have released a CD independently and for it to have done so well!
- YGM : Your've recorded your debut album in the USA following the steps that other Australian bands took as The Veronicas recently did. Is it the US the door to worldwide success?
TA : I would definitely say it's the door to the rest of the world! Recording and touring in the states were two very life changing experiences! The things we learned in the months that we were away are things we couldn't have learned in Australia. I think having an open mind and a hunger for learning is vital for young bands!
- YGM : How does it feel when you know that your music reaches so far away places such as Spain or Bulgary right now? Does it make you proud of what you do?
TA : It seriously blows my mind! And it makes me feel really proud of my band and the people we've grown up to be. Hearing things like that makes me think back to when I first met the boys and just wonder how much different my life would have turned out if we never crossed paths! We feel so blessed to have people listening to our music all over the world and we just can't wait to get over there and thank them for their support!
- YGM : How do you imagine yourselves in two year´s time? Do you think this is just the starting point of something very big?
TA : I definitely still feel like this is the beginning; we're 3 years in but we know we have a long way to go! We're excited for the future because no matter how it turns out we'll know we gave it our best shot!
- YGM : Which bands would you like to open for in the future? Will we see you in Soundwave soon?
TA : We would absolutely love to open for Rufio or New Found Glory. I guess it's hard to answer because we hold our idols in such high regard that we don't feel worthy to share the stage with them but if it were anyone else I'd kill to play with Rage Against the Machine! And we're hoping to be a part of the Soundwave 2012 lineup!
- YGM : Could you advance us something about your upcoming new album? How will it sound? Have you already gathered all the songs that you want to share with your audience? Will it be exactly the album that you want to be?
TA : The album is a more developed version of our previous 2 releases. We took a year to write it and 2 months to record it, so a lot of time and effort have gone into these songs! We've chosen the track listing and couldn't be happier with the final result. This is the closest we've ever felt to how we want to sound and I feel like this album really stays true to Tonight Alive, so if you already like our music you shouldn't be disappointed [we hope]!
- YGM : What can you tell us about the first single? Will it follow the line that "Wasting Away" set?
TA : The first single is a little different to Wasting Away actually! While there are some darker songs on the album, the first single is one of the poppier/brighter ones. It's a song about being broke but finding joy in the little things!
- YGM : Thank you very much for your time and attention. Just to finish, would you like to say some words to all your fans all over the world and to all the people getting to know about you here in Young Guns Music?
TA : We can't tell you how much we appreciate your love and support, we can't wait to show you just how much! Stay in touch on our facebook and twitter accounts and let us know where we should visit next year :)! Thankyou.
