It's been ten years since Sunrise Avenue launched their career with the single "Fairytale Gone Bad". Now, after a short break, the Finnish pop-rock band is back with their fifth album "Heartbreak Century". We met frontman Samu Haber (41) in Zurich for an interview.
Sunrise Avenue's new album is called "Heartbreak Century". Do you think that people are unhappier today because of technological progress?
Samu: I don't know if it's because of technology. A hundred years ago, people were happy if they had someone by their side, were loved and had children. Today, everything is calculated first, education first and then the ideal time to have children. You should concentrate more on what you want and find out who you really are. Stop and focus on the good things.
But now everything you want is always available.
Exactly. You can have everything at any time of day. In restaurants, you hear people say things like "I'd like the Finnish, not the Thai coriander". Even if everything is within reach, people seem unhappy and battered by their own lives.
In the lead single "I Help You Hate Me", you sing about how you make yourself seem unattractive to a past love. Unrealistic, isn't it?
In a way, yes. But when you break up, it would be a nice gesture to help the other person let go. That was the idea behind the song. I don't know if anyone has ever done that before. I couldn't, I'm not strong enough.
Sunrise Avenue has been around for 15 years now. How did you celebrate?
Sunrise Avenue's birthday is February 14, 2002, so we've really been together for 15 years, I didn't even notice (laughs).
So you still have to celebrate!
We're celebrating with our new album. But I can't wait for the band to turn 18. Then we can go to a bar.
"We had to take some time off to write new songs."
You took some time off before this album. Why did you do that?
We've experienced so much together, so we needed some distance from each other to be able to write songs again. We tried that before the break, but it didn't really work out. I'm happy that I was able to leave the band and my life in Finland behind to find new inspiration.
Was that the longest period you traveled alone?
It wasn't in one piece. I was in London for three weeks, in between on "The Voice of Germany" and then about three months in Australia.
What did you take away from that?
I learned that we should do what we love and what we enjoy, and that we don't have to follow current trends in the music industry. And I learned that it's good to be alone and away from home.
Why is that?
You meet a lot of new people, you have to build a new social circle. When you're alone, you get to know yourself better. What you think about life, music, feelings and everything else. You always have the same role in your usual environment.
You are known throughout Europe. Have you ever considered taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest for Finland?
To be honest, yes. When we didn't have a record deal yet. But I'm glad that we made it without Eurovision. But we are asked by the Finns every year whether we want to take part.
