After a break of 8 years, Indica is back on the scene with a new single released last March “Vuonna 95”, the lineup has undergone some changes and now the band is ready to create new music and relive the emotions with their fans. After an international success returning to a common life is not easy, Jonsu and Heini tell us what it was like to try to live a life “without” music and how they feel now that they are back on the scene.
The Hiatus
Hey girls, how are you doing?
Heini: We are doing well, in fact, we arrived in Pori a couple of hours ago and then just had a quick dinner and stopped by our lovely hotel/house resembling Petrax studio, the place where we recorded our albums.
Jonsu: And we are very excited to play again and do the shows.
You had an 8-year hiatus, what happened during this time? I know Jonsu released a solo album last year.
Heini: I traveled to Asia, spending time scuba diving, then played in Mira Luoti‘s band.
Jonsu: I did some studies and checked my feelings without touring and music.
And how did you feel?
Jonsu: We started missing out on tours very early on. Before Covid, we were thinking about starting touring again but then suddenly there were a couple more years where no one could tour.
Heini: So, here we are now.
The return of Indica
I think your fans have been waiting for your comeback…
Heini: And we also waited a lot.
Jonsu: It is cool and we have had good feedback. Lots of people showed up to our shows, last week we played Provinssi Rock and Raahe festival and it was great.
Today you play here in Pori, is this your first time here?
Heini: I am pretty sure we have played here before as we have done big tours in the past, but it has been a long time that I can not remember.
Jonsu: At least I remember we never played in this Pori Jazz, so it is a new experience.
The new single
Your latest single “Vuonna 95” was released last March, would you mind telling us more about this song, especially for those who do not understand Finnish?
Jonsu: It is about our childhood, the year 95, what life was like then, and how small our problems were. We wanted to get some good vibes before summer. The next single will be an older-style Indica and will be released in the fall.
Are you planning to release a full-length?
Jonsu: We will be making new music at least as far as I can tell, it will be an album or an EP, let’s see, we have not set a date yet or anything, but we will be actively working with the new stuff.
Are you working also on songs in English or only Finnish?
Jonsu: At the moment we are doing songs in Finnish.
Heini: Let’s see, you never know.
Writing in English or Finnish?
The last album “Akvarioo/Shine” was released in both English and Finnish, what is it like for you to write songs in English? Do you find it more complicated?
Jonsu: Writing in Finnish is easier for me, it is my native language, for English lyrics I have always worked with other people as it is not my native language and I do not feel confident and I wanted to make sure it sounded good.
I remember the last interview I did with you in 2013, you told me about a song from the album that you got inspiration from a dream, did it happen again?
Jonsu: Now when you mentioned it I remember but no it never happened again after that.
But maybe it is gonna happen…
Jonsu: You never know, maybe tonight.
Heini: The next single is about to come.
Talking about your latest single, how was the feedback from your fans?
Heini: We got a lot of feedback, and they were quite excited about that.
Jonsu: Many people related to the lyrics.
There is some Boyzone…
Jonsu: Yeah, Boyzone and Levi jeans. People feel very nostalgic listening to it.
“Vuonna 95” and the line up changes
For us millennials are a thing. Any other reaction from your fans?
Heini: Other feedback was that people were hoping for us to make more music, and that is something we are hoping for as well.
There have been some line-up changes, what can you tell us about them?
Jonsu: The line-up has changed a bit, the guitarist who is touring with us now is the guy who produced the first 3 Indica albums and also worked with our most recent stuff so he is been in the family for a long time, we know him very well and it was easy to start a tour as he knows all our music. And of course, it is important to know beforehand who you are going on tour with because it is so intense and you are together 24/7.
Heini: And on drums we have Alina, I already knew her when I was playing in Mira‘s band.
Jonsu: I saw a few of Mira‘s shows when Alina was playing, and when Heini suggested her I said Yes.
The best memories before the hiatus
What is the best memory with the band you keep close to your heart?
Jonsu: I have to say that I always loved this period of intense work like being in the studio, living in the same house two weeks in a row, or touring Europe for 5 weeks together, so it feels like you dive into a different universe.
Heini: Yes, for example when we made our album at Petrax Studio and lived there for about a month.
Jonsu: It is a lot harder when you do a show and go back to normal life. Those are the long tours and the busiest studio periods.
So you like to be busy?
Jonsu: Yes.
Heini: Back in the day it was important for us to be able to release our first album, when we were very young we hoped to have a great manager, and record label and be able to get an album out, those were big goals for us.
Jonsu: At the moment I must say that it seems a bit like when we started, like in Provinssi when we noticed that there were a lot of people and it was a great show, it is nice to see people find you again, they are still there because you never know if after 8 years away everyone has forgotten you, the feedback has been encouraging. Somehow I feel like I have the same excitement as when I started 20 years ago.
“Ikuinen virta” and the audience
Many of your songs are very important to people, they sing along and listen for example on Spotify, so even if you were “away” your music was always with your fans.
Jonsu: We have new fans coming to our shows, people who were very young when we released our first album and could not come to our shows then because they were in clubs and therefore forbidden to under 18s, now that they are adults they can come.
Heini: When they say “This is the first time I’ve seen you” I wonder where are all those people from.
“Vettä vasten” and the audience
Do you have a song you enjoy most to play?
Jonsu: It depends, I like “Vettä vasten”.
Heini: I like it a lot too, but of course, it’s always nice to play “Ikuinen virta” because people expect it and are excited about it.
Jonsu: Yeah, they sing along always.
Heini: It is fun to play it because we see they enjoy it.
Jonsu: I think we will never skip that song.
I think every band has that song they have to play because people love it, do you ever get bored playing it?
Jonsu: I think after 8 years all the songs feel fresh for us.
Heini: It is about the energy between us and the audience, in “Ikuinen virta” the energy is always intense and it is fun for us to play, I never get bored.
Jonsu and her hair color
What are your musical influences at the moment?
Jonsu: I would like to say something fresh and new, but I still like the old movie music, the old “Twin Peaks” stuff. I always like to refresh my taste in music but I always go back to the same old classical music, I have been listening to Enya the last few days, and The Cranberries is my comfort music. And the music of “The Wizard of Oz” always excites me
Heini: The first love is the first love.
I read an article where they said that you Jonsu changed your hair color to not be recognized…
Jonsu: It was relaxing not to color my hair for a while, and I did something different, I studied Economics and did different things but pretty soon I started to miss this lifestyle. I remember when we did the promo shoot, I took the reddish red color and asked Heini “Is this too much?” and she said no.
Heini: It is never too much.
Did people recognize you with your natural hair color?
Jonsu: Some but not so many.
Nowadays do people recognize you when you are on the street, in shops, or so on?
Jonsu: Yes, for example, the other day I was going on the subway and there was an older man, I was on the phone and he said “I like your music”, then we went somewhere else and there were people who had a birthday party and they were like, “Oh, we know you!”. So, I can see the difference now that we are active.
Heini: A taxi driver was asking “Hey, are you playing in a band?”
The upcoming plans
How many gigs have you left this summer?
Jonsu: The whole summer we have 14, I do not know after today how many are left.
Heini: We have done half, then we will take a little break and continue the tour.
Jonsu: Yes, in the fall but we have not released the dates yet.
Are those upcoming gigs in clubs?
Jonsu: Yes, I think we will do about 20 club gigs.
We have done with this interview, thank you for your time. Would you like to say something to your fans?
Heini: We are so happy with them, with every single fan and it is great that someone is waiting for us, our music and our shows, and we are waiting for them too.
Jonsu: Yeah, we are very grateful about the situation at the moment and waiting to see them all. Thank you for your support.
Indica @ Café Pori Jazz (Photos by Cristina Gregori)
