[Interview conducted September 2004]

Combining lush, multi-layered vocals with huge heavy metal riffs, Finland's Lullacry has hit upon a sound that is both unique and unbelievably catchy.  After two solid albums, the band was in the unenviable position of having to replace its vocalist in 2002, but then Tanja stepped into the picture and everything clicked on Crucify My Heart, a masterpiece of modern metal.  In August 2004, the band embarked on their first ever US tour with fellow Finns Nightwish and ended their cross-country venture here in Seattle.  After some delays and help from guitarist Sami Vauhkonen, I had the chance to sit down with Tanja for a few questions.  She was very warm and friendly and I really appreciate her taking the time, especially since things were running late and the band was due to sound-check at any moment.

Since this is your first American tour, what has it been like so far?
Really fine I think.  The audiences have been really great to us.

Do a lot of people know the songs and everything?
Yeah, yeah.

Have you had a chance to check out Seattle much?
No, we don't have time.  Today it was like we came here and then straight to the hotel, a couple of hours to get a shower and that kind of stuff, and then straight here.  The schedule is really tight.  In New York, we had one day and got to walk around a little bit.

I read that the Fire Within EP charted pretty high.
In the Finnish singles chart, it was #18 if I remember correct, and it was really, really great because we didn't expect it to [even] go to the list.  We all were really surprised, but it was great.

What made you choose the WASP and NIN tracks to cover on your singles?
"L.O.V.E. Machine" we decided to do because we have played that song at our gigs, so it was natural to do a cover of that song.  But the NIN song, it was our songwriter, Sami's idea to do that song.  On the Crucify My Heart album, it all came to me really quick, the songs were already ready when I came to the band.  So when I came to the band two and a half years ago, it was all set up , the songs were all, they were already doing them, and they were like, 'Okay, now sing those!' so it was all so quick.

Will you have more input on the next album, maybe write some lyrics?
I don't know if I will write any lyrics because Sauli Kivilahti makes almost all the lyrics on our albums will continue to do that.  But I think in the future, I might write something, but I'm more interested in doing melodies.  So I don't know; yes, if we keep some of my ideas on those songs because I have done some melodies, but we don't know yet if we're going to use them yet on those songs.

Have you started recording yet for the new album or is it still in the writing stages?
We've done "Fire Within" and I think it will come to the long album, so that's one song, but we have done thirteen songs already.  We just need to put them together and we'll see what happens because we have to choose the best ones for the forthcoming album.

How much input did you have on the vocal melodies on Crucify My Heart?
We really put a lot of effort into the vocals and the backing vocals because, first of all, it was my first album with them so we decided to concentrate on vocals and also backing vocals.  But I'm very fond of doing backing vocals because you can use your own imagination of how the melody should go in the background, so it is really fascinating.  Now I think we use not so much time on doing the vocals because I'm already in the band and I know which kind of way to sing those heavy metal songs, so I think we don't have so much to do on the vocals.  But enough of course.

How are the various vocal parts put together?
When we are in the recording studio, there is the main line, the head vocal, and then we try to test something.  For example, the engineer and producer say to me I can try something, so I listen to the main melody and try to imagine how the background vocals should go, then I try something and we check to see if it fits with the main melody.  So we can do something and if it doesn't fit, we can change it a little bit until it is the best and then we take it.

Was it difficult at all stepping into an established band?
Yes, of course, it was difficult because they already had done two records and they were having this fanbase already.  Of course, it is always difficult when the singer changes, because you are the frontwoman or guy in the band, but I think everything in our situation went really fine.  I don't see any difficulties.  The old fans accepted me really good, so it was really great for me and they've already been so supportive, there wasn't any problems in that way.  Of course, me my personal feelings about this band were exciting at first, because I didn't know the guys - I knew Sami, the lead guitarist - but everybody else was not so familiar.  So I was like, 'Oh gosh, how will they accept me in this band?'  But everything went really fine and now we have a good connection in this band, our relationships are great.

I'm sure that helps when you have to be on tour together.
Yes, yes, and those guys have a really great sense of humor, so it helps.  If you think about now, this American tour, and you're on the bus…the same bus…yeah, it's a little bus and you feel like, 'Oh gosh, I see that face every day, every day…'  So also in that way it is really important that we have good relationships.

With the older material, do you sing it pretty much the same way as the originals or did you make a point of doing your own interpretation of them?
I try to do them in my own way, because I don't want to be a monkey, to just repeat something.  Of course, there is the melody line that you should sing in that way, but your own personal way.  So I think I have managed to do my own way on those, but they are really great songs and it really helped me a lot to do them my own way.

On your bio page you mention liking artists as diverse as Whitney Houston and Madonna.  Do you think having such diverse influences has helped develop such a unique singing style?
Yes, I think so.  I have always thought it is really good that you hear a lot of music and all kinds of music, like pop music and heavy metal - it gives you more ideas for your own singing.

Do you guys do the band full time or do you still work outside of music?
Sami concentrates almost entirely on the music.  I have studied marketing, but now I have graduated last May, so now I try to concentrate now on just the music.  When we go back to Finland, we have one week of vacation, then we go straight to the studio to do the long album, but our second guitarist, he works, and so does the drummer and bassist.  Of course the main point is our band, so it's really important that you have that kind of job where you can take off.  Now, for example, two and a half weeks we came here, so you have to have the time to take off from your job if necessary.

Have you always wanted to be a singer?
Yeah, yeah.  This is funny because my parents told me when I was two years old, I started to sing and I went to the table and took some toy and was doing like this [imitates singing], so it has always been my dream to sing.  I have played several instruments, clarinet, horn, guitar, keyboards, and I have taken some music lessons, I was in music high school, but the main priority for me has always been singing because I love to sing and it is in my soul and in my heart.  I sing every day and if it's possible, I go to the toilet or something and sing there. (laughs)  I have to sing, it's just like my nature.

Did you always picture yourself in a metal band?
No, at first, no.  I didn't know what kind of band I would sing with, but I have always knew that I would sing in some kind of band and this was a really huge and great opportunity to sing in this band and I think, of course, I will continue with this band because it's now…

It's your band as well now.
Yeah, it's my band!  (laughs)  It's mine; you cannot take it from me!  (laughs)

http://www.lullacry.com