Fear Of Domination on stage is a must-see! The vocal duo Sara and Saku is the most charismatic frontline team. Surrounded by the wild crew of instrumentalists, it all makes a sparkling, magical, little-shop-of-horrors tribute. Great, fun, cross over metal. Kaisa met the amazing Sara after the show. They discussed the hardships of the current situation but also explored the darker, more personal sides of life.
“I’m at Dark River Kotka Finland and I have the honor of interviewing Sara from Fear Of Domination (FOD). Welcome!”
“Thank too, nice to be here!”
Finally On Stage Again
“You gave very wonderful directions to all the fans here at the Dark River Festival and last weekend at the Saarihelvetti Festival. Of course, it is because of this Corona situation. How did you come up with this idea?”
“It comes from inside this band, because we have band members who work in health care, and they take this disease very seriously. We have talked of this within the band, and because the festivals have their own requirements, we made some of our own too. We wanted our fans to understand that we don’t want any touching and getting too close to them. Some of us have kids and family members in high risk groups. We want to protect them!”
“The stage here is not too near to the fans, thankfully. But what do you think? Are you gonna hang out later here in the festival?”
“Some of us are Some of us have already left because of this situation. But I’m gonna stay here in this area and see some bands and my darling friends, whom I haven’t seen in over a year by now.”
“I Tend to Honour People’s Health”
“What are your thoughts on Finnish people and foreigners’ reactions to the coronavirus, and the precautionary measures that come with it?!
“I’ve seen both … some who are hysterical as hell, and some who don’t care at all. Then there are those people in the middle of it, too. And that’s good, because it’s good to think critically with this! I don’t belong to the fanatical group, but I tend to honour people’s health. I’ve been healthy for the last six months because of this isolation and intensified hand washing. These simple things influence how other diseases spread too, so it’s easier to stop them now.”
“It Takes Many Crying Nights to Accept this “New Normal”
“You had a long break without gigs because of corona and today your show was so full of energy! Tell me of your experience during this break – how have you been handling all this time?”
“I have spoken with my many artist friends. FOD doesn’t determine our members’ earnings. But for example Saku is working with Turmion Kätilöt too, and they are loosing all their paychecks. And that is horrible! I have lost all my students, to whom I was teach singing since March. It takes many crying nights to accept this “new normal”. Now that we have these couple of gigs, it was fun and makes me feel happy. But all the security and hygiene things made it harder too. You just can’t go and walk to the show. You have to wash and sanitize all the time. Then you go oh my, there’s four bands backstage at the same time … and then you just go out and try to avoid each other. But right now, the emotions after these gigs are just awesome!” Sara laughs happily. “In Saarihelvetti, I just ran on stage.” She laughs out loudly now. “Normally, me and Saku walk hand in hand together over there, but now I just cannot wait! Everything is super, because live gigs are just super!”
“How do you make sure you stay in tour shape and, how have you rehearsed together this spring during lockdown? I watched your show and it looked like there was no break at all!”
“So nice to hear this! We didn’t rehearse at all from March to May. Then we rehearsed with just a few of us. About a couple of months ago, we all rehearsed together. Our guitarist Jonne became a father in winter, so that’s why he paused for a while.”
“Now I’m going back to your singing lessons. Where did you get this idea from?”
“In 2015, I became a businesswomen and freelancer. I established my own trade name to go ahead with teaching singing. It all started because singing has always been a very important thing in my life. That and, people saw me on TV at the Voice of Finland so they came to me asking if I can teach them to sing” she says while laughing.
“We are 7 Now!”
“How did you find your way into FOD?”
“Helena Haaparanta was a background singer of FOD before, and once she couldn’t come perform on a gig at On The Rocks in Helsinki. Helena knew me because we both were band-mates at Crimfall. She told the boys: ‘Sara can handle this stuff. Take her!’ It was meant to be only for one show. But then came another, and then someday, actually at Tuska 2017, when we were on stage, right in the middle of a song Saku just said, FOD is not a six-pieces band anymore. We are 7 now! He and the boys decided that without telling me!” Laughing Sara goes on: “As I heard it, I was shocked that it was happening! After the show, he asked if it’s okey with me. I cried and said ‘yes’.” Sara is still laughing.
“Oh, that’s so sweet and almost like a public proposal!”
“Yes, it was! But we’re not a couple! I had to tell that to many people who thought me and Saku are a couple because we have such good chemistry on stage. My husband Juha and Saku’s partner Marianne take it with humor. They know that it is only a show and friendship.”
“I Had Time to Set Up My New Band Shereign”
“How about the schedule with FOD and Turmion Kätilöt? Is it hard to make it work?”
“I have to be honest; yes it is! Saku thinks that we can handle this. But sometimes it is hard because Turmion Kätilöt is a very active band that plays lots of gigs and tours. And when Saku is with them, he is simply unavailable for FOD. That’s why FOD goes like IT goes! But, thanks to that, I had time to set up my new band Shereign. And of course, we are grateful. Turmion Kätilöt has helped FOD in many ways; contacts, tools and things like that.”
“What about the lyrics and the songs? Who usually writes them and where do you get the ideas for the lyrics?”
“Our guitarist Johannes and keyboardist Lasse compose almost everything. The new album was composed by Jinkku, Lasse and bit by Jonne, too. Saku and I made lyrics. When I read these new lyrics, I sometimes think that Saku has some kind of “I’m a big God”-feeling going on” Sara admits laughing. “But yes, everything comes from our dark minds, and it is about how we deal with our pain, sorrow and joy.”
Happy and Shitty Days and The Future
“You are young, how do you see the future?”
“I’m 31, am I young?”
Laughing myself: “Yes you are young, in my eyes.”
“How I see the future … oh my God … I don’t wanna think too much on the negative side. I’m always trying to find a bright sight. If we can’t go to gigs, we can make new music, music videos and anything we want. I could progress with my own company, and with my own education in music, offer new workshops. I have to keep focussed straight ahead.”
“You are such an energetic, positive, happy, smiling, warm person. Do you ever have a shitty day?”
“Laughing out loudly she says: “YES, I do! Before Saarihelvetti, I cried a whole week, I just cried all day everyday. But I do it at home when only my husband and my closer friends are around.”
“How do you find a way up when you’re so down?”
“I just think that in life there’s always a choice. I can push anything negative away when I do something important. Pain, grieve and sorrow only push me to work harder and harder on positive things.”
“Do you have advice for people who are deep in the darkness? Any advice that might help them?”
“If you think that life is shit, then think that and let yourself feel that shit around you. Then little by little, try to get up and over it. Then try to find something that could raise your spirits. Everyone can’t do it – I know, but at least try. I have done it myself. That’s why I suggest it.”
“What do you wanna say to our reader?”
“You always have a choice.”
“Thank you so much. I wish you and all of FOD the best from the bottom of my heart!”
“Thanks, you too!”
“You always have a choice”
That’s true. And in this moment we have the choice to either keep the number of victims going through severe infection or dying from the virus low, or to go partying carelessly! As it is getting ever more evident that this virus causes long-term effects on all our organs no matter the patient’s age, acting responsibly should be the natural choice! We owe this not only to the individuals with weak health among us, but also to our favourite bands (and naturally all the others working on and off stage with them) because they want to get back on stage. The only way to avoid super-spreader events is to have no large concerts. We are all well advised to act carefully and responsibly
!
Fear Of Domination: Homepage
Merch: Dominator Store
Sara’s Vocal Coaching: Booking
Contribution:
Interview and translation: Mystique
Translation fine tuning: Saber X
Editing: Muumi-Katja
Photos: Krogography