Interview: ST AURORA

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Originally I think the roots of my taste in music came through video games like Tony Hawk Pro skater 2, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and Guitar Hero 3. Those games had huge soundtracks that probably molded my music taste so that I’d live on listening to rock and metal and eventually start creating my own stuff. I started my music career by playing the drums in a punk band as teenager. If I wouldn’t be doing music, I’d probably be a full time actor and/or a graphic designer. Art is everything I’ve got.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I do acting for a living so I’m pretty much always working with art, emotions and literature. I get my inspirations through all kinds of stuff, but I think mostly out of movies, tv shows and videogames. I’m a huge nerd for video games so that’s also a way to spend free time. I’ve been preaching people about boredom and how important it is these days. Real creativity lies deep in boredom and nobody can change that.

How long has your band been around?

St. Aurora was formed in early 2020.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

Well I come from a small town called Salo and it has influenced me in a lot of ways, good and bad. It’s not easy going your own way when everybody else expects you to be “normal”. I’ve only recently gotten to know myself better and started to have the courage to express myself fully and I want to be able to show people how good it feels so that every single person can give the finger to the people who want to change who they are.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

The name was created by our founding fathers Eemi and Vallu. The name has a spiritual meaning to the boys and I think I’m not the right person to tell that story. What I can say that there’s a psychologic hospital here in Helsinki named Aurora and I would lie if I said that it didn’t mean a thing to us.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Well to be honest, I haven’t performed that much in my life. Maybe like less than 20 times in my whole life. There’s a lot of memorable shows and I take every show as a separate experience so hard to pick one. But for St. Aurora obviously it has to be our first gig at On the rocks opening for Temple Balls.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

As I said, not been around the venues that much but On the rocks was pretty wacky! And obviously I wanna play on bigger stages cause we keep stepping on each other’s shoes and Eemi keeps poking me with his Jackson’s headstock and we’re just running out of room. Tavastia in Helsinki would be a huge milestone!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

I think we would be the first to open the stage and after us there would be Badflower, then Set it Off, then Palaye Royale and at the end My Chemical Romance. That’d be a wacky night.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Remember that in order for everything to work out, it’s best to treat the band as another family. If you don’t enjoy spending time with the people around you, it’s just separate people being good at something. Being in a band can be so much more. When performing, ALWAYS try your best to have fun. Smile, cause nobody’s gonna stop you from doing what you love.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

I’d say that even though you are just now falling in love with singing and being a frontman, keep on playing the drums. And pick up other instruments aswell, you’re gonna thank yourself later. Oh and yeah, it’s totally fucking hot to wear make-up, you can do it.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

They All Remember is the dearest to me as it is as honest as I can be about my fears. It also has stuff in it that I’m really proud of like the fry scream in the chorus. Not gonna lie, I do have my moments from time to time.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I love performing They All Remember cause I can seriously get into it emotionally. I guess Rejects of Society would be the most requested song and it happens to be the hardest song for me to perform hahah.

  What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

We’re all a bunch of writers to be honest. I’m pretty sure we’ve got atleast a record worth of stuff already just waiting for shining. Eemi created the foundations of all the songs in our EP and we gave them our own spices and they came alive St. Aurora style. The next EP has got some stuff from everyone. I write lyrics to all song so that I can be sure of what I want to say.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

A lot of my stuff is about being honest with yourself. That has been and still is a problem that I’m learning to deal with. Also about the courage to break norms.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Me an Eemi are always at it! We have a real brotherly kind of relationship. We challenge each other and if we disagree with something we get it settled with asap. To be honest it’s pretty healthy for the band to have someone question things you bring to the table.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We’re about to head for the studio to record some new stuff and we’re getting ready for the upcoming gig. We’re coming back to open for Crazy Lixx at On the Rocks, Helsinki at 13.11. We’re also cooking something super epic later this month and I’m excited to tell everyone all about it when the time comes. Stay safe and get bored, cause nothing is ever created if we don’t.

  https://linktr.ee/Saintaurora https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1nde6aEDlQ https://www.facebook.com/saintauroraband   St. Aurora - Falling (Just Another Way to Fly) | Official Music Video                           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1nde6aEDlQ