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Erik: My name is Erik Gronwall and I'm the lead singer in the band H.E.A.T
Daniel: This is for Dias de Rock, it's a website where we have done interviews with many international bands...
... like Marillion... and now H.E.A.T
Daniel: This is the new singer for H.E.A.T
Daniel: You have a great success in Spain I think. How are the sales in... well... Europe (I dunno if he knows the exact numbers for Spain...)
Erik: Well, yeah it's been very good, we have had a great ticket sales, last night in Madrid was great
It was better than we expected because it was full, it was a great gig.
Daniel: Alright. (Worried b/c of the supporting band's sound in background)
Daniel: You come from a particular place, the Swedish Idol.
Daniel: How did everything happen? How did you guys got to meet?
Erik: I actually got a request from the band when the former singer Kenny, he was about to do a gig
... but he couldn't, he was feeling ill or something...
I had a request from the band if I could replace Kenny for that gig but...
But I couldn't do it because I had my solo career and other things so...
I said no for that gig but after that I read in a swedish newspaper that Kenny was leaving the band...
And after that I had another request from the band: do you want to be the new singer?
And... I couldn't say no.
It's everything I wanted, it's the music I love to play
So, everything was good. So we arranged a meeting and here we are in beautiful Barcelona
Daniel: Ok, Erik so you come from Swedish Idol, I don't know how big that show is in your country
..because in here there's like 50 versions of that same show.
Erik: Yeah, it's the same in Sweden, yeah.
Daniel: Right now you get recognized in the streets or...?
Erik: Yeah, welll... yeah (laughs)
I guess that's how it is, yeah, but it was worse in the 2009 version.
Now people recognize me more for being the lead singer in HEAT than the idol guy
That's what I wanted to be, I wanted people to recognize me because of my role in HEAT
and not idol guy from 2009 so I think that's something we've accomplished & something that's very good.
Daniel: You've got a new album out, you've been touring with the band
how is the feeling? How's everything? Because you guys didn't know (each other) before
and now you have to get together and play, write songs... hows the feeling, how's everything?
Erik: THe feeling now is very good, I can't imagine doing anything else than being in this band
I've actually been in this band for three years, you know, time flies.
It's been three years and it feels like a family, feels like I can go on forever
and do this with these guys, it feels very good
When we first met, we started writing "Address The Nation", we didn't know each other
but there was something there, you know, we heated it off pretty fast
You know, it's all good, it's all good.
Daniel: Well, three years together it's time enough to...
Erik: Yeah, we know each other. We've done some good and bad things together
It feels like home
Daniel: I wanted to ask you... I don't know if in Sweden this kind of music is popular
Because when the first album came out, I gotta be honest, I thought
that it was another band trying to do the same thing as bands did in the 80s
...and I had to give it some spins to actually get into the album...
Erik: Well, maybe that is how it is.
We wanted to do something like...
Daniel: But I think the album sounds fresh, using the same structures
I think it's a very honest proposal, it's something from the heart
How you guys feel doing something not so fashionable, not so trendy?
Erik: We cannot write and do something we don't like.
We have to do what we like and what we believe in.
Otherwise it's completely useless. Why should you do something you don't believe in?
It doesn't matter if it's music or if you go to work and you're a truck driver
If you believe in it, you do it, and you do it, you know... Daniel: You do it from the heart.
Erik: Yeah, exactly. THis is the music we like and the music we love to write
We're going to keep doing it and we hope the people will like it.
Daniel: The third album is so good. Erik: Yeah, cool, I'm glad you like it.
Daniel: The three albums are very high in quality, good albums.
I wanted to ask you: the support from your country is as high as in the rest of Europe?
Because I know that in Germany or Spain there are many hard rock fans, but maybe in Sweden is not so...
Erik: We have a lot of hard rock fans in Sweden, Sweden is a good hard rock country
You know, like... Europe (the band). You know Europe, right? Daniel: Yeah!!
We have Hardcore Superstar, we wrote a song with Hardcore Superstar
We've got a lot of good bands in Sweden, Crash Diet, you know...
So... it's a good rocking country.
Daniel: What amazes me is, your old singer decides to leave the band for whatever reason
and then they find an amazing singer... you know
It's like in Sweden there are great singers everywhere
That's the impression we got here
In Spain we got some bands, but it's not like Europe and those big bands
Erik: Thats cool to hear, thank you man. Thanks a lot
Daniel: Especially coming from the swedish idol, because here we got Operación Triunfo (spanish idol)
Here rockers don't like that show, because there's all poppy singers and all.
Erik: I guess it's the same in Sweden, but they like when you do rock songs, but it's the same.
Daniel: And finally, I don't know what future will bring, if you have solo projects, projects with the band...
If you can tell us about it.
Erik: I don't have any solo projects, because I'm in HEAT now, this is what I do
We're gonna write and record a new album, we're going to do it this summer
We have a few gigs to do while we're recording. We have a real badass show in Germany
with Whitesnake, Toto, Journey,Survivor, Europe...
And we're gonna release the album, our plan is to release it at the beginning of next year
so that's our plan, and we'll stick to it as well as we can. And then start touring again
Daniel: Do you wanna say something to the spanish fans for Dias de Rock.
Erik: (In spanish) The dog is under the table.
That's the only one I know. We love Spain, we love you guys, last night in Madrid was awesome
So thanks a lot for supporting us, and we're going to do it in Barcelona now...
So, cheers guys, salud!!
Daniel: Thank you very much. Erik: Muchas gracias
The rest of the band, get in the picture, say hi to the spanish fans here