Interview : Annabella – Vanity Ink

Interview by Connie Bach

I’d describe Vanity Ink as having an energetic, vivacious sound designed to have audience members head banging and shaking their hips in time to their catchy music.

Hi, Annabella. Nice to have you. What are your hopes for the upcoming Austrian tour dates in September?

Of course I’m looking forward to them! Those dates are just the beginning of our longer European tour. Check out the dates at our website. It’s gonna be a blast!

I’m watching the video for “Smell the Party” and it is quite entertaining. How was it put together?

We just invited bunch of fans, started jumping up and down and filmed it all. So basically we just drank beer, acted stupid and had fun!

Where did the inspiration for “Smell the Party” come from?

It’s a story about a day when you decide you stay home and take it easy but somehow you smell the party and… the rest is more senseless random behavior. The story of my life.

“More Senseless Random Behavior” is the band’s fourth release. How would you say Vanity Ink has changed and grown since the first day of recording all those years ago?

Ummmm… hard to say. We’re older and wiser. Well, at least older. I don’t know… why fix it if it ain’t broken? We’re just cranking out the tunes we love and having a good time. It’s that simple.

How did “More Senseless Random Behavior” come together? Did it become what you and Vanity Ink intended?

Yeah, it did. We recorded it in Finland at the countryside, far away from civilization in the middle of nowhere. Nice and easy.

What has the feedback from fans been like? What goes through your mind when the entire audience knows the lyrics?

Heh, do they know? Well, maybe some do. Of course it’s flattering if the audience is singing along. I guess the feedback’s good if people keep coming to see your shows.

What do you have in mind for your future goals? How do they contrast to those of Vanity Ink?

To have as much fun as possible until the end of the world, which is coming in 2012 as I’ve heard. The fun includes Vanity Ink so there’s no contrast.

How do all the band members bond and connect beyond the music?

We hang out together a lot. I love those stupid guys!

Turning to your personal career, how did you become a singer and rock vocalist?

I’ve been singing all my life. As a kid I was singing at home all the time. So I guess this is the thing I’ve always wanted to do.

What is the most important thing that you keep in mind when writing music?

I try to keep my mind open and just go with the flow. Too much analyzing is always bad, you just have to let it go and see what comes up.

Annabella, how do you view your own vocal style, in contrast to other vocalists?

I don’t like comparisons. Everyone’s doing their own thing. I just sing from the heart and try to get some emotion in the songs. And the balls! You gotta have the balls whatever you do.

I know your MySpace says that there are too many influences to name but I’d like to know what inspires and influences you the most in your music, as well as the other members of Vanity Ink?

This has been asked a lot and we’ve always answered that it’s the life we live that inspires and influences us the most. Things we do and see. Of course we also listen to music all the time, from punk to rock and metal and back.

To wrap this up, what would you, and each of the band members, want to say to fans?

Please keep in mind that Jussi is not so innocent as he seems.

Thanks, Annabella, for your time.

Thank you! See you somewhere in Europe this fall!

Links

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Feb 23, 2012

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Vanity Ink – “More Senseless Random Behaviour” (2009)

Label : Swedmetal Records

Review By Tony Cannella

From Helsinki, Finland comes Vanity Ink. They play good, melodically charged hard rock – with plenty classic style rock riffs and memorable and catchy songs. The band have just issued their second full-length release titled “More Senseless Random Behaviour”. “Smell the Party” gets things started and it is easy to see where this band is coming from and this is a good energetic opening number that gets this party started. The band is unrelenting on the next track “Let’s Go Down” a great second track that does nothing but bring the quality up (no pun intended). “Fine by Thursday” begins with the simplest of guitar riffs, and it proves to be a driving force for this fine song. You really have to like the vocals of Annabella, she has tons and charisma and attitude in her voice that you just have to admire – she is quite impressive. “Breathe” slows things down a bit and it is the obligatory ballad and once again Annabella really shine through on this number as the provides an emotional, breathy delivery to the song, which quickly became one of my favorites. Getting back to the hard stuff is the next track “Rolling Stones”, which is just a good down and dirty rock tune and another high point. It’s energetic and the gang vocals on the chorus are pretty cool as well. “Versus” is perhaps the shining moment out of the 11-songs presented here, a rock solid back beat is accompanied by some monster riffs and another great melody, the band have really out done themselves on this one. Other highlights include: “Modern Day Saviour”, “Oh Sue” and “Rock and Roll”.I will admit that after doing some research on the ‘net on Vanity Ink, I didn’t know what to expect, but I am happy to say that this band quickly put my doubts to rest. They play just good, in-your-face, hard rock and roll with an emphasis on killer melodies. “More Senseless Random Behaviour” is a CD that really caught me by surprise and one that really delivers.