The upcoming opus from Beyond the Black is called Break the Silence which will be released via Nuclear Blast on Janaury 9, 2025. It is a project that blends powerful storytelling, cinematic soundscapes, and a meaningful reflection on what it means to communicate in today’s divided world. Singer Jennifer Haben took the time to talk about the the striking collaborations with Asami from LOVEBITES and Lord of the Lost, the album reaches across cultures and genres, showing how music can still bridge distances between people, no matter how far apart they are.
Welcome to Beyond the Black
So first of all, I wanted to welcome you here and to thank you for your time. I want to ask you how are you and how the promotion is going for the new album?
I think it’s going great, actually. I’m pretty proud of everything that we’ve done around this album. It was a big project for us since we’ve created this whole movie kind of story around communication. That is a very, very important theme nowadays, especially always is everything or everyone is telling you communication is key. And this is especially in a world where we are so connected, but not really connected in the emotional way because we’re not searching for real answers.
We are more like putting out our opinion and yeah, not really listening to the answers. That is something that is that we’ve noticed a lot more during the past years that. Yeah, especially I think after Covid, where these very strong opinions were created and it came to the next theme and people were still continuing doing that. And there’s black and white, but not really the gray notes in between. That’s at least what I notice. So I think it’s very important to get the people to connect more and accept other opinions and also, yeah, gray notes more. And yeah, especially I could tell you a lot about this theme.
The main concept behind Break the Silence
You know, Break the Silence is an album rooted in a concept where it does explore those themes that you have just mentioned, you know, through communication, inner strength, resilience and reconnect in a divided world. So my question is how did you face such themes? Because, you know, in a way they can be quite polarizing to openly talk about it.
Yeah, I think it’s important that we are telling what we feel. I think that’s the job of an artist. So, the main job is to tell these stories to the people what they don’t want to hear. Of course connect with others because they’re feeling the same this connection. And I think especially when it comes.
“I think more and more people are more divided by such discussions”
I don’t know if you notice this too, but when it comes to Internet especially, and you’re seeing social media and seeing people concentrating on words that the other was using instead of trying to understand what he wanted to tell by heart. So, they’re discussing stuff that is not really the most relevant thing that the people could mean the same or a similar thing, but they talk about the words instead.
And I think more and more people are more divided by such discussions and I think we need more of these people that are open to other opinions and to communicate and to discuss. And even if you have like a discussion with somebody.
“Most of the time the other person don’t want to really hear your opinion”
Absolutely.
I noticed that too with, with most of the time the other person don’t want to really hear your opinion. He just want to tell you his opinion or her opinion or whatever. Indeed, this is why these conversations don’t work and why these people don’t come together really. We need to listen more and trying to understand to come together again and accept that another human being can have another opinion. I think that is very important.
Beyond the Black: “We have to learn to peacefully be together with different opinions”
Those are kind of important word that you have said because if it feels like especially with social medias they are trying to impose you things, ideas when something goes viral, you are in some kind of way also influenced by it. I don’t know if you agree with that.
Yeah, I agree.
Beyond the Black: “That is why we wanted to talk about it”
And you know, it’s important to be able to say, ‘I’m against this. This is my opinion, and you need to accept that.’ I’m actually glad that Beyond the Black decided to talk about it, because it is something I really find important, and you do it through music.
Yes, yes. And that we have to learn to peacefully be together with different opinions. That’s the most important thing because if there’s peace and love behind the things that you say, it cannot be wrong whatever opinion you have. So, I think that you need to look for the real meaning of what someone is telling you.
And this is why we wanted to talk about it: many people are afraid to speak up on the internet or on social media, because others are always trying to find something they did or said wrong. I don’t know why they are taking something from it, but that is something that I don’t really like about social media right now.
“The possibility to unfollow and create your own bubble”
You know, I think also the social media are good, but they are also bad place because…
Also has both sides like everything.
So, I think it’s also starting to be a dangerous place where it’s not possible to express your idea in a way. And sometimes I would like to go back to the old times where you were discussing with that person in a cafe. Because then on a social media contest, then it gets really difficult to conclude the discussion and say it “Well, that’s it. We go further”. You get pinpointed and then, there is also situation of victim blaming and that it’s like a dominoes of consequences.
However, you also have the possibility to unfollow and create your own bubble. What is also a little bit dangerous, I think so that you think that what you see on social media is the reality, but it’s not because you created your own bubble, you created your own kind of people that you think that everyone is thinking the same, but it’s not. There are some other opinions, but you don’t follow those people. And this is also something that people have to realize.
“You don’t have to accept if somebody’s doing something that you really don’t like”
You don’t have to accept if somebody’s doing something that you really don’t like. If it’s something that you. You need to know that what you think is the reality doesn’t mean it has to be for someone else. So talking, communication can always help understanding the reality of somebody else.
Beyond the Black and the special guests on Break the Silence
Yeah, absolutely. You know what I also liked about the album? The way you brought in guests from so many different corners of the musical world. Because I was surprised to see, for example, Azami from LOVEBITES and the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices that usually they play with Lisa Gerrard, which is another completely another type of musical proposal. But, you know, this, this in a way reflects what we are saying right now.
Yeah. And that was also something that we wanted to have on this album and that inspired us a lot. When you talk about communication, it’s just logical to include other cultures, other languages and other music and other genres and other. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Lisa Gerrard and movie kind of music. Then, I’m a fan of Hans Zimmer, she also worked with Hans Zimmer. So yeah, everything is connected there.
The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices and singing in different languages
Also the Bulgarian Choir worked with Bring Me the Horizon, for example, and other artists before them. It was a perfect fit for this album and I was happy that they wanted to do something with us. Talking about Asami, since we love Japan, having someone who also loves it and wanted to work on something in a Japanese style with us was just great.
And yeah, having something in German on the album for the first time was really new for us. Our fans had been asking for that for a long time. To be honest, “I thought, okay, when we do so many languages, we cannot skip German”. Even if I never was like into singing in German, I did it in the past few years for some other projects, but not really for Beyond the Black. Also, for the first time, I sung in French. As you can see, some different languages.
The idea behind the cover artwork
You know, I also want to, to speak about the cover artwork. I like the idea of this. This hat with this huge hole. Now it, it seems quite graphic what they say, but it’s not because it’s really nicely done beside my words and it’s black and receipts with gold. I like also the idea of it in a way.
Yeah, it’s concentrated on just communication. And that is also what we show in our music videos is that a lot of people that are like not thinking and just doing what others are doing. And, not really paying attention to what the essence could be of this world or that you should look deeper into life. This is why you just see an empty head somehow in the cover artwork. You should not, you know, you know, stop at the apperences, but try to delve deeper into the whole story.
The videoclips from Break the Silence
And you know, I also love the video clips you’ve released now. There’s Can You Hear Me featuring Asami—that’s just amazing. And the way you added those Japanese words? I don’t understand Japanese, but it sounds incredible. Also, we have the single featuring The Lord of the Lost, The Art of Being Alone.
The collaboration with Asami with Beyond the Black
I mean I, I have the feeling that this time Beyond the Black went over, you know, like there was big ideas behind the whole project and I felt since moment one that I started to listen to the album actually. I really feel like this time Beyond the Black went all out—you know, there were big ideas behind the whole project because I sensed it right from the first moment I started listening to the album.
Thank you. What is your favorite song?
Yeah, Can You Hear Me.
I think that is the one of the first song I’ve ever written for this album. And I’m happy that a lot of people like the song. I’m very proud that we managed to tell what we wanted to tell in this animated series kind of style. We are in love with animes, it was a dream come true to do something like that.
Bridging two cultures
What I also like the most that in a way is Can You Hear Me bridges two different cultures. You have Asami from Japan from LOVEBITES which I adore and you have the east and the west connecting in one song and and it doesn’t happen really often because if I think it’s the first time that Asami does a collaboration with a European band.
I was in Japan some weeks ago. I really love that country and I knew if we are doing it album with different languages, Japanese has to be in it and we would like to play some shows there as well. This duet would maybe help us to play some shows there hopefully. Also Asami is an amazing human being. I really loved to work with her and the collaboration was perfect.
“I know that loneliness is something when you feel alone over the world”
About the lyrics, I know that loneliness is something when you feel alone over the world and especially when it comes to the feeling that even if we have these social media connections and whatever. Loneliness can feel just as intense whether you lack any connections or simply lack deep, meaningful ones. I think this is something that connects people from faraway countries—we all feel the same, even when we’re miles apart. That’s why we try to express it, especially through our lyrics.
Beyond the Black: “We tried to make a big step especially with our production”
I bring you back to something also important which is the upcoming tour which is recording a lot of sold outs selling fast dates because checking out Facebook I cannot notice that some dates are selling really fast and some are already sold out. Making this tour even more bigger.
We tried to make a big step especially with our production. Indeed, we have created something special and I think that the people will really like our show and yeah, we do everything for it. We always put our whole heart into everything. Indeed, that’s what the people can expect.
Closing words
Absolutely. Well Jennifer, I want to thank you for your time. I hope you did enjoy it and thank you for you know, accepting really in a really short time, the interview.
Thank you so much for your interest and for the nice interview.