– The voice is my instrument, so the days and weeks after the surgery I was really afraid that my voice had been damaged, says Høyem. Photo: www.siverthoyem.comJust before Christmas last year, Sivert Høyem gave two magical and memorable concerts in Greece. Now he is back, and this time, to honor his many Greek fans, Høyem has extended his tour to include the city of Patra on the Peloponnes in addition to Athens and Thessaloniki. That makes it three concerts in total in Greece this fall.
– I have some of my best and loyal fans in Greece, so I am really looking forward to play here again. I hope there’s going to be a lot of people attending my concerts, and I am also looking forward to play in a new city, says Sivert Høyem.
Passionate Greek fans
Høyem will visit Principal Club in Thessaloniki on October 22, Fuzz Club in Athens on October 23 and Akt Dimaion in Patra on October 24. You can find tickets here.
Høyem says one of the reasons he loves to play here, is the passion the Greek fans shows for his music.
– There is always a lot of energy on my concerts here, and my Greek fans are very emotionally engaged in the concerts. Also their knowledge of music is very good, and that makes it really fun to play here, states Høyem, that first gained popularity in Greece with his former Norwegian rock group Madrugada.
Questions from our Facebook friends
In advance of this interview, we asked our Facebook friends if they had anything they where curios about and would like to ask the Norwegian rock star.
Katja Elisabeth would like to ask Høyem – who used to be the lead singer of the popular band Madrugada – if he think the Greek fans still expect him to sing the songs of Madrugada. If yes; now that he is touring with his own material, is this negative or positive?
– You’re right; I am touring as Sivert Høyem, not Madrugada. And I am touring with my own material now. But still, I know that the Greeks really appreciated and fell in love with Madrugada. To honor the many Greek Madrugada fans, I will play a couple of Madrugada songs. I owe them that, reveals Høyem, before adding: After all; I hope that the audience is coming to see Sivert Høyem, not Madrugada.
As a solo artist Sivert Høyem has released three albums: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Opposition (2004), Exiles (2006) and Moon Landing (2009) as the most recent.
Answering a question from Dnx Vivi, also one of our Facebook friends, the 34 year old Norwegian reveals that new material is on its way. Vivi was curious about whether Høyem has written any new songs and if a new album is coming any day soon. Dnx Vivi also would like to tell Høyem that «his voice and his melancholic tunes are loved, and that here in Greece we are loyal to his majesty».
– First of all; thanks for the compliments! Actually I am about to produce some new material these days! I will present some of it to my Greek fans in October, and that’s going to be fun, says Høyem.
Another question Høyem came from Foteini Skoteini. She’d like to ask what inspired him to write «Arcadians» and «Arcadian wives». Could it be ha was reading any specific Greek book?
– Well, I am very interested in history and art, and that’s some of the explanation behind writing these songs. Arcadia is the name of a region on the Peloponnese in Greece. In history, Arcadia is a symbol of something lost and something innocent, and also the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. I didn’t get the inspiration from a specific travel to Arcadia; I got the inspiration from the history I’ve read about Arcadia, answers Høyem.
Endre Molland from Norway asked if Høyem is considering to buy a summerhouse in Greece, a place that could inspire him to write more of his great music.
– Well, to be honest; I haven’t thought about that yet, say Høyem and laughs. Still; I like to travel in Greece, and during the years I’ve been visiting many places in Greece. Among them the beautiful island of Patmos. Patmos is the island where St. Jonh wrote «Book of Revelation» (Αποκάλυψη/Johannes åpenbaring). You also find the Cave of the Revelation on Patmos, so for me, this was a special place to visit. Also I’ve been hiking in the beautiful mountains on the island of Crete, says Høyem.
- Walking through this beautiful nature reminds you how important it is to take care of it. This goes for Greece, Norway and the all rest of the world. I was born and raised in the northern part of Norway, where the nature is at it wildest, but also at its most vulnerable. When I’m at back home, the beautiful nature reminds me of how important it is to take care of it and don’t spoil it for our future generations.
Problems with his voice
During the summer months, Høyem was nervous if he would be able to go on a tour or not this autumn. For many years Høyem have had problems with his throat, and this summer he had to go through a surgery.
– The voice is my instrument, so the days and weeks after the surgery I was really afraid that my voice had been damaged, says Høyem.
For a while he had to lie in bed, and all he could eat was ice cream. Luckily everything is fine now, and Høyem is looking forward to go abroad on tour.
– When it comes to my voice, some of my crew members even think it is better now than prior to the surgery, says Høyem.