AN INTERVIEW WITH...

JADED HEART'S FRONTMAN MICHAEL BORMANN

By Nicky Baldrian

Nicky Baldrian:- I totally love the new album, can you tell me about it and how long it took to write and record?

Michael Bormann:-I do really love this album as well, ´cause it´s been for the first time recorded as a band! Years before I produced everything in my tiny 16track-studio.We never had a real guitarplayer, so that I played most of the guitars. When we got studioplayers it was more or less the same shit. They played what they been told, from me. We went into a prof. studio as a band and we did what it´s supposed to do as a band. We just played!! The writing never takes time, ´cause I write constantly. My ideas are always coming in any situation, so that I already have enuff stuff for another two albums.
The recordings took all in all seven weeks, that we spent luckily in good old America. We been in the NEH-studios in Denver, where Bobby Barth cared about us like a daddy!!

Nicky:-The songs this time around are very in your face,can you tell me about the song "Live And Let Die" and what was the inspiration behind it,because I simply adore the intro with childrens choir,how did you manage that one?

Michael:-The theme is pretty simple. I do believe, that if we, the ones who stand on the frontline, wouldn´t do what we been told from all those, who decide to fight( the polititians), there´d be no fight!! We have it in our hands! But we have to do something about it, before it´s too late! We destroy the future of our kids and their kids. I thought it´s much stronger
if a kid´s choir would sing these lines from the chorus!

Nicky:-You've been involved in quite a few other projects,can you tell me about them and do you have anything planned on the horizon like solo albums or anything?

Michael:-There´s not so much to tell about. In the past I got a lotta offers from bands. Some I played with, to build up my name. Thru all those years, Jaded Heart was my main-band, My heart and soul. The other things I did more or less like you have to take job. It was not the same thing. With J.R. Blackmore´s Superstition I toured for the first time in my life, so that I learned something. Letter X was my first let´s say studiojob, the record was finished and I sang it in 9 days writing most of the melodielines of the songs. Bonfire was not that good! We played a lot of shows, but with the old material. It was like being a singer of a coverband. The Sygnet was a little different. Alex, who was already a good friend of mine, and we decided to make an album together. In fact he is more into heavy material and I´m in the other direction we did the album more in a metal direction , which was okay for the first thing. The second album will be even harder and more progressive than the first. THE VERY BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL THOSE PROJECTS AND JADED HEART IS, THAT JADED HEART IS A FAMILY! Nothing can come between us after all, that we´ve been thru, together. I don´t want to forget to mention, that our music is what I feel and how I think the music to be. I don´t wanna argue about what I like more or not.In the near future I will do my first soloalbum. In the end of this year I will finish the demos and we will see!!

Nicky:- So we will have a solo album and a new album from the sygnet next year,sounds very intresting.What would happen though if say for instance your solo album or a Sygnet album took off really big time,would you still continue wth Jaded Heart?

Michael:- First, I´m not longer with Sygnet! Alex and I have different tastes of music, that made us going seperate ways.
Second.! I´d never give up Jaded Heart. I´d always try to combine the activities, there´s always a way to arrange things! This counts only for J.H.. I would have given up everything else, but J.H. is my baby!!!!!! Charade! I think there´s a second album coming up. Angel sent me some songs about a year ago, but I still had no time for it. In the next weeks I will start with it!!We´ll see!

Nicky:- You have a great voice,and I love the way you can turn a song around and make it sound like magic,who are your influences and when it comes to songwriting where do you draw your inspiartion from?

Michael:-My singers are guys like: Joe L. Turner, David Coverdale, Lou Gramm, all these are singing from the heart. You have the feeling, that they mean what they sing. It´s the Expression that makes a singer!! My inspirations I take from music in general. I grew up with the 60´s and so I heard The Beatles, Elvis a.s.o.! Nower days I hear Music from George Michael:- Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Eagles, Joey Tempest, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and even tho´it sounds funny, Backstreet Boys. That I love and hear everything on Rock and melodicrock-music and don´t have to mention. Everybody can hear that!!

Nicky:- A pretty diverse background of influences then,what is it that makes you want to keep playing melodic rock?And what direction musically will your solo album be in?

Michael:-Nothing special made me play rockmusic. I guess it´s the dynamic that you CAN HAVE in this music. It´s a little like soul and blues, you can express yourself in different ways, especially when it comes to singing! My solo project is easy to describe. I´ll count up some artists, to give you an idea about the style.: Mellissa Etheridge, Alanis Morrisette,Bruce Springsteen and Amanda Marshal.

Nicky:- How long have you been singing?

Michael:-Well, all in all you could say 19 years, but this is not really true. I started as a singer in 1987, when the schoolband- area was done. Until that year I was a guitarplayer and a singer, but not the mainsinger. Everybody sang a few
songs outta the material. Pull out what you think!!

Nicky:- Will Jaded Heart be playing live to support this record and will their be any plans for dates in the UK?

Michael:-We definitely will tour. I guess in the beginning of next year. I have no clue about the U.K.. If the band we´ll support plays all over Europe, we will come over for sure, but in fact, that J.H.is still too unknown to headline, we only can come as a supportact.

Nicky:- So who is this band that you will be supporting?

Michael:-We haven't decided yet!

Nicky:- What made you cover the songs "Stone Cold" by Rainbow and "Easy Lover" by Phil Collins?

Michael:- "Stonecold" came up, when we made the demos. The others came with the idea to cover "Miss Mistreated" and after we listened to the whole album we,(or better me) decided to take "Stonecold". It really fits the band and in fact of,
that Joe Lynn Turner is one of my faves, this song was perfect for us. I wanted to work on "Easy Lover" since I heared it the first time. I thought it really could be a perfect rocksong and I guess I was right, like everybody says! That we took both on "IV", we decided after the mix. It wasn´t planed to take two covers on it, but after hearing the songs, we couldn´t miss even one of them!

Nicky:-If you could play with one band on New Years Eve,who would it be?

Michael:- I don´t really understand this question! If you mean me as a singer of all my bands, than it´s for sure Jaded Heart.! If you mean we as JH, I would like to be in front of 20.000 people. This could be a support of bands like Def Leppard, AC/DC, Aerosmith or Bryan Adams or Scorpions, if you know what I mean.!!

Nicky:- Your New Years resoloutions?

Michael:- Personally I will lose some weight and record my solo album! Bandwise we would like to tour and tour and tour and get famous............................

Nicky:- And how will Jaded Heart be celebrating the Millenium?

Michael:- We´ll party all together. That´s the most important thing. We still have no particular place to hang out, but that really doesn´t matter. Some friends from Norway will join as well, so that all in all it´ll be a happening that we won´t
forget so soon!!

Nicky:-Finally is there anything that you would like to say to people who haven't yet heard your music yet, and also what are your plans for the future?

Michael:- To all those who still don´t know JH. GIVE IT A TRY, YOU WON`T REGRET IT!!!!!!!

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