Join Us on Eurovision: Latvia: Exclusive! Interview with Catalepsia "'Damnation' is about that nothing lasts forever and everything fades away sooner or later"

Catalepsia (© Adelīna Darviņa)

Catalepsia are one of the contestants for the Latvian national selection "Supernova 2016" with their song "Damnation". They will perform on 7th February 2016 in Riga.

We had the chance to talk to Erwin Franz (vocals), Juris Kreilis (guitars) and Krišjānis Purens (drums) some days ago about their participation in the Latvian national selection "Supernova 2016" . Read our interview with them below to find out what they had to say...

Catalepsia (© Adelīna Darviņa)

Hello guys, first of all congratulations that you are one of the qualified participants for the Latvian national selection “Supernova 2016”.

How does it feel to be part of the national selection with your song “Damnation”?

Erwin: Thank you for your interest about us. It feels amazing and a little bit nervous since it was a big surprise for us to be selected.

Juris: I would say that it feels great. It is a great honor and opportunity to participate in the national selection. We have been playing for some years and for now this is the biggest event we will be taking part in.

Krišjānis: All in all, it feels a bit weird, because until now our fans and listeners were mostly metalheads, with exceptions of course. Now we will be heard by all kinds of people out there, which is kind of scary.

Who had the idea that you could participate in the Latvian national selection and who decided “Damnation”?

Erwin: We were discussing this a while ago but I guess it was too early at that time. Our first priority was to record an album and since we have done that now we can present us to a wider audience. As far as I remember it was my idea to pick “Damnation” as the song for the contest. At first I wanted to write a new song but then I remembered about this track we buried 5 years ago which wasn’t even played in live.

Juris: We were talking about this for some years. Last year our band had issues with members leaving and joining, so we couldn’t do it. This year we decided that we should go for it. Melody and guitar parts for “Damnation” has been around for a long time. We stitched it together, polished, recorded it and it was ready for Supernova.

What is the message of "Damnation"?

Erwin: Basically the track is about the fact that nothing lasts forever and everything fades away sooner or later. It’s about an end of relationship.

Can you tell us something about the beginning of your career?

Erwin: Well… The story of our band began in 2005 when I decided to gather some local small town guys together to play some heavy music. We started out by playing some alternative rock covers until I me the right guys with whom I could make metal songs. However, there has been a huge mess in Catalepsia’s biography. Many members have been replaced for many times. We even stopped the band’s existence in 2010 but after a couple of years we understood that we need it.

Juris: Catalepsia has been one of my first bands. There have been pauses and other bands as well, but deep in the heart, Catalepsia has been “the one” for me.

What are you expecting in the national selection “Supernova 2016”, are you excited?

Erwin: I am expecting to reach the audience we haven’t reached before since it’s more or less mainstream music event. However, I am very skeptical about all this contest madness since people seem more excited about happy pop songs.

Juris: I am very excited. I am expecting a great show, huge audience and a great experience for all of us. We will be able to show our music to the whole country and everyone who will be watching online.

How do you prepare yourself for the show?

Erwin: We are rehearsing together regularly. I also attend vocal lessons in order to improve my clean singing since I have been doing more harsh than clean vocals so far. We are discussing and working on our look on the stage. I believe that’s all I can tell you for now.

Juris: Rehearsals, playing and practicing my skills. We are sewing new costumes for the show as well. Quite hard to manage all together as I am working as well. But in name of music, we can take it even further.

Krišjānis: Listening and playing the song for many times.

Which are your favorite Eurovision songs and what is your favorite from Latvian entries?

Erwin: You won’t be surprised. It’s Lordi – „Hard rock hallelujah“. I really loved the song „The Dragontower“ by Keep of Kalessin but unfortunately they were left in the third place in Norwegian final selection. Speaking about any favorites from Latvia, I cannot remember any songs I really love. Maybe if I went through the all tracks, I would find something. However, unfortunately my favorite Latvian artists do not participate in this contest.

Juris: Lordi was nice, something different as well. I have been listening to ABBA as well. From 2014 I liked The Common Linnets - "Calm After The Storm", nice acoustic song. From Latvian entries – I guess Brainstorm and Aminata.

What is your first Eurovision memory?

Erwin: I think the first time when I heard about Eurovision was when Brainstorm represented Latvia. I remember that they took the third place and everyone around me was happy about that.

Juris: Hmm. When i was a kid our whole family was watching eurovision together. Usually we were not allowed to stay up late but when eurovision was on we could stay up late. It was great for a kid.

Krišjānis: Well... Definately that is the year when Latvia participated in Eurovision for the first time. It was our band Brainstorm and they got third place.

What are your plans for 2016 beside the Latvian national selection, are you working on an album?

(© Adelīna Darviņa)

Erwin: We should play some gigs around Baltics and maybe even go to countries outside of our well known territories. Also, one of our priorities is to make a music video and of course to start to work on some new material. I am pretty excited to make some new stuff since we have so many ideas and riffs already written.

Juris: Last year we released our first album „World of Cliché“. We got awards for the best metal vocals and the best metal album realease of the year in Latvia. For now we will keep touring around Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania. When all touring and Eurovision stuff will be over, we are planning to write new songs and record them.

What was the most excited moment in your life?

Erwin: I think it was spending a week in Metalcamp Open Air in 2011 and playing a gig there. It felt pretty happy to share the stage with many of my idols.

Juris: There have been a lot of exciting moments in my life, hard to choose one. But if you ask, knowing that we will be playing in Supernova, is one of them.

Krišjānis: The birth of my son.

If people outside Latvia never heard about you before – what should they know about you?

Erwin: This is a hard one. First of all, I think they should check our music out which is the most important thing about artists... And if you don’t like our stuff, thank you for attention and, please listen to whatever you like. We are not trying to make everyone love us and it will never happen. We just want to show ourselves and see how people react to our music.

Juris: Damnation is just one part of our music. We have all kinds of songs in our sleeves. Slow, fast, agressive, melodic. I think everyone can find something for them in our songs. You just have to listen.

Why should the Latvian audience vote for your song to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2016?

Erwin: I think they should vote for us, if they want to send someone different and something new and to make Latvia stand out from other countries. That’s up to jury and the people of Latvia. However, we are already happy for getting this chance to be in the national contest.

Juris: Our song is quite catchy. We represent a different style of music. Maybe Latvian audience wants to hear something different than every year. Only they will decide for whom they will vote.

Do you have a message for “Join Us on Eurovision” readers and your fans?

Erwin: Thank you guys for sacrificing a moment to read this interview. Stay honest and fight for your dreams no matter what would people say around you and behind your back. Thank you "Join Us on Eurovision" for this interview and take care!

Juris: Thanks for the interview. It has been a great honor answering all the questions. Hope all readers and listeners will like us. We will do our best for all of you! I am looking forward for the Supernova show.

Thank you so much for answer those questions. Good luck for you and your song in the Latvian national selection and maybe we see us in Stockholm!

Support Catalepsia and their music. Download their entry "Damnation" on iTunes or listen to it on Spotify:

For other possibilities check the stores in your country.