Back in 2015 I posted an interview with Chilean singer Caterina Nix that we had completed by e-mail following the release of the first album from Chaos Magic. Almost four years later we’ve recorded an interview to mark the release of the second Chaos Magic album “Furyborn”. The album was released by Frontiers Music on 14th June and includes guest appearances by Rainbow frontman Ronnie Romero and Tom Englund from Evergrey.
Caterina chats about the recording of the latest album, future plans for Chaos Magic, working with Timo Tolkki, the growing position of women in rock and metal and more. We also play four tracks from the new album.
The interview can be heard on the Friday NI Rocks Show from 12th July 2019 - available from our MixCloud page - https://www.micloud.com/NIRocks/interview-with-caterina-nix-from-chaos-magic-on-the-friday-ni-rocks-show-12th-july/
The interview has been transcribed and posted below.
Playlist
KISS – Deuce (Live)
SCOTT STAPP – Purpose for Pain
SINNER – Fiesta Y Copas
DEAD ADDICTION – Live at the Scene of the Crime
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS – Heroes of the Dawn
TURILLI-LIONE RHAPSODY – Zero Gravity
CHAOS MAGIC – FuryBorn
Interview with CATERINA NIX from CHAOS MAGIC Part 1 (7 min)
CHAOS MAGIC – Throw Me To The Wolves
Interview with CATERINA NIX from CHAOS MAGIC Part 2 (4 min)
CHAOS MAGIC – Beware of Silent Waters
Interview with CATERINA NIX from CHAOS MAGIC Part 3 (8 min)
CHAOS MAGIC – Falling Again
TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON – Angels of the Apocalypse
THE QUIREBOYS – Original Black Eyed Son
LUKE APPLETON – Medusa
CHRIS APPLETON – Seafarer
BLACK SABBATH – Country Girl
AC/DC – Touch Too Much
KIX – Girl Money
THE NEW ROSES – Down By The River
THE IRONTOWN DIEHARDS – Ride
STRANDED – Nothing Lasts Forever
KANE’D – Reckless
TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD – I Smell Rock n Roll
SAMARKIND – Sun Stroke Heart
BLACK STAR RIDERS – Another State of Grace
MILLION DOLLAR RELOAD – The Last Icon
The earlier interview from 2015 can be found here - http://www.rockradioni.co.uk/interviews/2135-ni-rocks-interview-with-caterina-nix-from-chaos-magic.html
NI ROCKS – Hi Caterina. Thanks for taking some time to talk to Rock Radio NI.
CATERINA – Thank you so much for having me. What a pleasure.
NI ROCKS – Thank you. Last month saw the release of the second Chaos Magic album. I’ll talk more about that obviously later, but first, I’ve just played the title track Furyborn that features Tom S Englund from Evergrey. What can you tell us about that track and Tom’s involvement?
CATERINA – That track was written way before we asked him to be part of the album. I had always been a huge fan of Evergrey and I love Tom’s voice. For a long time I had been wondering what it would be like to have a collaboration with him. Nasson, who is the producer of this album, and I wrote this song thinking about his voice and what he could bring to the table. When we had the final version we sent it to him and thankfully he said ‘yes’ that he liked it. If you listen to it closely you’ll see that it resembles a little bit the last Evergrey work – it has some elements there to make it fit the way that we imagined.
NI ROCKS – It’s a great song. On the new album you’re working mainly with Chilean producer and musician Nasson whilst on the first album you worked with Timo Tolkki. How did the recording process differ for you this time?
CATERINA – Well, the first time I didn’t have a lot of involvement in the creative process because I didn’t want to interfere with Timo’s creative process. I just modified a few lyrics here and there. I had the ideas for the booklet for the artwork etc, but I didn’t do anything but sing there. This time I was involved 100% in the creation of the sound, I wrote all the lyrics, I wrote all the vocal melodies and I was involved in the process of making the music. So it was a completely different approach and obviously a lot more personal. I surrounded myself with two fellow musicians – Nasson and Franco Lama – the three of us were designing the album and the sound that we wanted to have.
NI ROCKS – Other than Nasson and Tom, who else is performing with you on the new album?
CATERINA – Other guests, we have Ailyn Giménez. She used to sing in Sirenia and she sings on the song “Bravely Beautiful” which is a very emotional song and I really wanted a very relatable voice – a sweet voice – that could fit this song. We also have Ronnie Romero who is a fellow Chilean and is the current singer in Rainbow, so he is kind of a local hero here. All the stars aligned for us to work together, because we were both Chilean, both working with Frontiers Records at the time that we met and we have similar stories when it comes to the music industry. He’s a really, really nice guy and it made sense that we worked together. We also have Mistheria, who is Bruce Dickinson’s keyboard player. He plays on the song “Beware of Silent Waters” and he gave this beautiful atmosphere to it. He’s just an amazing musician. He toured with us twice. I’ve just returned from the Dokkem Festival in the Netherlands where I had the opportunity to sing with the Vivaldi Metal Project which was created by him. So, yes we have wonderful guests.
NI ROCKS - Where was the album recorded and who did you work with in terms of production and mixing?
CATERINA – Here in Chile, but it was mixed by Jacob Hansen in Sweden. So it was recorded here and mixed and mastered there.
NI ROCKS - It has been 4 years since the release of the first Chaos Magic album. When did writing start for the new album and who has been involved in the song writing?
CATERINA - Well, I’ve always been writing songs. Some of the songs that you’ll hear on “Furyborn” I had written maybe ten years ago and I revived them and gave them a new sound. It’s something that I am doing regularly, whether I want to or not, I’m always creating lyrics and melodies. It’s a very pleasant process because it’s not forced. You find inspiration in so many different things. For me, that is the process; something calm, something cathartic, something beautiful – I don’t like forcing it.
NI ROCKS – Was there one track that took longer than the others to get exactly the way that you wanted it or which changed radically from first concept to actual recording?
CATERINA – I can’t think of one in particular, but I think “I’m Your Cancer” had a few more versions. And also “You Will Breathe Again”, because with that one I wasn’t sure about the arrangement, so we did a couple of versions.
NI ROCKS – We’ll play another track from the new album now. Can you pick a track and tell us something about it?
CATERINA – I would like you to play “Throw Me to the Wolves” because it is kind of different from the others. It’s a bit more aggressive and I really like the vibe that it has. It also relates to the experiences that I have had in the music business.
NI ROCKS – It was announced this week that you’d be opening for Timo Tolkki in Chile this September; which is great. Are there more Chaos Magic shows planned as well?
CATERINA – We are working on booking some gigs abroad. We don’t play a lot in Chile because the local scene is not ideal. I must be honest, and we look for bigger gigs to open for bigger bands. We’ve opened for Vuur and Delain recently, and as you said, we’re going to be opening for Timo Tolkki’s return here in September. But we’re currently working on booking gigs abroad.
NI ROCKS – That was my next question, you’re obviously signed to Frontiers which is a European label. Will there be some Chaos Magic shows in Europe at some stage?
CATERINA – I really hope so. I mean we have a booking agency that works directly with them. It would sense to promote this album through live shows because you bring your music to the people directly. It’s face to face and I love that. I love being able to bring my music to people – it’s so much more honest.
NI ROCKS – You mentioned supporting Delain; I think it was in May that you supported them. Have been had a musical highlight so far in your career? What’s the thing you’re most proud of musically?
CATERINA – We opened for Nightwish and that was pretty big. But we’ve had so many great opportunities to open for bigger bands here. When I was in Aghonya, my previous band, we opened for Within Temptation, After Forever and Edguy. With Chaos Magic we have done a few gigs too – like Nightwish and Delain. We’ve been pretty lucky; we’ve had very good opportunities.
NI ROCKS – You sang on the Timo Tolkki’s Avalon album “Angels of the Apocalypse” a few years. What can you tell us about that?
CATERINA – I sang on a track, well I was sharing the track with Simone Simons, Elize Ryd and Floor Jansen. I just felt so incredibly blessed to be on the same same song, in the same atmosphere with these amazing vocalists. They’re all icons, and just being there I felt that I had achieved something – like fulfilling a dream. It was really, really fulfilling. There are plans to go on tour live with the Avalon project . There’s nothing confirmed yet, but Timo is very enthusiastic about it, so I have faith that this is going to work. But nothing confirmed yet. They’re working on it.
NI ROCKS – Musically, your priority obviously is Chaos Magic, but are there any other artists that you’d like to work with in terms of guest vocals or doing something like that?
CATERINA – Yeah, there are so many. Chaos Magic was conceived as a project that could receive guests. I was thinking of making something similar to Avantasia, so of course on the next album we will have more guests. I’m still thinking about who it will be. I have some people in mind, but I can’t say anything yet, I’m sorry. I do have my dream collaborations and maybe they’ll come true, but it’s a bit too early to talk about that.
NI ROCKS – We’ll play another track from “Furyborn” now. Again, can you pick a track and tell us something about it?
CATERINA – How about “Beware of Silent Waters”. That is half-ballad I would say, because it’s very metal, it’s deep and dark. I real love the atmosphere that it has and it’s actually one of my favourites on the album.
NI ROCKS – It’s great to see so many strong, opinionated and vocal women in the rock and metal scene these days. You’ve Lzzy Hale, Alissa White-Gluz, Elize Ryd, and so many more. As a lawyer and a musician that must be something you’re passionate about – empowering women in the music scene?
CATERINA – Well, yeah of course. The presence of women in rock is growing day by day. It used to be a little bit of a sexist environment, but that is being erased little by little because of the success that women have had and what they have brought to the table. They are convincing, they are successful, powerful and strong. They have a message and little by little they have been erasing that void that was between the female fronted bands and the male fronted bands or whatever. It’s much more unified now and it’s the way it has to be. It’s a world phenomena; to find within our differences equality, the uniqueness that you have regardless of your gender. That’s a very important thing.
NI ROCKS – It is. Do you think there are now more opportunities for women in the music business?
CATERINA – Yes of course; especially in rock. You’ll always have other styles of music where females have been the powerhouses. In pop you have so many female popstars, but in rock it has been a process. It has been a bit different. It has been an environment that was ruled by men in the beginning and now it’s a completely different story. And I’m very glad, because we are contributing to other women to find the way regardless of where they are – I mean not only in the music business, but also in their work, in their jobs and their daily lives. It’s important to find your strength and not see yourself as a weak person or someone that is incapable of doing something just because of your gender.
NI ROCKS – You did an interview for me about 4 years ago by e-mail after the release of the first Chaos Magic album. One of the things I had asked you at that time was what you were currently listening to music-wise. What bands have you been listening to most for the last year?
CATERINA – I’ve been listening a lot to Soen, I really love that band. It’s a bit unfair what I’m about to say (laughs), but since we haven’ had any new Tool material I’ve started listening to Soen and I was like – how the hell is Tool going to compete against these guys when they release something new? I think they top them – sorry! Sorry if anyone is upset about it (laughs). I’ve also been listening to a lot of Evergrey. I also really like – I’ve so many things in mind – they latest stuff from Delain and I’ve been listening to Autumn. I just love different layers of music, of arrangements, something soft here, something heavier there. When I’m at the office, because I have a day job, I’m always listening to music, and people will say can you listen to me for a second (laughs). I’m always connected and I listen to lots of different styles of rock and metal.
NI ROCKS – We never really discussed musical influences in the first interview. What music did you grow up listening to and who would have been your influences when you first started singing?
CATERINA – I’ve been singing for a long time. It was sort of a communication tool that I had when I was a kid. My brother used to listen to a lot of rock music and he started making me listen to Queen for example and Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne. And I really liked it because there was always a rebellious flavour in rock. I always loved that and the way the rockers dressed, the way they carried themselves. And I also identified with it. I’ve been listening to rock for a very long time and I’ve always been singing. Back in school I was like the go-to girl for singing masses and whatever gatherings were happening. It’s always been a very cathartic thing for me too – singing. You put your spirit there and your heart in it. It’s always been a tool for me to communicate.
NI ROCKS - Quite a lot has happened in the last four years since our interview, including of course you becoming a mum last year – congratulations on that. Would you hope that there will be less time between the release of “Furyborn” and your next album? When do you expect the third album?
CATERINA – Yes, I think so. I can’t give you an exact date, but I’m already planning on what the sound will be, what the lyrics will be about, the concept. I’ve already started working in my head, but I think it shouldn’t be more than two years – I really hope.
NI ROCKS – We’ll maybe talk again when that one comes out We’re half way through 2019 now. What does the rest of the year bring for you?
CATERINA – Well, we are planning a release party here in Chile. If we can we would love to play abroad, but as I was telling you there is a lot of competition there. We’re doing our best to book some gigs abroad. We toured already during 2017 and 2018 in Europe and had lots of gigs there – about 20 the first time and 15 the second one – and we would love to repeat that. I wish we could do more festivals also so we’re currently working on that.
NI ROCKS – That’s all the questions that I have, but we’ll play another track from “Furyborn” now. Once more, can you pick a track and tell us something about it?
CATERINA – How about “Falling Again”? I really like that track because it’s very energetic and it’s kind of sexy. We love playing that one live. It’s very catchy.