Sonja Kraushofer, the remarkable voice of L’Âme Immortelle, is a versatile artist. Next to the Austrian electronic darkwave project, she was also involved in the neoclassical project Persephone and the gothic metal band Coma Divine. On Sunday 27th March Sonja will perform a special acoustic show at this year’s Black Easter Festival.
Hi, Sonja, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. Last year, you performed at the Black Easter Festival as well. You joined Goethes Erben on stage. How did you experience the festival in general and that concert in particular?
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the festival. It was great to see that the audience paid attention for each band, the line-up was just special and refreshingly different from other festivals. The show of „Grausame Töchter“ was a blast, I liked it very much! Glad to see them there. The highlight of the day was the concert with Goethes Erben, that`s for sure. I felt very comfortable on stage, although it was a very long day... not only for us, but also for the crowd, they celebrated till the end. Good (laughs).
Will you remain a Goethes Erben member in the future? Are you still involved in Henke?
I was never involved in the band Henke, only did the duet with Oswald and accompanied the tours with Coma Divine. In the autumn Goethes Erben will perform some shows in Germany and yes, I will be part of it again. Already looking foward to it. I hope we`ll have the chance to play in Belgium again soon.
Soon you will perform at Black Easter Festival again. With how many will you be on stage? Will Martin Hoefert, the cellist who was also involved in Persephone and Coma Divine, be there too?
Yes, he will. And actually Martin was not only involved in the bands, he`s the main songwriter (laughs). At Black Easter Festival we`ll have 5 musicicans: Martin Höfert (cello), charming Sue Ferrers (violin), pianist André Wahl ,who is responsible for the arrangements of this very project, Lukas Materzok actor and writer - his surreal, romantic texts will form the framework of our performance, and last but not least my humble self.
Personally I’m fond of older L’ Âme Immortelle songs such as Bitterkeit and Life Will Never Be The Same Again. Does the set list focus on L’Ame Immortelle songs? Or do you have any surprises up your sleeve?
Our set list won`t focus on L’Ame Immortelle songs, but it`ll definitely include some. We will play songs of all my bands, of course also tunes of Persephone and Coma Divine, all songs will be acoustic. Probably also some unreleased tracks.
This year, L’Ame Immortelle exists 20 year. Is there anything planned to celebrate this? A new compilation album maybe?
How could you know? (laughs) Yes, there will be an album called Unsterblich, which will contain a great mixture of our best songs, but we`ve rearranged the songs and recorded them recently, so they all sound more up to date. Actually, our new live arrangements inspired us to do so. The limited version of the release will also contain a second CD with the original tracks of the songs and an extensive booklet with many pictures and all the lyrics.
Lately, Ashley Dayour is very active with Whispers In The Shadow, The Devil & The Universe and Near Earth Orbit. Do you still have plans together concerning your mutual project Coma Divine?
Not for the moment.
Next to being a musician, you are also an actress and a director in the theatre. Can you use your experience as a musician in theatre or vice versa?
Yes, of course. I think you can`t really do the one without the other... singing is always acting, telling a story and carrying emotions.
So as mentioned before, you have been active for 20 years now in music. What were your personal highlights and what was the most disappointing occasion in that period?
Wow, that`s hard to tell... hmm, the main highlight is that I`m still there! 20 years is quite a long time, but it seems like yesterday when I entered the rehearsal room of L’Ame Immortelle for the first time. It`s still exciting! I`m happy and proud that Thomas Rainer and I made it through all the years. I`m very thankful that I have the chance to be a singer... and do just what I really love to do. That`s a gift, I appreciate this a lot.
Disappointing occasions... yes there were a few, of course... and some of them did hurt, but in the end it all turned out well so far... so let`s concentrate on future glories instead.
What are the plans for 2016? And what do you wish to achieve in the future?
I guess, health is the most important thing to wish for... well, and maybe happiness. 2016 is full of various plans for all bands and projects, so it won`t be boring. I`ll be on tour with L’Ame Immortelle soon, in autumn we`ll play two shows in Russia and of course we can`t wait for the release of Unsterblich. Martin and I will take care of new Persephone songs and there will be more Sonja Kraushofer shows as well.
Any last words? A message for the fans maybe?
I just can`t tell how excited I am to play at the Black Easter Festival soon. Playing songs of all my bands means a lot to me, especially to share the stage with such excellent musicians! See you there! Stay tuned!
Thanks! See you in Antwerp!