Published: November 16, 2024, at 18:47Last updated: November 16, 2024, at 18:48
For the last three-quarters of a year, she and partner Nils Johansen have breathed new life into Bel Canto – in public.
On Wednesday, they will play at Rockefeller, and last Tuesday they were ceremonially inducted into the Rockheim Hall of Fame.
When the band’s first album in 22 years was released in April, they had already been working on it for a while. In fact, since before the coronavirus pandemic.
– Robert Smith has said he regrets announcing in 2019 that The Cure would be coming out with a new album. I also regretted that we said it in 2018.
<img alt="Anneli Drecker” src=”https://www.dagsavisen.no/resizer/v2/HA7N5TRECNAEVF6H266C3CTITE.jpg?auth=9ca51807b50f9c36a9f401a0eec207958d5e7948ee5777a52f243a2f76894b87&width=768&quality=70&smart=true” width=”768″ height=”0″ loading=”lazy”/>
Missing the calm of the 80s
The inspiration to restart Bel Canto’s existence again was the 30th anniversary concert at Øya in 2017 at the initiative of festival director Claes Olsen. They barely managed to group themselves and brought Erik Ljunggren on keyboards, synth, and programming.
– But then Erik had to go on a new world tour with a-ha. I started working in academia as they say, and then life took us with children and jobs and everything. And then the pandemic came.
For Bel Canto, the pandemic did not provide them with more time.
– Other musicians began to have a lot of time to make music. But not Nils and me. Because Nils was pursuing an education and had a rotation in the infectious disease department at the hospital, so he had even less time.
Drecker herself was doing Zoom teaching in music with desperate, lonely students.
– There was a brief period at the very beginning when I had time. I wrote some lyrics
– It’s an incredibly strange situation. Yes, so I really missed that time. Very much. And then I started to dive into the song sketches we had made in the hope that now we would have plenty of time to go into the studio, now we would enjoy ourselves. But after the pandemic, both Nils and I were quite worn out and needed to rest. But when people started working again, I just said, «No, you know what, fuck it, I’m taking a half-year leave, now we just have to…»
In the time since we last heard from Bel Canto, Anneli Drecker and Nils Johansen have lived busy lives with their own projects and commitments. Drecker has, among other things, performed on stage as an actress for twelve years, and Johansen has been pursuing education and working on various projects.
– It’s absolutely amazing to be able to experience Anneli and Nils at 22 years old. I stand there reciting a text and think, «Who were you? Who was this? What have you written in this text?» It is absolutely fantastic, incredibly, delightful to dive into a photo album or physically into video material from your earlier life. It’s incredibly fun to be able to sneak around as a ghost along the wall.
– And experiencing that the audience is familiar with the new songs, and that it works. It was absolutely fantastic, so much fun! I think I have never enjoyed singing so much because I was so nervous when I was younger.
– I can of course get nervous now too. But I have been trained in theater that you perform just as well on a Tuesday as on a Saturday. The lines come, don’t think, so to speak. Now I enjoy having contact with the audience, whereas before I would hide. I don’t think I made eye contact with a single soul out in the audience.
Anneli and Nils had sound files, lyrics, and ideas scattered over several years and many different machines, as they started gathering ideas as early as 2017-18.
– There were many such files here and there and lots of stuff on old computers and things, a small collection effort to make it happen. Then we got a fantastic producer named Mathias Tellez, who lives in Bergen. And he was someone I had dreamed of working with.
The band had to wait until Tellez was available to work with them. In the meantime, they arranged agreements with management and other central elements that need to be in place before a record release and a proper comeback.
– So everything took time. But we just thought, you know what? Now it will be right. Now we are driving on E6. Now we haven’t taken a detour over a bog and maybe also released an album that no one hears about. Now we just want to have as good a time as we can.
Rockheim and Rockefeller
This year, Bel Canto became one of three new bands that had the honor of being inducted into the Rockheim Hall of Fame.
– My relationship with Rockheim is probably that I stood there and honored a-ha many years ago when they were inducted. And I have always dreamed of that.
Bel Canto was one of the first bands to start making music on a BBC computer.
– Yes, it is now in a display at Rockheim.
This year was the third time Bel Canto was nominated.
– So we just crossed our fingers and thought it wouldn’t work this time, so we don’t want to say yes to try again. But all good things come in threes.
Read also: Three years after threats of fines: Teachers are still not equipped to handle violence (+)
What was the inspiration behind Bel Canto’s reunion after over two decades?
Interview with Anneli Drecker: Reviving Bel Canto After Two Decades
Editor (Time.news): Thank you, Anneli, for joining us today! It’s been an exhilarating time for Bel Canto and your fans. Can you tell us what inspired you and Nils to bring the band back after 22 years?
Anneli Drecker: Thank you for having me! The inspiration really began with our performance at the Øya Festival in 2017, celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary. It rekindled that spark in us and made us realize how much we missed making music together.
Editor: It must have been a surreal experience to return to that stage. How did it feel to reconnect with your musical roots?
Drecker: It was both thrilling and nostalgic! I remember standing there, reciting lyrics I had written years ago, and wondering, “Who was I then?” Revisiting our past felt like diving into a time capsule. The audience’s reaction was incredible—it made us realize there was still a place for our music.
Editor: You mentioned that the pandemic didn’t provide you and Nils with more time to create. Can you expand on that?
Drecker: Yes! It was difficult because while many artists were finding the extra time to work on their music, Nils was in medical school, rotating in the infectious disease department, leaving him little time. I was teaching music through Zoom—it was an exhausting time for both of us.
Editor: Despite those challenges, it sounds like you managed to creatively regroup. What was your process like when you began working on the new album?
Drecker: We had a lot of old sound files and ideas from past years scattered on different devices. It felt like a treasure hunt! When we finally got the fantastic Mathias Tellez onboard as our producer, everything clicked. We had been waiting for a long time for the right moment to work with him.
Editor: That sounds like a dream collaboration. Can you describe how the sound of the new album differs from your earlier work?
Drecker: While our essence remains, I think we’ve embraced a more mature sound. Having lived through so much—both personally and professionally—infused our new music with deeper emotions and experiences. It’s richer and more reflective, with a blend of nostalgia and innovation.
Editor: You mentioned earlier how being on stage feels different now compared to when you were younger. What has changed for you as a performer?
Drecker: Oh, so much! I used to be very nervous and would avoid making eye contact with the audience. Now, I’ve performed in theater, which taught me to engage with the crowd. I feel much more at ease and connected to the audience during performances. Singing is pure joy for me now!
Editor: That’s inspiring to hear! You have a concert coming up at Rockefeller. What are your thoughts going into that performance?
Drecker: I am incredibly excited! This will be a significant moment for us, especially after being inducted into the Rockheim Hall of Fame. I can’t wait to share our new music and see how the audience responds to it live.
Editor: Lastly, what message do you hope to convey through Bel Canto’s return?
Drecker: I hope our music resonates with both old fans and new listeners. We’ve all been through a lot in recent years, and I want our songs to provide comfort, connection, and perhaps a little nostalgia. There’s beauty in revisiting the past while moving forward, and that’s something we’ve tried to capture in this new era for Bel Canto.
Editor: Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us today, Anneli. We wish you all the best with the upcoming concert and the new album!
Drecker: Thank you! I’m grateful for the support, and I look forward to sharing this next chapter with everyone!