It was the 1990s and MTV boomed in living rooms across India, giving school and college fests a fresh selection of songs. One group that became ever-present on their setlists is Michael Learns To Rock. The Actor, Sleeping Child, Paint My Love…. In short, MLTR played on a loop.
Back to 2015. Hashtags like #mltr, #nostalgia, #paintmylove and #kolkatasown are trending. The reason is simple: The pre-hashtag era MLTR is not only going strong, in a few days they will land at Calcutta airport, and instead of waiting for a connecting flight to Shillong, they will check into a city hotel to perform at THE Festival Chapter IX (a property of E365 Media Solutions), in association with t2.
Before the wave of backlit mobiles — instead of ’80s-era lighters — hits the CC&FC grounds on December 17, Jascha Richter (lead vocal, keyboards), Mikkel Lentz (guitars, vocals) and Kare Wanscher (drums) answered a few questions over email for t2.
In a few weeks, you have a concert in Calcutta. Do you like the challenge of playing new venues?
We love playing in new cities and new venues. Calcutta is still unknown to us but the city has a very historic aura and we are very excited to come and see it for ourselves.
India loves you and you have kept returning since your first visit in 1996…
Honestly, we love everything about India — the culture, the food but most of all the people. We have not been all around the huge country but everywhere we have been, people have been wonderful and extremely warm-hearted. The fans who go to our shows are what we love most about India.
When songs like Sleeping Child, 25 Minutes, The Actor, Someday or That’s Why (You Go Away) released in the 1990s, were you aware of the huge following the group had in India?
We visited India for the first time in 1996 when we played in Bangalore and Madras. We could already feel that the Indian audience was quite into our music. The two shows we played were very memorable as being our first time to India. Ever since, we have loved coming back to India.
What have been some crazy fan moments in our country?
When we played in Shillong in 2005 there were so many people there. They stood in the pouring rain singing along and having a great time. The look in their eyes and the energy they gave us is something we will never forget. They were just 25,000 crazy fans having a party.
Does Michael Learns To Rock sound different in 2015 than in the 1990s?
We never deliberately ever had a sound that we aimed for. We always did the music we love… and still do. So I guess the sound of MLTR in 2015 is just our sound as always. On the three recent singles — Silent Times, Call On Love and I’ll Wait For You — you can hear that we still play classic pop but with some variation to the sound and expression.
That brings us to the prevalent theme in your music — romance. Do personal experiences go into the writing process?
Jascha is writing his songs mostly with inspiration from life in general and not so much from personal experiences. The inspiration behind I’ll Wait For You is just a part of Jascha’s blessing as a songwriter which is what makes us able to keep coming up with new songs.
Can we expect a new album?
At the moment we are recording new material but we have not exactly decided what shall come out of it. We are discussing the possibility of releasing an EP early next year but nothing is 100 per cent settled. We love writing new songs and will keep releasing new material and will inform our fans on social media about new releases.
The friendship the three of you share has withstood changing musical trends. What keeps you together?
We have always been able to get along with one another and have handled the disagreements with a good talk. We are like brothers and are all very respectful to one another. I think we have never been a part of any musical trend… (that is) why we have no problem not keeping up with any trends. Like we say: Trends come and go but MLTR lives on.
But how are you able to sustain yourselves in a crowded field?
Like we said, one of the reasons we are still around is because we have never been a part of any specific style or trend. We have always been kind of untrendy. Thus, we have placed us, and our music, in a kind of timeless universe where songs just live on. The main reason the songs are able to do that is because of the quality of the melodies and harmonies in the songs. A lot of credit must go to Jascha’s songwriting.
The group’s new video is uncomplicated minus the sexed up atmosphere of recent pop videos. Your thoughts….
Many artistes use nakedness and sex to get attention when the song itself is not able to catch people’s attention. That rarely has a positive impact and doesn’t help the song to be taken more seriously.
Does it bother when a section of the crowd labels your music soft rock?
We are proud of doing the music we do and honestly don’t pay much attention when someone labels our music in a negative way.
What would be some of the ingredients that make your music timeless and relevant among the youth?
Our music is the reason for our success and nothing else. The fact that the songs are easy to understand and sing along to… are elements our fans love. Also, the romantic and melodramatic lyrics are key factors. We see many young people coming to our shows having learnt about our music from their parents, and we hope that people of all ages would enjoy listening to us for many years to come.
Is there anything left to prove after 27 years in the business?
We never really wanted to prove anything. We just wanted to play music.
On the t2 playlist
¯The Actor
¯Sleeping Child
¯25 Minutes
¯Someday
¯That’s Why (You Go Away)
¯I’m Gonna Be Around
¯Paint My Love
¯Angel Eyes
¯You Took My Heart Away
¯Take Me to Your Heart
Why is the band named Michael Learns To Rock?
We just loved Michael Jackson so much and thought it was cool having his name in our band’s name.
Weirdest rumour you’ve heard about the band...
That our music is banned in Australia because our songs are so romantic, people commit suicide after having listened to our songs!
A message for Calcutta through t2
Come and sing along with us, and show us what our Calcutta fans are like. We hope that we will have an unforgettable night together
What: Michael Learns To Rock live in Calcutta as part of THE Festival Chapter IX
Where: CC&FC
When: December 17, 8pm onwards. Gates open at 4pm
Tickets: Log on to www.bookmyshow.com. CC&FC members can buy tickets from the venue. Non-club members can buy tickets from the venue December 15 onwards.
Price: Upwards of Rs 2,000
Mathures Paul
I am crazy about MLTR
because.... Tell t2@abp.in
