Symphonic fans will find themselves perfectly enthralled from this new, beautiful, epic musical endeavor out of the minds of Johanna Kurkela, Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish), and Troy Donockley (Nightwish). Releasing March 23rd, self-titled album Auri features whimsical melodic tracks to whisk even the strictest of minds to a world beyond one’s imagination. Proclaimed as “Alice in Wonderland”-esque, the fairytale melodies will let your mind wander like never before. From dreamy and passionate sounds to soft and capricious vocals, Auri is a project worth giving a thousand listens to. Senior journalist Anabel DFlux had the pleasure of speaking with one of the masterminds behind this exquisite project, the band’s very own Johanna Kurkela.
“The band Auri was formed by three close friends who wanted to hear music that wasn’t out there in the world yet. We’ve all been fans of each other’s music from the very first note we heard, and have been collaborating on each other’s musical projects on many occasions in the past. So, I guess one could say, with us three, the spirit of collaboration has been ever present. Throughout the years it just developed into this vision, a shared dream of a unique, fearless, infinite open world of music, which we three might be able to bring to life together. But as it happens, life often makes us wait for our dreams, and so the three of us stayed quite busy with our separate careers, until in 2017, we were all finally free to embark on the long-awaited musical expedition together.” says Johanna when asked about the creative inception of this project. As to how Auri as an album was conceived? “The way the album started to unfold is still pretty much a mystery. We didn’t really talk about what the album should be like, or what type of songs to write. We didn’t have a concept, no main songwriter, no producer. Each three, we just threw in ideas and songs and collaborated on the basis of them, sending files back and forth, getting swept away by what the other one had done, added something new and then whisked the whole thing forward for further ideas and development. In a way it was like having a most uplifting and inspiring conversation between three people. Never once had we any disagreements, or thought that some tracks didn’t fit in with the rest. It was the smoothest sailing I’ve ever experienced in making music, as if the music was in a weird way coming from the same source, despite the fact there were three people making it.”
Each of the eleven tracks on the band’s debut album feature an immense diversity from one another, while still exquisitely highlighting each member’s individual musical talents. Anabel proceeded to ask what inspired these verses. “For the music and lyrics, we drew inspiration from all the things we love. Walks in the forest and picking mushrooms in the fall, for instance, is where the first half of “Them Thar Chanterelles” got its inspiration from. Also, Patrick Rothfuss’ books, films we love, the people we love, the way we love, live and look at life, it all seeps through the music of Auri. The only song that was written before we started the actual songwriting phase in 2017 was “Aphrodite Rising” from 2011, which in a way was the preliminary attempt to start the engines towards a collaboration of some sort. However, at that time, we soon realized we needed more time and space to pursue the matter the proper way, and so the song was put aside and the dream on hold for six more years.” Says Johanna. “Even to this day, it’s hard for me to categories the music of Auri. We didn’t have any particular genres or languages in mind making the music, quite the opposite. Overall, I think we were just instinctively following the paths of music that felt right to us, not really caring if it was orthodox or not to combine things the way we did. It felt very liberating, working in this mind set, not having any pressure or expectations to confine us, not caring at all what other people might think or how they might feel about the end result. The only thing we strived to do was to make music that made us three go completely ecstatic, and have massive fun at it. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Johanna eloquently continued with “I think, every artist is like a sponge, absorbing influence from things which feel meaningful. For the most part, it is a very subconscious thing, the sources which affect the art we make. In Auri, one can most certainly hear many influences, but rather than try to pinpoint them all, we’d prefer the listener to just shut the mind, and let one’s heart listen instead. For me, the magic of music has never been something that can be captured with words. It is a personal journey, a coloring book, the outlines of a scenery to be filled with each listener’s own emotions. There is no right or wrong in interpreting a song, if it jerks out something profound, beautiful and renewing inside the listener. For me the oceans of music are all connected. If it were up to me, I’d rather not categorize Auri at all, or any other music for that matter, but if need be, I’d probably call it “World Music”, for the way it combines worlds of things.” It was well worth noting a question about the name Auri, as such a unique choice for a band title must have a story behind it. Johanna enticed my curiosities and revealed this: “The name of the band wasn’t actually decided until last year, when we started delving deeper into the album making and realized we needed a name for our band. We tossed around with ideas, and finally thought of Auri, which felt like the perfect name. Deriving from the word “aura”, meaning, golden, emanation, atmosphere, a soft breeze, etc. It is used in Finland as a girl’s name. And, it also happens to be the name of a character in Patrick Rothfuss’ books, a character who lives in her own world, almost in another dimension compared to the rest of the world, for the way she perceives life and the way she keeps to herself, only to come out at moonlight, in secret, to sit on rooftops of the world. She is a deep, deep mystery, and an achingly beautiful and infinitely intriguing one at that.”
Anabel proceeded to ask what Johanna felt really pushed this project to become reality. Was it a natural realization that you were being drawn to create together? “When we headed out on this marvelous adventure of Auri, we didn’t really have any expectations or plans for it, other than just to release an album and see what happens. But pretty quickly, as things started to evolve, and due to the immense fun we all had while making this album, it soon became obvious, that instead of being just a one album project, Auri was actually becoming a band. In the future, we’re definitely hoping to carry on with making more albums for Auri and even do a tour at some point. It would be quite something to play this music live in ancient castles and cathedrals, for instance! But for now, on the immediate horizon, there are other more pressing matters keeping us all busy for the next approaching years. Still, luckily for us, we’re not in a hurry, time is just an illusion, and already, ideas for the next Auri album are starting to gently take form in our heads. Looking back on my own career, the length of over a decade full of solo albums and live shows, I still don’t really consider myself ever being a solo artist. There would be no Johanna Kurkela today without a plethora of songwriters, producers, record labels and musicians I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years. As a singer, I’ve always felt to be more of a piece in a puzzle, rather than the puzzle itself. And yet, I’m the only face and name the world has come to know through my songs. It’s a funny paradox. And even funnier still now that I actually am, for the first time ever, in a real band, in Auri, I feel like this is the closest I’ve ever come to expressing my actual self through music, the closest I’ve ever come experiencing what it really might feel like to be a solo artist.”
“And yet, Auri isn’t anyone’s solo album. It doesn’t have a frontwoman or a front man. For me, it’s just the feeling of finally finding the proper outlet for one’s creativity in music, being able to record and edit my own vocals independently, feeling completely at home in the music, finding such likeminded people to work with, and an environment without pressure or judgement, that you don’t have to hold anything back or make compromises, which usually, naturally occurs when working alongside people with different opinions and goals. The feeling of working from the same source with others, when being completely open and channeling your deepest emotions, has been one the most life changing things for me to discover in Auri. A sort of altruistic connectedness, which hopefully is something others listening to this music can also tap into.”
“To be moved by music is one of the most powerful things. For me, it’s always been the most honest and reliable means of communication between hearts, sharing epiphanies, emotions, everyday challenges and joys of life, making one feel less alone in the world. And although some people like to add value to things only through numbers, in the big picture, it’s just smoke and mirrors. The true value of music, or any other labor of love for that matter, runs much deeper. Just like we all have the opportunity to define ourselves against “the norms” of life, the same applies in music. It is only through utter freedom of the heart that we can truly discover our full potential, the unique abilities each of us possess, and put them to use for the collective good. In literature, this is beautifully put to words in Walt Whitman’s poem “O Me! O Life!” : “That you are here – that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” With Auri, we have contributed ours. Hopefully it’ll inspire all our fellow-adventurers out there to do the same.” Finishes Johanna.
