A Different Song

From being a small cafe band in 1987 to one of the most popular bands that has sold 10,000 million records worldwide,how has the journey been?

It has been absolutely fantastic—and it still is. All our dreams came through within a few years after we formed the band and then things developed into new unknown territory. We feel blessed to have had these experiences with MLTR.

When most bands break up after the initial success,you have been together for 22 long years,despite a two year break-up in 2001 What do you think is the secret of your success?

The reason we stay together is because it makes sense. Our fans come to our shows and we still enjoy playing and travelling,so why should we stop? There is also the pleasure of making music,even though sometimes things like television shows or interviews can become a little boring.

Why did you name the band Michael Learns to Rock since no member of the band has ever been called Michael. Has it got anything to do with Michael Jackson?

When we started we admired the King of Pop a lot and we still do. So we thought it was funny to use the name “Michael” and “Rock”. Also this was in the days of bands like Johnny Hates Jazz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood,so why not Michael learns to Rock?

MJ apart,who are the musicians who have inspired you?

Supertramp,Elton John,The Beatles,The Rolling Stones and the amazing Stevie Wonder.

Unlike many bands,MLTR has always had a clean image. How have you maintained that? Or is it a myth?

We act as the persons we are and we’re comfortable with our image. We enjoy life and don’t need to act crazy to get attention. Oh,and any scandals that are there,we keep to ourselves.

Between the three of you,you have 11 kids. Can we expect a second generation MLTR anytime?

The oldest of our children are interested in music and are very talented.

This is your third trip to India. How clued in are you about Indian music? Any plans to collaborate with Indian musicians?

We don’t really remember any of the names,but we have heard a lot of great Indian artists. We apologize for our lack of memory.

What are you looking forward to during the concert tour this time,and what can the audience expect?

Our Indian audience has always been fantastic. The last time we played in India we recorded a live album in Shillong,and we will like to thank everyone who attended the show. There are lots of other things that we would like to do while in India but I think the time is very short this time. We have never been to Delhi before,so it is great that we are finally going there. We expect to gain a few kilos while in India because we enjoy Indian food. As for our shows this time,they are smaller ones of only 40 minutes,but we shall be performing a lot of oldies.

Tell us something about your seventh studio album Eternity. You have been promoting it since last year,how has the response been?

The Eternity album was the first that Mikkel produced for MLTR and the first time we released an album on our own record label. Due to the full artistic freedom this gave us we decided to include a few old unreleased songs on the album. That was a lot of fun going back 20 years and recording material from the early days. We’ve tried to give a feel of the very early days of MLTR from the late 1980s.

Are you guys working on any other album?

We are currently recording and expect a new album to be ready later this year or by the beginning of 2011.

MLTR perform in Mumbai,Delhi and Bangalore on June 16,17 and 21 respectively