Interview with Per Gessle on Finnish newspaper

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Mari Pudas (a Roxette fan from Finland) interviewed Per Gessle for the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti (and interview #2). Here is a summary of the interview.

“I’m like any other person, just a normal person. I am grateful for my success, the fact that people are interested in what I do, because it should not be taken for granted. Today, songs and artists come and go, so it is rare for a career to last so long. Every now and then I have to pinch myself,” he explains.

As we all know, Roxette go on tour starting this upcoming Tuesday in Vladivostok . After summer 2015 Roxette plans to release a new album – with the first single to be released early 2015. Per started to work on the album in summer 2013, and he tells that it will be “modern, almost electonic/techno”, but still keeping the pop sounds. “I wanted to challenge myself to write music in a new way, and see where it leads. Of course, the album will have typical Roxette components but they will sound fresher. I’m really glad that we have moved on and are not just repeating ourselves.” Per has also been working with David Guetta and other Swedish DJs for other projects.

Roxette will play in Finland end of November, “Finland is fun to play,” says Per. He also explains that he has got more self-confidence with his voice and that he discovered he is not a bad singer and his voice has some strenghts. He also comments on the fact that they have taken their music to many places around the world. “We wanted to go out from Sweden to the world and we managed it. Sometimes Marie and I look at each other on stage with a smile, and we realise what we have reached”. And he explains that he realised in the previous tour that one tour is not enough for Marie, “she wants more and more concerts”
 
Per also says that he doesn’t know which is the most important song they have done, but that they realised during the rehearsals how good “Queen Of Rain” is, which they haven’t played for a while. Will we hear this one on tour? We will see!
Thanks Mari for your help!
Per’s reaction on Roxette Official to the above mentioned:
SETTING THINGS STRAIGHT FROM SEOUL: No, at this point in time there won’t be any collaborations with David G and/or any other DJ’s on the new Rox-album. Misunderstandings. Stuff lost in translation. I am working with different ppl on different tremendously exciting projects but it has got nothing to do with Rox. So you know. /P.