Today music lovers in the city will get a taste of good old rock and pop as Finnish artiste Jessica Wolff comes to town. The singer, who also dabbles in stunts, acting, kung fu and a fondness for snakes, will perform at the Hard Rock Café as part of her countrywide tour to promote her debut album Renegade .
The 25-year-old is all excited to be playing in the Rock capital of India. “I think I have an excitement overdose. I feel very lucky to be offered such an awesome opportunity and am really looking forward to check out Bangalore and getting on stage there.”
Being in the country for the first time, Jessica is looking forward to having a lot of fun performing, meeting music lovers and learning about the rich culture here. “I’m looking forward to the adventure itself and all the new experiences waiting for me,” she says.
On the album, Jessica says she’s all excited about the launch. “I feel like a little wild child on the loose. All the songs on the album are connected to my life in one way or another and many are based on my own life experiences, thoughts or opinions. Some songs I planned to write while others just came out of the blue. The ones I didn’t write myself, I made sure I could relate to.”
She further explains that there is a wide scale of emotions and messages, but one of the main ones is ‘“Don’t let others step on your toes; you will need them for the road.’ Every person is special since no one is the same - I guess the same goes for this album.”
On her impression of the music scene in India, she says it’s quite a new field to her. “I still have a lot to explore before I can give any smart comments about it. But of course I've heard about Bollywood.”
Jessica’s musical journey started with playing the piano as a seven-year-old child with an old opera singer. “When I was nine, I decided to become either a singer or an actor and a couple of years later my piano teacher started giving me singing lessons. For a few years I sang classical music and performed in musicals and acapella before I found my way to rock and pop. When I was 21, an opportunity turned up and I left my theatre studies to focus full time on music.”
Looking back she says she gathered all the necessary tools and people around her and created a company through which she released her first songs and music videos until she found good labels in Finland, Japan and now India.
Coming from a classical music background, Jessica feels her music back then and now are like day and night. “Starting from singing Italian Arias Acapella to energetic rock/pop with a big loud band was quite a sprint from one end to the other. However, I still connect with my musical roots within the style I do today and I enjoy singing ballads."
The high-energy driven singer draws her inspirations from many people in different ways. Some of the artistes who have influenced her greatly include Pink, Pink Floyd, Morcheeba and Joan Jett. Jessica best describes her music as energetic rock, spiced with catchy pop melodies, modern sound elements and thought-provoking lyrics.
To what’s at the heart of her music, she says: “My intuition.” When she is not on stage, Jessica busies herself with stunt work, acting and extreme sports to which she attributes “letting my inner child out”. The singer also spends ample time with her pet boa Sqishy.
On a parting note, she encourages upcoming musicians to find out who they really are, what they really want and stand by it. “Follow your intuitions, be open-minded but don't step over your own limits. Also write down your goals and hang them on the wall,” she signs off.
Catch Jessica Wolff as part of her Renegade Tour of India live at the Hard Rock Café on December 11 from 8.30 p.m. onwards. Call 08041242222 for more details.
