'32 minutes of music took 6 years to make': Cvlt ov the Svn talks about his musical journey

We spoke to Finnish alternative metal artist Cvlt ov the Svn about how he started making music, where his career is headed, and the advice he'd give to artists starting their journeys today.

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What's your first musical memory?

I was maybe aged 4 or 5 years old when I sang 'Olen Suomalainen' (a Finnish country song) to a local tough guy and got given a Rambo knife for doing so. I was instantly enthralled with the knife in my hands. As a young boy, it felt like I'd been given a sword.

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How did Cvlt ov the Svn begin? What were your first goals as an artist?

Well, when I started Cvlt ov the Svn I had a 10-year music career in Finland already. I guess one of the main goals with Cvlt ov the Svn was to challenge myself with making music in a foreign language. For the first time, I also played all the instruments by myself. When I envisioned the future of the CVLT, I wanted to make the most sinister music possible: very catchy and dark as f**k, pushing people's boundaries.

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What's been the biggest challenge you've faced so far?

There have been so many it's hard to pinpoint just one. The upcoming album, 'Occult Murder Pop', is definitely one of them. Being the singer/songwriter, the arranger, the band, the producer and the mixer was almost too monumental a task to overcome. It took about 6 years to get 32 minutes of music ready for release. As an artist, I set the bar quite high for what I do.

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What's one thing you do every day to move your music career forward?

Social media. I don't like it one bit (I was born in 1981), but in today's world it's a necessity.

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Do you feel, overall, that the music industry is moving in a positive direction?

I think that nowadays it's even more difficult to get your voice heard. The global industry itself has always been somewhat rotten in my opinion, but that is the playing field we all face as artists. It's a tough world out there.

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If you could travel back in time to Day One of Cvlt ov the Svn, is there anything you would do differently?

No. I've had a lot of failures in my career, but a human being doesn't learn anything without making mistakes, if you want to call them that. I'm not the kind of person who looks in the rear mirror. Get over it and move on.

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If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring artists, what would it be?

The power of will is more important than anything. There's a saying, 'It's not about how many times you fall, but how many times you rise up again', or something like that - that's quite correct in my view.

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What's it like working with Identity Music?

It has been great, to be honest. Total freedom in what you do. That is something I value the most as an artist of my age and experience.

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More from Cvlt ov the Svn

Listen to Cvlt ov the Svn on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube.

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