It’s going to be a “FORK”-in good ol’ rockin’ time at PJ Live Arts for the last half of October 2012. Sorry, we didn’t mean to be rude. But they really are called, “FORK“, a Scandinavian a capella powerhouse brought in especially by Gardner & Wife Theatre.
The band is made out of singers/actors Mia, Anna, Jonte, and Kasper, and they’re all set to entertain with contemporary covers and clever vocal arrangements. And get this – without the help of any pre-recording or instruments. But of course, we did say they are a capella after all:
Lucky us, we got to meet the band just as they arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week. Yay! Lets’ revisit that cozy meet up and find out what they’re all about:
Hi, all! Good to see you in Malaysia. We hope the journey here has treated you well. So, tell us – how did “FORK” meet?
All: “Well..(laughs)”
Mia: “We met in the beginning of the 90s. In 1991, I think. The three of us were working on this teenage TV show on national TV back in Finland. We were only teenagers back then too! We became friends and then we wanted to start a group of something that makes music – we ended up with singing. And then at some point, Jonte came along into the group.”
Did you guys have any vocal training prior to this?
Mia: “Just singing in the shower!”
Jonte: “Everybody here has just been singing their whole lives. We have been singing all our lives. As in, we were all doing music in various forms. Me and Mia, we’re actors by profession so..yeah.”
So, singing has always been in your family or rather, in your blood? You guys are natural born talents or something!
All: “Yes! (laughs)”
Jonte: “When we started, we weren’t the best singers. We maybe didn’t sing very much in tune all the time or possess very good vocal control. But we’ve been doing this professionally for the last nine years so we learnt how to better our singing and have more vocal control.”
Growing up, who were your musical inspirations and why?
Kasper: “As a band, we don’t have any musical inspirations. We all have different musical tastes individually and as our repertoire is built based on our different musical tastes.”
Mia: “My first big musical inspiration, like the first ever, has to be Pink Floyd.”
Anna: “I’ve had so many! In my childhood home, there was always music. Constant music playing. I grew up in a very inspirational environment.”
Jonte: “I’ve had many, many, many big influences. My first big inspirations were, I think, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. It went on from there to ABBA, to Iron Maiden, I mean.. I’ve had the rock phase, the punk phase, the pop phase, the rap phase, everything – I really listen to all kinds of music”
Kasper: “My big musical inspirations were Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.”
What was your most memorable show and why?
Jonte: “Gosh. We’ve had many, many memorable shows. It’s hard to define memorable when we’ve been performing together for so long. We’ve performed for European royalties, Presidents, and also a Sheikh. We’ve even performed in small bedrooms and at each other’s weddings. Our biggest show when we performed in front of 30,000 at a square in Helsinki. Just a few weeks ago, we were in Germany on national TV and we did a live concert.”
Anna: “And once up in the air! In an airplane above Mongolia while we were on the way to Chongqing.”
Kasper: “That’s why when we say memorable, we would probably think about or remember the worst ones..”
Anna: “Let’s not go there!”
All: “(laughs)”
Taken with a HTC One S
If you weren’t in FORK, what would you most likely be doing?
Mia: “For me I think..I would probably be acting. Or directing a play.”
Anna: “I’d still be singing!”
Jonte: “I would probably be acting too or working with theatre. And probably be doing a bit a music on the sidelines!”
Kasper: “Can I choose? I would be Donald Trump! No, wait, I would be a scientist!”
Mia: “Oh! If Kasper can choose then..I’d be a President!”
Anna: “I’d be a politician!”
Jonte: “I’d just be rich. And if people asked what’s my profession, I’d just say I’m rich.”
All: “(laughs)”
Haha! We’ll see you on the Forbes Top Richest list someday then! Alright, here’s a tricky one – what are the top things or rather, must haves that you’d pack when you travel?
Mia & Anna: “Shoes! Right now we have about eight pairs. And we’ll have more when we leave.”
Mia: “Or a book. I mean, I really love my colleagues a lot and we spend a lot of time together but there are times when it’s just nice to be alone with a book. No offence!”
Anne: “Ah! Ear plugs!”
Jonte: “Headphones. And my electric toothbrush.”
Kasper: “Yeah that’s..weird.”
Mia & Anna: “Yeah!”
Jonte: “Shut up. You pack eight pairs of shoes!”
Anna: “Blah, blah!”
Mia: “A woman needs to look good all the time!”
All: “(laughs)”
Mia: “We also pack Greg. He’s our fifth member – we can’t travel without him!”
Jonte: “I always travel with woolen socks. Thick woolen socks.”
Mia: “Oh yes! We’re used to being in a country that’s cold outside but warm inside. But here, it’s the other way round. It’s so warm outside but the moment you walk into buildings or rooms it’s like, bbrr!”
Taken with a HTC One S
What’s your greatest music guilty pleasure? Or music you’re probably embarrassed to say that you’ve been listening to or purchased recently?
Jonte: “I know! Can I say first?”
All: “Yes.”
Jonte: “The last music that I’m embarrassed to say that I purchased off iTunes is Psy. The Gangnam Style! You can’t not like it although it’s a bit stupid and dumb. It’s very well produced music. I also bought Muse’s new album so that gives me a little bit more credibility!”
Kasper: “I purchased David Guetta’s album and I really felt ashamed when I bought it. It took me a week of listening before I could say that the album was absolutely fantastic! And actually, I can still stand up and say that it’s a very good record. But..I’m embarrassed about it.”
What can Malaysians expect from your show?
Mia: “Malaysians can expect an experience that they’ve never had before because I think, as FORK, we combine visuals, music, and humour. And I think that..that makes people smile. Everyone will have a good night and if we succeed, the audience will walk out with smiles on their faces!”
Oh yeah! Can’t wait to catch FORK in action soon. It’s not something we’d want to miss, that’s FORK sure. Also, special thanks to Gardner & Wife Theatre for making this exclusive interview happen. Yay!
For more information, visit the Gardner & Wife Theatre’s website or hit up FORK’s Facebook page.