Within Temptation:In the Heart of Artmania 2007

Metalfan: Hi, nice to meet you again, how are you?
Sharon den Adel & Ruud Jolie: We're fine, thanks. How are you?

Metalfan: Fine. So... what were your first impressions on Romania, those from your first visit and now, that you're here?
Sharon: Well, the first time we were here of course we were in Bucharest and we did two videos and we saw that there's a very different Bucharest and around Bucharest. It has different faces, but it was really nice. But I must say that being here in Sibiu is beautiful! [Ruud Jolie agrees] Beautiful old city...
Metalfan: Medieval one.
Sharon: Yeah, and this is something we like, of course!
Metalfan: And I think it's not that crowded like Bucharest.
Sharon: Oh, no, no! [laughs] It's really good.
Ruud: It's really nice.

Ruud Jolie and Sharon den Adel

Metalfan: Ok, so you shot two videos here and we talked about this in the press conference... What can you tell us about them? Script, ideas and so on... When are they gonna be released?
Sharon: The singles have already been released a few days ago, it's gonna be like in different countries a different single will be released, like for some countries they will have The Howling and some countries will go along with the Frozen video and I think we made the single that people can buy is like a combination of both songs with the videos on it and stuff like that. So, what I can tell you about the script is the fact that the Frozen video is a little bit about child abuse and also home abuse and it really fit the song and we felt like ... if you do a video like this you have to do something with it, so all the money we earn from this single goes to the Child Helpline International, for children who have problems with drug abuse or violence in the home or sexual abuse... anything, and they can write e-mails or send letters or telephone them to get advice how to get rid of that...

Metalfan: How did you get the idea to get involved into something like this? It's very nice of you to offer this help!
Sharon: Well, it really fitted the song, like I said, and not much music is written about it or videos have been done about it and it's a subject that's really very big in society, every society, if it's a Western country or Eastern country. It's everywhere and it's a big problem. So we thought that ok... myself have become a parent not long ago and having a child... she has a very nice environment, but a lot of children don't have and that's why we did it. And The Howling, maybe you can tell something about it? [looking to Ruud]
Ruud: Originally The Howling song was written for Spellborn, the video game, and we did an unofficial video once, with all kinds of computer graphics, but when we decided to make it an official single, we decided to make a new video and we did it in the same week, I think a day after we did the Frozen song, so that was pretty interesting. And you see all these balances between good and bad, whatever, and we tried to picture that as a very colorful environment with all kinds of cars and a garden and shadeless and a little kid happy. And the place like ruins and very dark, gray... and that's where the band is playing and we were able to set cars on fire and stuff, something that's not possible in Holland.
Sharon: And besides the fact that we wanted to also... why we think it's a good song or to be seen, it's one of the favorites of our fans as far as we know and we wanted to make a good video for it. And also because the theme is very actual, with all the things going on in the Middle East at the moment. The song has a lot of similarities to what's going on now in the world, except of course... when we wrote it, it was a combination that we felt was in relation to our own world and this Chronicles of Spellborn game, but we wrote it for if something similar is happening in the game, so I think it's a very actual song.

Metalfan: I was wondering, what's your training as a singer? In most female fronted bands they have classical studies...
Sharon: None at all! [laughs] I'm a bathroom singer [laughs]. They've just let me out and said: ok, you can go out now [laughs].

Metalfan: And how much do you think you progressed from the first album until now, as a singer?
Sharon: You know, because I've been singing since I was a little child, I was always listening to music and that's how I learned myself everything that I do nowadays. And of course, when you are in a band like Within Temptation which gets bigger and bigger, you try different things, also to keep it interesting for yourself and to bring more diversity into it. I think I've grown a lot through the years but I think it's something you have to develop yourself, something you have to try out and I think it's always in you. You have it or not. But it's more like that you have to develop yourself more or less. So singing lessons is something I would advice to some people because it does work for a lot of people, but for me... I didn't have the time, it was a hobby band when we started and didn't have the money [laughs] to educate myself, so I did it myself.

Metalfan: Since we were talking in the press conference about your dresses, you said you have a favorite one. Does it have a story? Why is it so special to you?
Sharon: Well, to be honest, I really like those movies like ... you're not gonna believe this, but when we started, one of my favorite movies was Interview with the Vampire and Dracula from Bram Stoker and you know, those atmospherical soundtracks and also the clothes they were wearing... I loved that! So when we made this music it really fits with that atmosphere. And I just said: “Guys, I don't know what you want me to wear, but I'm gonna wear that dress, you know?!” [laughs]
Ruud: And then the rest of the guys went: “No, I want to wear the dress!” [laughter] She won.
Sharon: Yeah, I have lava nails, so...

Metalfan: Are you involved in the creation of your dresses?
Sharon: Yes, sometimes I am, yeah. Sometimes I buy them myself, I just go shopping, and sometimes I let some people make it for me and we do it together, I make an idea for what I want to have and they create it from that point.

Metalfan: Your latest album is called The Heart of Everything. How would you describe it: a) to someone who is not familiar to your music and b) to one of your fans?
Ruud: Oh, that's interesting!
Sharon: Someone who doesn't know it? I think that the normal description for Within Temptation...
Ruud: I think it's like rock, well rock / metal, heavy guitars, female vocals, orchestral sounds, very epic
Sharon: Cinematic [Ruud agrees]
Ruud: Very visual
Sharon: Yeah, visual, melancholy, story telling...
Ruud: Balanced dynamics, like very soft to heavy
Sharon [laughs]: Soundtrack kind of music.

Metalfan: Ok, and to one of your fans who didn't have the chance to listen to it yet?
Sharon: Well, it's become more and more guitar driven I think, still we have the bombastic sound, but we balanced it a little bit more better. That way the band came out better I think, more heavy, but still very orchestral, well... very cinematic. So typical Within Temptation but a little bit heavier.