Wiktor Fejkiel: With the release of material as a duo, has the form of your cooperation changed?
Ania Leon: : – This time Arek had much more to say than last time (laughter). We acted as a full-fledged duo. Each of us was of great importance, we took our opinions into account. There were, of course, disagreements, but despite everything, we got along very well. It wasn’t that bad! (laughter).
Arek Kopera: – On the previous album, of course, Ania had a greater influence on the final shape of the entire release. It was also a valuable experience for me to be able to withdraw and give up this decision-making. This time she gave me more space – it allowed me more creative freedom.
Did you feel any pressure towards the previous album?
AL: – The pressure started to appear when I heard that the second album really shows the artist’s capabilities. I won’t say that it stressed me out at the beginning, but when we started creating, these thoughts went away.
AK: – With the second album, there are already certain expectations. Ania entered the Polish music market strongly with her first album, so we tried to create something of equal quality.
AL: – I actually felt this pressure, but it was mainly due to the differences in creation compared to the “Łezki” album. Back then, I focused mainly on fulfilling my dream, it was carefree, even utopian. Of course, everything happened without a label or management. This time I had the whole team behind me, people who supported me and were my fans – I didn’t want to let anyone down. Like it or not, because I don’t consider myself a victim of pressure, sometimes such thoughts attacked my head, but I tried to quickly shoo them away because they did not stimulate my creativity.
You mentioned these clashes between each other. Have you often had trouble finding a common vision for this project?
AK: – When you hit rock bottom, no situation is tragic (laughter). All the bad things that could happen have already happened. There were days when Ania and I left the studio crying. These experiences taught us a lot. When working in a duo, you need to be patient, find layers of humility in yourself and give the other person confidence that his/her every idea is taken into account. Ania and I have very similar tastes, so there weren’t many goal-scoring situations. We went home satisfied with the work done much more often.
AL: – I agree with Arek! Humility is a key quality in this type of work. I admit that it was mainly me who struggled a bit here, after my previous experience I was used to having the final say. However, for the most part it was wonderful work, we drew from and inspired each other.
Giving some of this decision-making to Arek didn’t take away from your fulfillment in this project?
AL: – Absolutely not. That’s why we decided to cooperate, because we knew that we had similar blood. It is similarity, not identity, that makes what we create unique to us, something we would not be able to achieve on our own. “It’s time to be afraid!” it is a whole, a complete project to which neither I nor Arek would add anything more.
“It’s time to be afraid!” because of this one producer, it really gained a lot of consistency. Did you want this to be a recognizable sign for this album?
AK: – We always try to find a common denominator for the entire album, a single story that would tie the whole album together. Here we went into horror movies – into those dark sounds that Ania and I love. We grabbed all the ideas from our heads and then chose nine songs from over 50 proposals that fit this convention. So I think that’s where consistency comes from.
What kind of reception did you encounter as a whole? How was your idea with these horror elements received?
AL: – Honestly, the positive comments dominated. Many people really appreciate our concept, which is rare in Poland. We stuck very closely to this theme to depict “It’s time to be afraid!” something specific, non-traditional, intriguing, and interesting for us.
The release date was also quite significant – Halloween, which fits perfectly into the theme of the album. You really pay attention to such details…
AL: – I love it. I think it’s all in the details.
AK: – It’s true, we also follow a lot of foreign artists, and the releases there are very tight. Every detail really matters there.
This is also noticeable in the promotion of this album. You divided it into three acts, publishing them gradually. In hindsight, how do you evaluate this form of promotion, quite unusual for Polish conditions?
AL: – We wanted to give each of the songs a chance to be heard. We didn’t want to leave it as 2-3 singles before the album, we just served this album in portions. Given today’s realities, this seems more effective to us.
AK: – These are doses accessible to the current listener. Although truth be told, for it to be fully effective, you’d have to single out one song at a time. Maybe this is a strategy for subsequent releases? It would be a good test, I wonder where it would take us.
Several singles were also accompanied by music videos, in which you included many references to horror film classics. Where did this idea come from?
AL: – We both love horror movies – this is probably the best answer to this question. I also feel that I am labeled a dark pop artist. I totally take it, I really like that term. So if people see me this way, and this is how I feel about myself, why not fuel it and visualize it more clearly?
I have the impression that such a mixture of pop and electronica, as in “Time to be afraid!”, is currently gaining great popularity, as can be seen, for example, in the album “brat” by Charli XCX…
AK: – I think Charli is too thick a rave compared to our album. However, everything that interests me and Ania revolves around alternative electronic music. I think that every fan of this type of music will find something for themselves on this album.
AL: – Although I have the impression that on this album we focused more on pop than electronica. Otherwise, we focused on both species, but the distribution of their presence was uneven. To “Time to be afraid!” We really cared about songliness, which we missed on “Łezki”. While playing concerts, it was impossible not to notice how the audience reacted to the choruses, which changed the entire dynamics of the performance. I was captivated by it and I think I was hooked for good.
I think that an important aspect are also the guests, who, in my opinion, perfectly fit the atmosphere of the album. Where did the idea come from in your heads to combine such non-obvious artists as Kukon, Sarsa or Mery Spolsky on one album?
AK: – In each of these three songs, we specifically cared about these three guys – no one else. Together we decided who we would like to invite to cooperate. And to be honest, it was unquestionable. If they didn’t agree, these songs would simply be without them. We are happy that this was a success and are extremely grateful for their support.
AL: – We wanted to invite people we listen to and are fans of. And it worked.
How do you perceive this material played live?
AL: – We’re very excited about how it sounds. Especially after the first concert we played in Poznań at the beginning of autumn. The energy was wonderful, the time of year also perfectly emphasized the “dark” nature of our vision. We are both very pleased with how this material lives in concerts, how people perceive it and how easily they are absorbed in the world of “It’s time to be afraid!”. Nothing but to be afraid more (laughter).
Are you planning a full-fledged concert tour in the spring?
AL: – We don’t have specific dates yet – everything is at the planning stage. We’ll see what comes of it, but we’re optimistic.
“It’s time to be afraid!” Is this the beginning of your cooperation as a duo or a one-off project?
AK: – We treat it as a project, but will it develop? Time will tell.
AL: – We made this album and we still like each other, so there is a good chance for a repeat (laughter).