Get them started on India and you'll have a hard time getting them to talk about other things. The Danish soft rock champions Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) are back in the country for the third time

Back after an Eternity

Get them started on India and you'll have a hard time getting them to talk about other things. The Danish soft rock champions Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) are back in the country for the third time. (In fact Jascha Richter, their lead singer thought that Colombo was also a part of the Indian map, which would make this their fourth visit!) Having rocked Mumbai yesterday, the band is all set to cast its spell on Delhi today and on Bangalore on June 20.

WHO: MLTR band members Mikkel Lentz (left) and Jascha Richter
WHAT: Talking about their style of music

Desi dreams
Says Mikkel Lentz (the guitarist), "The first few times we were in India, we were too consumed trying to understand its vibe. This time we're a lot more relaxed." Jascha couldn't agree more. "Even though India is very different from where we come from, we're at home here." The band is hoping that the audience will take to its new album, Eternity, just as well as it did to its earlier releases. And even as they discuss Eternity, they're all excited about their forthcoming album that is due next year. Says an enthusiastic Mikkel, "We'll be going back to the basics and the songs will be a lot like the ones we churned out in the 90s. I have a good feeling about this album. Jascha has been burning the midnight oil penning songs and he seems very inspired!" Jascha only nods in affirmation.

Striking a chord
But knowing the popularity that the band commands in India and the rest of Asia, it wouldn't be too difficult to expect their music on our iPods, if not our charts and radio stations. Mikkel thinks aloud, "We've never been able to figure out why we're popular in Asia and not in the US or Europe. But one of the reasons could be that we just can't turn ourselves into a Lady Gaga or a Robbie Williams. We've always wanted to concentrate on our song writing and music rather than our image and sex appeal." Jascha butts in, "The songs I write are meant to be sung in a certain way and we try to ensure that we retain the soul of our music. There's that special something that makes our music ours."

Shaan se
So is this the reason why the band hasn't experimented too much with other genres? Explains Mikkel, "It is important to convey the emotion of the song appropriately, instead of following the latest trends." But these purist musicians are very open to collaborating with Indian artists. In fact, many years ago they performed with Shaan, and Mikkel even has a CD of that album languishing at home.
But whether they go desi or not, we just hope that MLTR doesn't disappear once again after this tour. Beams Jascha as he signs off, "I guess it is good to disappear if your absence is noticed. But this time, we're here to stay!"