Estonia chooses their Eurovision representative this weekend, when the final of Eesti Laul 2024 takes place in Tallinn. One of the finalists is a Finnish alternative rock band Brother Apollo, who is hoping to carry the Estonian flag in Malmö with their song ”Bad Boy”.
Brother Apollo is a five-member band founded in 2022. The members of the band are Joseph Miettinen (vocals), Erkki Sippel (guitar, producer), Kare Kipinoinen (guitar), Olli-Petteri ”OP” Paasi (bass guitar) and Otso Tiilama (drums). The vocalist Joseph Miettinen is Finnish-Estonian, since her mother is from Pärnu.
Even though Brother Apollo surely is very busy at the moment getting ready for Eesti Laul, the band’s vocalist Joseph and guitarist Erkki still had time to answer a few questions we asked them. This is what they told us about their relationship to Eurovision, the history of the band, their Eesti Laul entry ”Bad Boy” and some other things too:
Hello Brother Apollo and thank you for giving me this interview! At first I’d like to ask what is your relationship to Eurovision? Do you usually watch the contest and what are your favorite Eurovision songs?
Joseph:
For me I have been watching Eurovision since i was a little kid. It was this exciting night when you could stay up late and rate the songs with your family. Couple songs have lived rent free on my mind. Margaret Bergen (Norway) – Feed you my love, Athena (Turkey) – For Real and Ruslana (Ukraine)- Wild Dancers
Could you tell us a little bit something about your musical backgrounds? How long have you been doing music and how was Brother Apollo born?
Erkki:
We’ve all basically started playing our instruments as little kids and been pretty much surrounded by music ever since. Also everybody else in the band except Joseph has been making a living from music for many years now, mostly as professional freelance gigging musicians.
I’ve been making music in this style since my early teenage years and dreaming of starting a band like this since I was a kid. Somewhere around 2021, I began sharing my demos with Otso whenever we hung out at bars. We had probably 30 talks in total about starting a band until in 2022, it finally happened.
Otso introduced me to Joseph, who envisioned our band name as Brother Apollo before even introducing himself to me. We clicked instantly and began creating music together. Later Kare joined as our second guitarist and OP as our bass master.
How was your song ”Bad Boy” born and how would you describe the song and the message of it?
Erkki:
Bad Boy was originally a k-pop demo made by Joseph and Iiro Grönroos. One day Joe sent the demo and I decided to try out if i could turn it into a BA track. We were all blown away by how well the song translated into a heavier mood and right away we realised it’s an Eurovision worthy banger. Lyrically Bad Boy is intentionally kinda “cringe” haha. We see it more as a highly ironical song with, in a nutshell, the message being “be yourself”. But of course music is subjective and everything is always open for the listeners own interpretation. For some it can also be a serious anthem for the bad boys! Or something completely else?? Who knows…
How would you describe your musical style?
Erkki:
For a really short answer: our music is the kind of stuff that blows your brains out especially when heard live. A longer answer: I’d say it’s alternative rock with lots of different influences. There’s rap, pop, metal, electronic stuff, organic stuff, lots of 2000’s nostalgia but it’s still pretty modern… Still a coherent package?? Stay tuned for our future releases and we’ll let you describe it for us 😉
What kind of stage show can we expect from you in Eesti Laul?
Joseph:
There is tough competition so we have to stand out in Eesti laul but potentially also in Eurovision so we have planned some crazy stuff, let’s see what we can realisticly pull off! You will not be bored that I can say! 😉
What do you think is the greatest achievement in your career so far?
Erkki:
As a band we’re a bit short on achievements since Bad Boy is our first release, but I think being selected straight to the Eesti Laul finals is a pretty good one to start with.
Who are your musical role models?
Erkki:
I’ll answer for myself since there’s five of us and the list would be really long if everybody was included lol. Alexi Laiho and Children of Bodom was the first big role model. Right now I am really inspired by the music of Sleep Token!
What do you do when you don’t do music?
Erkki:
Otso plays tennis, OP plays with his hamster, Kare goes to the gym, Joseph lays in his jacuzzi and I binge watch Game of Thrones again and again.
What would it mean to you to win Eesti Laul and represent Estonia in Eurovision 2024?
Joseph:
I would like to give something back for my other home country since I was born in Finland but I’m really proud to have that Estonian blood running through my veins!
What would you like to say to our readers and your fans from all over the world?
Joseph:
Whatever happens in Eesti Laul, I urge you to keep close eye on Brother Apollo as great things are brewing in the dark. Follow us on instagram @brotherapollo and embark on a wild ride!
Thank you for the interview and the best of luck to Eesti Laul!
Brother Apollo is a first contestant entering the stage in Eesti Laul final on Saturday February 17th 2024. Listen to their song ”Bad Boy” here:
