According to Blabbermouth.net, Tobias Forge, the creative force behind the Swedish rock band Ghost, recently sat down virtually with Associated Press entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to discuss the evolution of his “Papa” frontman alter-egos, his songwriting process and the expansive lore that defines the band’s identity. Forge also opened up about trusting his musical instincts, his favorite instruments, and how storytelling, mythology and music continue to shape the band’s ever-evolving world.
When being asked about the origin of Ghost’s narrative story, Forge said: “The first record deal for GHOST was a small indie label from London, operating out of London, called Rise Above. [It was] a very credible label, very much a cult establishment, helmed by, Lee Dorrian from CATHEDRAL fame. Their approach, him and his staff, their approach was very low key — do little, do few interviews, don’t do much and preferably don’t play much. We’re very good friends, and we’ve been friends ever since, but on a strategic level.”
The artist adds: “We disagreed pretty early because I wasn’t very keen on having a social media or media presence, but I was definitely keen on making Ghost as big as possible as a live band. My outlook at the time was probably more I wanted to become a big theater band, go from playing a club to maybe being good for 2,000 tickets in a theater. But I understood that in order to get there, I have to comply with certain laws of gravity and I have to tour, I have to do a few things. And they wanted me to not have an agent, they didn’t want me to have a manager. And I was, like, ‘I am, too, having a manager, [and] of course we need an agent,’ and all that. So, obviously, we had to part ways, and we did [so] amicably.”
Photo Credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva
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