After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 with Dave Benton and 2XL, Tanel Padar has transformed into a leading man of the most popular rockband in the Baltc states and is now set to conquer new markets, starting with Finland and with a little help from Finns. New album Here comes the Sun will be released next week.
Tanel Padar has been on promo tour in Finland this week before the real tour with his band The Sun in April. The tattooed, dressed in black rock star looks very different from the 19-year-old who won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2001. With a deep tan from recent trip to Miami he sat down to several interviews for TV, local radios and magazines and has set his mind to make his band as popular up north as it is in the Baltic states where it has been nominated the Best Baltc act in MTV Music awards twice and has won 13 Estonian Grammy Awards so far. All their previous albums have sold over 10.000 copies in Estonia.
Tanel is also finally getting rid of his playboy image given him by the Estonian media after his Eurovision victory: model girlfriends, alcohol, endless parties in Tallinn by night, divorce, drunk driving and drugs have given the yellow press a lot of material to write about Tanel, who has been also voted the sexiest guy in Estonia. “Journalists can be so stupid at times” he says. “They don’t respect facts and make headlines out of nothing. I have been accused of doing things when I was not even in the country!” In the couple of past years they have focused more on his music with a little bit of politics thrown in. “We played for the NATO troops in Kuwait and Irak. It was a great experience to play to armed soldiers” he tells with a smile. The press at home was not so impressed.
The new album is the main thing in his mind now. “We were looking for a suitable producer for a long time and hooked up with Finnish Janne Joutsenniemi, who is an ex-member of Suburban Tribe and Stone. The album was recorded last fall and winter in Kalasatama, Helsinki. In Estonia the recording studios are holes in the underground, really miserable. Now we had windows outside, sea around us, sauna and Xbox! No need to go anywhere. It was wonderful” Tanel concludes satisfied.
Tanel thinks more Estonian artists should follow their example and get out of the garages and underground. “One must get out. Estonia doesn’t have great studios or producers and not enough knowledge of music business. There are many great musicians that will get nowhere. One must have courage to ask for a help elsewhere!”
The Sun’s new studio album Here comes The Sun is released on April 2 when they perform in Helsinki’s legendary Tavastia rock club. You can see The Sun on tour in April besides Finland in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Listen to the new album here.
