Cyan Kicks – Exclusive Interview
Cyan Kicks is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki. We spoke with vocalist Susanna Alexandra about their music, creative influences, and plans for the future.
Cyan Kicks is a young alternative rock band from Helsinki, formed in 2016. In just a few years, the band has managed to attract serious attention not only in Finland but also beyond its borders, thanks to their fresh approach to modern rock music. Cyan Kicks are not afraid to experiment with sound, visuals, and production, exploring new textures and pushing creative boundaries — something that clearly sets them apart from many other emerging acts. Their raw energy, confident stage presence, and bold artistic choices have already made them one of the most talked-about new names on the Finnish rock scene. Critics and listeners alike have praised their ability to blend heavy riffs with catchy melodies, creating a sound that feels both aggressive and accessible. We were lucky to talk with the band members.
Hello guys! Thank you very much for agreeing to talk with us!
It’s a pleasure! Thank you for having us!
Tell us about your upcoming album. How is your work going? What part of the material is already recorded? When will the album be released?
The recording process is ready! We’ve worked on it for two years non stop and we are very excited about how it came together. The plan is to release it early 2019, just few tweaks and it’s ready for mixing.
Do you plan to release new single in the near future?
CYAN KICKS: Yes, we have couple of singles in mind! We’ll let you know!
It’s a pleasure! Thank you for having us!
Tell us about your upcoming album. How is your work going? What part of the material is already recorded? When will the album be released?
The recording process is ready! We’ve worked on it for two years non stop and we are very excited about how it came together. The plan is to release it early 2019, just few tweaks and it’s ready for mixing.
Do you plan to release new single in the near future?
CYAN KICKS: Yes, we have couple of singles in mind! We’ll let you know!
You have a very interesting sound. Why did you choose this style?
We can’t say we chose our style. We make music that we would love to hear ourselves. We listen to all kinds of music, from country music to pop to deathcore and we think one can hear it in our songs, our sound comes together very naturally, it’s something you hear in your head even before anything is recorded. Vision is everything.
Your video for the song “Satellite” turned out just awesome! Susanna do you dance professionally?
Thank you so much. I don’t dance professionally, it just happened to come out very naturally thanks to my dance partner, professional dancer Oksana Lommi. She was a great teacher and made the whole choreography for the video.
Is it hard to create new videos?
Every song has its own story, and we are committed to tell that story in our videos as well. We discuss the overall feel we want to emit, and find likeminded directors who then take over and tell the story through their own vision. This way we always end up with something new and exciting.
We can’t say we chose our style. We make music that we would love to hear ourselves. We listen to all kinds of music, from country music to pop to deathcore and we think one can hear it in our songs, our sound comes together very naturally, it’s something you hear in your head even before anything is recorded. Vision is everything.
Your video for the song “Satellite” turned out just awesome! Susanna do you dance professionally?
Thank you so much. I don’t dance professionally, it just happened to come out very naturally thanks to my dance partner, professional dancer Oksana Lommi. She was a great teacher and made the whole choreography for the video.
Is it hard to create new videos?
Every song has its own story, and we are committed to tell that story in our videos as well. We discuss the overall feel we want to emit, and find likeminded directors who then take over and tell the story through their own vision. This way we always end up with something new and exciting.
Why did the fox become the symbol of the group?
We wanted our visual presence to look and feel like our music, and the fox was the first thing that came to mind. Somehow it seemed to work perfectly for us, so we have stuck with it ever since!
Question for Susanna: is it hard to be a girl singing in a rock band?
No harder than being a boy singing in a rock band!
How do you maintain good relations between the band members?
It’s been easy after finding a good group. We think none of us have a larger than life ego or anything and as humans, we just get along very well. Everyone knows their role.
Do you have any rituals that you conduct before going on stage, for example, to overcome fear or to feel unity? Do you have a fear of performing on stage?
Not really, we just relax together and enjoy eachothers company. On stage we are one as a team, and with eachothers support we are confident.
We wanted our visual presence to look and feel like our music, and the fox was the first thing that came to mind. Somehow it seemed to work perfectly for us, so we have stuck with it ever since!
Question for Susanna: is it hard to be a girl singing in a rock band?
No harder than being a boy singing in a rock band!
How do you maintain good relations between the band members?
It’s been easy after finding a good group. We think none of us have a larger than life ego or anything and as humans, we just get along very well. Everyone knows their role.
Do you have any rituals that you conduct before going on stage, for example, to overcome fear or to feel unity? Do you have a fear of performing on stage?
Not really, we just relax together and enjoy eachothers company. On stage we are one as a team, and with eachothers support we are confident.
How is a new song usually created? Who writes lyrics and music?
Main writing is by Niila and Susanna. It almost always starts with a piano, a hook and a melody. Lyrical themes comes from real life, but we use a lot of metaphors to make it more relatable for the listener. We start production phase immediately after the melodies and lyrics are in form, it’s crucial for us to start building the soundscape right from the start, drive it towards our vision.
Have you had any funny events during the gigs?
There’s aways something, for example once we played ”Feathers” and ”Gasoline” twice as an encore cause the crowd wouldn’t have let us go otherwise. Our live set is pretty elaborate with time sync and everything, so there is no room for tech issues, we’re lucky we haven’t had any major ones so far!
What is your main achievement at the moment?
First of all, making this happen and finding our own style. It’s often overlooked how hard it is to get a band going. When our label, Ranka Kustannus signed us in 2017, we knew we got it right. Since then, we’ve worked hard every day and we are sure the real big things are ahead of us.
What makes Cyan Kicks so unique?
We think we bring something new to the rock scene. We can write a metal song, or an electro pop song and it still sounds like us, and it’s more than the music. We try to emphasize it with visuals, the videos and everything.
Main writing is by Niila and Susanna. It almost always starts with a piano, a hook and a melody. Lyrical themes comes from real life, but we use a lot of metaphors to make it more relatable for the listener. We start production phase immediately after the melodies and lyrics are in form, it’s crucial for us to start building the soundscape right from the start, drive it towards our vision.
Have you had any funny events during the gigs?
There’s aways something, for example once we played ”Feathers” and ”Gasoline” twice as an encore cause the crowd wouldn’t have let us go otherwise. Our live set is pretty elaborate with time sync and everything, so there is no room for tech issues, we’re lucky we haven’t had any major ones so far!
What is your main achievement at the moment?
First of all, making this happen and finding our own style. It’s often overlooked how hard it is to get a band going. When our label, Ranka Kustannus signed us in 2017, we knew we got it right. Since then, we’ve worked hard every day and we are sure the real big things are ahead of us.
What makes Cyan Kicks so unique?
We think we bring something new to the rock scene. We can write a metal song, or an electro pop song and it still sounds like us, and it’s more than the music. We try to emphasize it with visuals, the videos and everything.
Is it hard to find your own place on the music scene in Finland?
Finland is a small country but we are glad that only after 4 singles we have built ourselves a decent fanbase, we have some radio airplay and so on. It’s awesome to see crowd singing along the songs at shows and we get great feedback pretty much everyday, not only from Finland but across the globe. We are grateful for that. Going abroad is the ultimate goal, of course.
How do you see the future of Cyan Kicks?
After the album, we will tour as much as possible, and start working on the second album. We already have some songs, and a theme ready for it. We hope the album reaches as many listeners as possible, cause we really think it’s something special and we’ve worked so hard for it.
Thank you for the interview! Good luck with your debut album!
Thank you! We hope to tour there some day!
Finland is a small country but we are glad that only after 4 singles we have built ourselves a decent fanbase, we have some radio airplay and so on. It’s awesome to see crowd singing along the songs at shows and we get great feedback pretty much everyday, not only from Finland but across the globe. We are grateful for that. Going abroad is the ultimate goal, of course.
How do you see the future of Cyan Kicks?
After the album, we will tour as much as possible, and start working on the second album. We already have some songs, and a theme ready for it. We hope the album reaches as many listeners as possible, cause we really think it’s something special and we’ve worked so hard for it.
Thank you for the interview! Good luck with your debut album!
Thank you! We hope to tour there some day!
October 21, 2018
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer