The past few years have been so overwhelming for Finnish alt-rockers that the band decided to take some time to recharge
Thinking ahead and aiming to prevent professional burnout, Finnish stars Blind Channel have announced they’ll be going on hiatus after the tour leg finishes in December.
In very short time, the alt-rockers’ career has skyrocketed from being a small, Oulu-based warm-up band to becoming one of Finland’s most successful Eurovision entries, followed by the release of their second album, Exit Emotions. This month, Blind Channel are joining Italian rock veterans Lacuna Coil for an epic UK and Ireland tour. As soon as that one wraps up, the group jumps on a club tour across Finland in November-December.
Such intensive schedule and escalating media and fan attention obviously takes a toll on the band members. In order not to break down mentally and physically, Joel Hokka & co. came to a unanimous decision to take a well-deserved pause in their ever-accelerating career path.
“During the last four years we have experienced more than we could’ve ever dreamed of,” the band explained in an official statement on their social networks. “After two full-length studio albums and 300 shows all over the world it’s time to blow the candle before it burns from both ends. We’ve decided to go on a break after the end of 2024, not sure for how long, but it’s time to take a step back from the spotlight to ponder what the future holds.”
In the follow-up post by vocalist Joel Hokka, the singer opened up to fans about the battle with his ego and the dark side of their popularity: “For the past 11 years I’ve tried to heal a trauma & get seal of approval by being a musician, artist & part of rock band. I’ve sacrified my personal life, relationships, money, time, youth, mental & physical health for the ultimate goal to prove everyone something that doesn’t even matter in the end.
“To anyone who knows me personally this might be already familiar but I’ve tried to let go of my toxic ego lately. That evil on my shoulder has been a great guide towards the impossible but the flipside has been anything but good. I’ve gone through hell too many times with that unwanted friend & I don’t wanna deal with that anymore.”
He finished by quoting the words of fellow Oulu star, Sentenced frontman Ville Laihiala from his 2005′ goodbye post announcing the band’s breakup: ‘Nothing lasts forever, not even the erection of a boy from Oulu’. See Joel’s full post below.
Blind Channel won’t leave their fans empty-handed though. Along with the hiatus announcement comes the band’s news about the upcoming release of a documentary capturing their musical journey. The documentary, giving fans “a brutally honest overview to the band’s wildest years” is set for release on December 16.
Watch the official hiatus statement and scroll right for the trailer of the documentary in their Instagram post:
