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The man that enters our studio looks as self-assured as the last time I‘ve come across him, when he was still the front man of the international phenomenon that was the Gavinners and surrounded by his band mates. He was charming then and he is charming now as he greets me with a bright smile and my full name, and he makes it easy to believe that he does actually remember it rather than having looked it up beforehand.
When I address Mr. Gavin, he tells me to call him Klavier. I get the sense that there is more to that wish than politeness, given his recent decision to release new music under that very name, dropping all relations to his last name. I also get the sense that he knows I have picked up on it, because he clarifies it straight away.
"A lot of memories are attached to my last name," he tells me, "Good ones, of course, but also a lot of bad ones. I don’t separate myself from my past, it will always be a part of me, but in my music, I need the cut from the old, creatively and emotionally."
Do his bandmates resent him for this alienation, I wonder?
"My former bandmates are still very close friends of mine. We love and support each other in every stage of our development since the disbanding," Klavier explains, and he sounds genuine in that belief. Recent posts on the former Gavinners‘ social media support his words, they show up in each other‘s posts a lot, there appears to be no bad blood among the members.
"With an obvious exception," Klavier concedes. I did not expect him to elaborate on this as comments on Daryan Crescend‘s fall from grace are rare from all people involved, but Klavier seems surprisingly collected as he speaks. "I‘m still sad about the way things went down in the end. Daryan was a good friend for a long time. But I want to move forward, and that means some things should become part of my past, not my present."
I take Klavier by his word and hold him to "Moving forward", because that appears to be the secret motto of this reinvention of himself. While appreciating his roots, it‘s clear Klavier wants to become something else. What exactly does he want to be?
Klavier takes a moment to ponder his response. "…I want to be me, 100%. Nobody that bends me in this or that direction, no strings attached to make me dance. That was part of the agreement with my agent. I have the final say in everything. And I don’t work with a label anymore either. I record and produce my own music, and I work with independent people for everything else I need. That feels… Very good, really.
"It is no secret that our label took advantage of our teenage naiveté, my settlement with them is public, after all. But now, I‘m in charge of everything. I carry all the risk, but I am free. And that‘s a really good feeling."
A few new songs have been released already, and fans note they feel very different from what Klavier put out before. Where does he draw inspiration from nowadays, if not from his second career as a prosecutor?
"It would be a lie to say that I draw no inspiration from that," Klavier clarifies right away. "But it‘s less superficial now, less 'we need another top hit stat, but make it digestible'. I compose from the heart, and sometimes, that sounds a little different than what people might expect. But it‘s all very me, it feels very soul-bearing. I hope to take the fans that still vibe with me along on the journey of finding out what kind of musician I am and want to be."
The buzz about the upcoming album is certainly picking up after the last song releases and hints about the drop making rounds. Maybe I can convince Klavier to give us the name and a release date for this interview?
Klavier laughs at my not-so-subtle attempt, but there‘s a twinkle in his eye that gives me the feeling he’d expected something like that. "Well, the date is not yet set in stone," he says, and he’s sitting up now, "But I did come here today with the intention of giving my fans a little something. I‘m still working and refining my songs, but I do have a name for you. The album will be called ‘Catharsis’."
Exciting news, and it gets even better: "We have settled on the cover, it won’t be long now. Just keep an eye on my social media, I will be releasing all info about it soon. I can’t wait to show the world what I‘ve been cooking with this."
I’m sure his fans are just as excited to get their hands on it. What’s the meaning behind the name, I wonder?
“The hope I have for this is to prove to myself that I’m capable of moving on and being successful with what I can do,” Klavier replies. “Wash away all the insecurities and doubts that have been plaguing me for a long time. I’ve always been a perfectionist, so this is a big step in a new direction, and I hope it will give me the kind of catharsis I’ve been craving since I had to give up my career.”
So there you have it, folks: Keep an eye out for more information on Catharsis, Klavier’s first solo album coming out soon.
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Interview conducted by Indira Port
