Finnish vocalist Noora Louhimo , known for her work with Battle Beast for over a decade, announced her departure last Monday, December 15th. In a recent statement, she explained that she decided to step away from the band to pursue new creative paths and realize her artistic potential outside the demands of the group's routine.
In an interview with the website Chaoszine , Louhimo, who was a member of Battle Beast for 13 years and helped the band gain fans around the world with his powerful voice, said that the intense schedule of albums, tours, and commitments ended up limiting his ability to explore side projects, especially his solo career.
“Well, for me it’s been a long process. Nothing happens in an instant, or anything like that. But so many things have happened in my life. Situations like health problems, people heard about my health problems with the [ruptured] artery. And a year before that I was in a car accident — and things like that really made me prioritize what I want in life. Maybe because of those events I also started thinking about what I want to do in life and what I want to achieve,” she said.
“And since the schedules on Battle Beast are very demanding, it’s always either you’re recording an album with them, or preparing an album, or you’re on tour. There’s no time for a solo career or anything else you might want to do, like, something extra. And that became a very big problem for me. Because I’m an artist and I need to do different things to express myself, to feel good about myself.”.
New projects and solo career
Noora Louhimo Experience in 2021. But since then, she has had little time to develop new musical projects outside of Battle Beast. According to her, this creative need became "too big to ignore" and was decisive in her departure.
Louhimo also said that he communicated his decision respectfully and honestly to both his bandmates and fans, with whom he has always cultivated a strong connection. He further revealed that facing the possibility of disappointing part of the audience was one of the most difficult moments of this transition.
Now free from her obligations with the band, Noora confirmed that she is fully focused on her solo career. She is already working on new compositions and various projects, with plans to release singles before the full album. The artist stated that she intends to explore different genres and collaborations, while keeping open the possibility of returning to heavy metal in the future.
“I am definitely one hundred percent focused on my solo career. And I am very excited about the future and the things that will happen. I already have a lot of music in my head and in production that will be released soon. And, yes, many different projects that I want to get involved in,” she added.
Battle Beast, in turn, announced Brazilian Marina La Torraca as their new vocalist. This marks the beginning of a new phase for the band and for Louhimo individually.
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