We’re excited to bring you another interview here at ESCUnited today, this time with Latvian band Inspo.
The band Inspo is a musical duo made up of Aivars and Nadīnas, who met just before their debut in Supernova last year with the song “A Happy Place”. Both Aivars and Nadīnas are greatly inspired by movie scores, indie music, and downturned rifts and are said to deliver “a daily dose of inspirational soundscapes and genre crossing ideas” through their music.
Hello there Inspo and welcome to ESCUnited.com! We’re happy we were able to grab you for a quick interview before Supernova! How are you doing ahead of the show this weekend?
We are doing good and stressful at the same time. Very excited about the show on Saturday but at the same time it is a big pressure on us, especially when this is our second year in a row. We have to be more magical than last year 😀
I remember reading that you two met in 2021 just before deciding to participate in Supernova 2022. How did you two first meet and decide to create music together?
We met in the summer of 2021. As it is typical for summers it’s always full of gigs so we both played at the same gig, just in different bands. Aivars till that point was doing INSPO as a solo act but was actively looking for a vocalist. So at the gig Aivars heard Nadīnas vocals and immediately tried to find her contacts. So he did, and a couple of days later they met in a bar and the rest is history.
Alright now I’m going to ask some rapid fire questions to help our readers get to know you better – first up, how would your music and sound? Are there any artists out there who inspire or influence you musically?
Our music is quite dual, we could say. And maybe that is why our last album is called “Duality”, which is out now on all streaming sites *unobtrusively makes an advertisement* 😀 But yes, we could say that it is a mix between modern metal and indie, and something post rocky as well. We both really like ambient and soulful songs so that is what comes out naturally as well.
About artists – we are quite similar but with some differences. For both of us it depends on the mood and on the vibe that you feel at the moment, but in general for Nadīna main influences are Ben Howard and Mick Pedaja. For Aivars it is everything from Hanz Zimmer to Spiritbox and Sleep Token.
You are pretty big fans of movie scores and the work of Hans Zimmer and Clint Mansell. If you had the ability to write a movie score for any movie of your choice (either past, present, or not yet made) – what movie would you be writing for and why?
Something similar to Interstellar. We love ambiance and space themes, so those two combined together is a win-win situation. And we think that our music would suit best for that kind of movies.
When you’re not performing or creating music, what do you spend your time doing? Any fun passions, hobbies, or the like we should know about?
We both like the forest and going to different kinds of gigs to support local artists and also to meet friends, because most of the artists are our friends. We both like traveling, although Nadīna is pretty new at this, Aivars helps her around with his experience. Of course we both work 9 to 5 jobs and actually could say that music is our biggest hobby and is everything we do in our free time. But from time to time we find ways to express ourselves and feed our souls without music. Oh and gym! Have to look good for the photos in press. 😀
Looking back to last year’s Supernova, what lessons did you learn from the national final process and how will these impact your approach this year?
Last year’s experience has helped us a lot this year! We have a bigger understanding of what the crew is really asking from us, we are more prepared and more confident this year. And we think this is the most important thing – confidence on the stage and in front of the cameras!
What was the songwriting process like for your song “Sway”? Was this entry written specifically for Supernova or did the idea of Supernova hit you like it did last year?
At first we thought that we were going to participate with one of the songs from the new album, but we quickly changed our minds because we didn’t feel that the album contained a Supernova song. So we wrote this song specially for Supernova in a separate “Let’s make the greatest Supernova song rehearsal”. So we sat for a couple hours and we had a pattern for 4 great songs but it did not click for us quite like we wanted to.
So in the last 10 minutes of rehearsal Aivars just randomly started to play this beautiful melody on the guitar, Nadīna immediately catched the vibe and came up with a vocal melody. And that is what You hear in the beginning of the song. We also knew that we wanted something a bit louder and more energetic this year, without losing the soul, and we think that we achieved it with “Sway”.
If you had the opportunity to collaborate with any Eurovision artist of your choice, who would you work with and why?
For Nadīna it would be MARO from last year’s Portugal entry. Her song was so magical and her vocals are just amazing. And Nadīna also was a fan of Hers before the Eurovision. For Aivars it would be actually MARO as well or Margaret Berger from Norway.
For those who want to connect with you ahead of or after the selection– where can they find you and your music?
It is available on YouTube, Spotify and on Apple music as well. And feel free to follow us on Instagram @inspo_band to never miss the hottest news. And feel free to dm us, we love a good conversation. But for bigger love letters, we also have email – [email protected]. 😀
In closing, do you have a final message you’d like to share with the readers of ESCUnited?
If You are not a Latvia citizen, first of all you just have to buy another SIM card with a latvian number and the problem is solved. We will be waiting for those votes. But no, honestly, we are really grateful for all the good comments and amazing feedback that we are receiving for the last weeks. Thank You all for support and hopefully see You in our concerts!
Inspo is set to perform during this weekend’s semi-final of Supernova on Saturday February 4th starting at 20:10 PM CET. A total of four acts will be eliminated from the selection, with the remaining ten acts moving to the final on February 11th where a winner will be selected using a split jury and televote structure.
Are #YOU team Inspo this year for Latvia? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
