Blood Command - Nikki Brumen
Photo: Øystein Haara
Joining a new band in the middle of the pandemic was hard enough when that band was in your hometown, but for Nikki Brumen that didn't seem hard enough. For Nikki her new band was located on the exact opposite side of the world in Norway whilst she was locked down in Melbourne. Despite all of the associated challenges that you could imagine would come with this process Nikki told Pario that she is so proud of what she has been able to achieve since joining Blood Command & looks forward to "taking over the world" with the band in the future.
Speaking to Pario exactly one week before uplifting her entire life to relocate to Norway permanently Nikki reflected on her journey into the world of death metal/punk/death pop. We also spoke about Nikki's evolution as a singer as part of her process joining Blood Command.
MAINTAINING AN IDENTITY OUTSIDE OF YOUR ART
Before joining Blood Command Nikki was part of a hardcore band known as Pagan here in Australia. Like many artists before her Nikki "wrapped herself in the art 100%" but soon realised that she crossed that fine line of losing her personal identity when the band dissolved.
"I really had to think about who I was a few years ago. When that band split up I really lost my identity to the band as just the singer of Pagan & I didn't have much going on outside of the band. So I really felt like I had no identity when the band split up," explained Nikki. With time to contemplate who she was a & what her passions were outside of music Nikki says she soon found that she "loves going to the theatre, acting, going out partying & seeing movies. As much as my number one passion is being in a band I am much more than just a singer of a band."
AN UNEXPECTED OFFER
Having had this time to come to terms with who she was outside of music Nikki was then stunned when an unexpected offer came her way via a Facebook DM from Blood Command's Yngve Andersen. As Nikki told Pario Yngve had heard her singing in Pagan & felt her voice was the perfect fit for Blood Command, so when he heard Pagan had split Yngve quickly reached out to Nikki to find out what she was going to do next. Ultimately Yngve would offer Nikki the role as the front person for Blood Command.
"Without even hesitating I said yes," said Nikki excitedly. "But then 2 weeks later COVID hit & I was locked down in Australia."
Despite this unexpected setback Nikki said she was never concerned that this dream opportunity might now pass her by.
"Not for one minute did I think I wouldn't be part of Blood Command. We were all really patient & persistent because we all wanted it to work."
Rather then just sitting it out waiting Nikki, Yngve & the rest of Blood Command got to work incorporating Nikki into the fold. In order to do this the band had to record their upcoming album Praise Armageddonsism, shoot press photos & music videos all virtually from opposite sides of the world.
Whilst that process was incredibly "stressful" and "difficult" Nikki said it helped to build a great rapport between her & the band, both personally & creatively. As such when Nikki was finally able to go to Norway to meet with the band face-to-face for the first time the creative energy flowed much more freely.
"Even when I was on the other side of the world I felt like I was the missing piece for the puzzle for Blood Command so by the time I got to Norway even though I had never met the band I already felt like I knew them all."
ADDING NEW SKILLS
When Nikki received the offer from Yngve to join Blood Command although she was incredibly eager & excited she was also "really scared" because she would have to get outside of her comfort zone vocally to fit with the band's style.
"When Yngve asked me to join the band. I was kind of surprised he asked, I was thinking, 'does he realise I'm just a screaming vocalist?' because Blood Command has some pretty poppy songs," recalled Nikki.
Again these thoughts led Nikki down a patch of self reflection to figure out why she was so scared & filled with self doubt.
"I realised the only reason I thought I couldn't sing these songs was because growing up I had people telling me I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't sing, so I convinced myself I couldn't sing... By the time I got my head around all of that & started going to singing lessons again I knew I could sing these songs & sing them really well."
Now with this new skill set of clean singing vocals alongside her screaming vocal experience Nikki told Pario she is excited for what the future holds.
"We've been writing some new material & this new skill set has made the possibilities endless. It has given me so much creative freedom. I'm so happy as a vocalist that I get to push myself out of my comfort zone now."
PERFORMING LIVE & TAKING OVER THE WORLD
Now that Nikki has relocated to Norway she is eager to get back on the live stage with Blood Command. Particularly after only getting a small taste last time she was with the band physically.
Back in 2021 when Nikki first met up with the band they were scheduled to perform as the support act on an extensive tour for Kvelertak.
"We were meant to play 36 shows but when I arrived in Norway in 2021 we immediately went into a lockdown & a lot of the shows got cancelled, so we only got to play 6 shows."
With that experience behind them Nikki said Blood Command "absolutely want to tour Australia so badly" but before that they have tours of the EU & UK to complete in August-September.
"We've got lots of festivals coming up in Europe over the summer & then we've got a lot of things up our sleeves. I can't wait to take over the world with Blood Command."
Follow Blood Command's Creative Journey on Social Media @BloodCommand
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