Lordi frontman Mr. Lordi has offered a blunt assessment of his creative process, revealing in a new interview that he is completely uninfluenced by modern music and writes songs exclusively for himself. Speaking with NINE:32 | Music Magazine, the leader of the Finnish monster-rock band explained that his “welcome center” for new music “closed its doors” when he was 25.
The singer, known for his elaborate prosthetics and stage show, emphasized that Lordi‘s authenticity comes from his refusal to chase an audience.
“Everything that comes out under the name of Lordi is true and genuine,” Mr. Lordi said. “That’s what it is, because everything that I write, I write it for the smallest f**king target audience in the world, which is one person, which is myself. And everything I’m doing, whether it’s music or the visuals or anything, it’s just to please myself. And if anybody else likes it, it’s a plus.”
Given this philosophy, Mr. Lordi was candid when asked if any modern artists influence his work.
“No, no. I’ve gotta be honest. No,” he responded. “I mean, no — there’s no modern artist that [I was influenced by]. I couldn’t even name any f**king names. I don’t know any bands or artists of today.”
He continued, fully embracing his “old geezer” status: “I’m soon 52, and I guess by the time I was, like, f**king 25, that’s when my welcome center closed its doors and nothing new had come in.”
This rejection of the new extends to the music industry itself. In a separate interview earlier this year with Metal Covenant, Mr. Lordi railed against the digital era and streaming.
“Well, digitalization is the root of all evil,” he stated. “I still feel grudge against that… I will never forgive… I think that the whole streaming of music, the whole not paying the artists that is there, the whole downfall of the physical albums, all that, it’s just because of f**king digitalization and Internet, and then later on social media.”
He confirmed his personal boycott of modern technology, adding: “I have never, for example, been on social media, for a second in my life… and I will never f**king do it. I don’t even read my f**king e-mails.”
This old-school mentality is perfectly reflected in Lordi‘s 19th studio album, Limited Deadition, which was released in March. The album is a thematic celebration of 1980s retro toys and collectibles.
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