Göran Edman best known as vocalist with Yngwie Malmsteen, Glory and many more expands on his singing career and what the future holds with regard to new music and live gigs.
Who were your influences in the early days and have you always wanted to be a singer?
I was more into progressive rock . Actually I preferred albums with a lot of instrumental compositions and parts and less vocals. I went to the local Music Store and it was possible to listen to the albums before buying them and so I discovered a lot of bands.
Have you ever auditioned for the vocal spot in any notable bands?
Well I got the job with Yngwie that way. I had to sing “Save Our Love” in his home studio after some drinks of vodka .
You have appeared on a great number of albums. Do you have a favourite and why?
Kharma “Wonderland “ is an album I liked very much. I like the production and many songs came out great, after a lot of work though.
Do you still get the same buzz out of singing live as you did in the past?
Don’t think I ever got a buzz from performing live to be honest. I have stage fright and there was always a lot of anxiety before entering the stage that mentally affected me in many ways. So live was more like going to the dentist than a buzz. It was a drill.
Some vocalists are on strict dietary regimes or gargle with special liquids. How have you kept your voice in tip top shape all these years?
Well I drink a lot of water during a concert to not get too dry in my throat. The greatest fear is to catch a cold during a tour because it always ends up in my throat and I lose my voice. So to prevent that I ate a lot of garlic and drank tea with honey. I ate the garlic raw!
Are there any musicians that you have not worked with, but would like to in the future?
I have always been open for collaborations but I never take the initiative to reach out to musicians for proposals like that, so I have no idea.
Is there any unreleased recorded material from your days in the many bands you’ve been involved with that could be released.
I think most stuff has been released so no. Well I did a demo for Vinnie Vincent in 1988, 10 songs I think it was. It was going to be his tird Invasion album and he was looking for a new record company but after a year waiting when I got back from the audition with Yngwie he called me up to say that the studio is booked and wanted my passport number to book a flight. I had already signed with Yngwie so it was too late unfortunately. Those songs where never released.
You appear to have been incredibly busy throughout your career. What did you do on your downtime and are you still recording and performing to this day?
It’s the same old story. My only pleasure is sitting in my home studio keeping myself busy. Besides that if you have a house you always have something to do no matter if you like it or not.
Do you have any plans to release a solo album?
Had that question many times but I never felt the need. I know it sounds strange but
I guess I get my creativity out of working with all these projects.
With the live circuit opening up again, is there a possibility that we could see you performing some live shows in the UK?
I don’t know what destiny will bring, but right now no.
Would you be interested in doing some production work for other bands?
I have never done any production work for any band I have not been involved in as a lead singer.
Do you have anything in the pipeline at the moment that you would like to share?
Stay tuned, there will be more.
Interview by Stuart Dryden
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