Music has always been an outlet for many people around the world, which is why so many artists have gained the love of fans through their songs. Leo Davadi Sundli, also known as the music identity STORM, has quickly established his well-earned place in the music scene and a devoted fanbase that continues to grow as he evolves with each song release. This year has already been filled with multiple achievements for STORM, such as earning recognition for "Breakthrough of the Year" at the Norwegian Music Publishing Awards and performing at some of the biggest stages, including the iconic Download Festival in the UK. His successful year doesn't stop there; on August 22, STORM will drop his highly anticipated debut album, Join The Storm. I recently had the chance to talk with Leo about his music journey, what personal meaning the album had for him, and what career goals he hopes to achieve. Here's what he had to say.
MSM: Can you take us back to the moment you realized music was what you wanted to pursue seriously?
STORM: That's a good question because music has been in my family and in my life since I was born. I would play with my grandfather, who played flamenco music on stage, and I would join in with my ukulele. I didn't know how to play, but I was like 2 years old, just standing there and singing with him. I got to dance to Michael Jackson and other artists when I was also 2 at my dad's nightclub because it was funny. So, it's always been in my life. I've always had music in my life. I started getting a little shy when I became self-aware at ages 5 and 6, so I didn't want to perform in front of people anymore. I had a friend of mine who was two years older than I, and he wanted to start a band because he knew my family, and he knew me. He said, "I know you got it, but you just have to do it!" I didn't want to do it, but I looked up to him. I was like, "Alright, let's try it." Then we borrowed my dad's studio. My friend started searching a little on YouTube about how to use the programs, and we just tried to make something, and we had such a great time. I got to get out of my comfort zone while I sang super loud and had a lot of fun. That's when it kind of started for me, and I was like, "Ok, this is what I want to do." I just had to get over that wall of being afraid, so that's where it started, and I started a bunch of bands. I just kept on learning, and when I was about 12 years old, that's when I started this project.
MSM: What has been the biggest turning point in your music career so far?
STORM: I think that has to be when I started this project, STORM. That's when things really started happening. That's when my record label found me and when I got to know so many different people. I had a lot of bands and had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot, but the reason I started an artist project was because I wanted to make a project where I could do whatever I wanted. Like, now I'm a rock artist/metal artist, but I want to have the opportunity to become a rapper in 2 years if I want to, or a country artist if that's what I want to do. Just have the opportunity to do anything, you know. So, that's what I've been doing lately. I've been doing a lot of things, so that's probably my biggest turning point when starting this project. Yeah, there have been so many turning points.
MSM: Were there any challenges early in your journey that shaped who you are as an artist today?
STORM: Yeah, probably. Not musically, though, but I've always been a different kid. There weren't a lot of kids my age, at like 11, who were wearing eyeliner and bleaching their hair and wanted to be rock stars. So, when you stick out, people are always going to try to bring you down, and that's kind of what this whole album is about. Yeah, I was the only kid with the eyeliner in my school, and being the different kid kind of gave me strength because when people would try to bring me down because of that, it just motivated me more to be more myself. I wanted them to be more mad at me. I remember the first time I was wearing eyeliner, and everyone was like, "What the fuck? You're looking like a girl." Then I just said, "Alright!" and the next day I came in with even more eyeliner. So, that kind of shaped me with the way I am and the way I'm doing music, for example. I don't really care about what people expect of me or what people think I should do. Of course, it's been hard at times. I think a lot of people relate to that. It doesn't have to be what you're wearing. It can be so many different contexts, but sticking out is always going to be hard because we are humans, and we want to be a part of the crowd. Everyone wants to be a part of the crowd in some way, and when you're not fitting into the crowd, people are going to try to bring you down because you don't fit in. So yeah, that's probably shaped me a lot, but it's shaped me in a good way, though.
MSM: For your upcoming album, "Join The Storm," what would you say is the personal significance behind it, and what message did you want to share along with it?
STORM: Yeah, well, you know, "storm" is complete chaos, and that's kind of what I wanted to bring out, which is just join the chaos and be yourself. I'm always saying, as long as you're not hurting anybody else, do whatever the fuck you want and don't listen to what everybody else tells you. All my songs connect to that theme in their own ways. They're about being yourself and listening to yourself. So that's the message I wanted to give out, and the reason I did the album was basically because we had a lot of songs. We were writing a lot of songs at the time, and I didn't have an album in my thoughts when I did it. I just wrote so many songs, and then my producer and I were sitting together like, "Shit, I think we have like 40 songs. What are we going to do with all of the songs?" Then I said, "Should we make an album?" Then we wrote even more songs for the album, and we picked some of the old ones. So, we just squeezed it and took out more and more songs so we could have the best songs left. That's kind of what I talked about with being yourself, and that's what I did with the album as well. There are so many different genres, like pop punk, heavy metal tracks, and ballads; it's everything because it's chaos. I don't want you to expect anything. When you're listening to the album, I want you to be like, "What the fuck!" after each one of those songs.
MSM: What made you choose "Suffocating" as your next single for this project? Did you always find it to be a standout track?
STORM: Yeah, I think it's one of the best songs, but I can't say that because my thoughts on which one is the best song change every week. So, picking out the singles for the album has been so hard, you don't even know. At the end, I was like, "Alright, just pick something." I didn't know which ones to pick anymore, but I did it pretty strategically on purpose. First, I released drum and bass, super different songs, which is something I've never done before, just for people to be like, "Oh, this is something new." Then I came with the heaviest track I've ever dropped, "Walking Dead," and then I came with a pop punk song because I wanted to shock people, but the "Suffocating" song does stand out. It has so many different elements in it that I think just fit so well. We got Fixation on the song, which is a super great band, and Jonas is such a great singer. The guitarist made the craziest breakdown for the song, and it just helped the song go from the bottom to up in the skies when they joined the song. So, yeah, it's 100% a standout track.
MSM: Is there a lyric or line from the album that you're especially proud of or that holds deep meaning for you?
STORM: Oh my god, that's a crazy question. Now I have to think. There are so many different lyrics and lines I like. If I had to choose one, it would probably be in "Suffocating," the line "I'm a demon, and it's time for you to run," because what it means is that I'm not a demon with horns and stuff, but it's the feeling you can get from constantly being told that you're not who you're supposed to be and not doing what you're supposed to be doing. When you get locked in those thoughts, of course, you start questioning yourself. Then it can feel like, "I'm a demon. What the fuck is up with me?" The next line for me would be, "Never hold me. You can't control me." You have to stay with your strength, you know. So, that's one of the lines. There are so many! I'm thinking about it. Yeah, I can't think about it for too long. I'll just tell you way too many lyrics.
MSM: Did this album push you out of your comfort zone in any way, or did it help your creativity even more?
STORM: When we made this album, and even after we said this was going to be an album, we never had any rules. I just said, "We are just going to make what we are going to make today." One day I want to make a pop punk song, and one day I want to make a metalcore song, and that's the result of me just being creative. That's what makes me proud of it as well. For example, I said to myself, "Ok, this album is going to be a metalcore album or a pop punk album, then it wouldn't be real because I don't want to make the same genre every day. If it's going to be real, it's going to be a lot. I like a lot of music, and I want to make a lot of music. When I call my producer, he gets so tired of me sometimes. I'll tell him, "Hey, I think I want to be a rapper. I heard Travis Scott's new song, and I want to be a rapper now." Then another day I'll call him and say, "Hey, we need to make a pop punk EP now." So, that's me, though, and that's also the album. It's a lot of different things, so the second option, absolutely. I just grew my creativity, and even now I've been writing a lot of new music for a few months now, and I feel like this album helped me. I tried so many different things, so now I'm finding my way and what I want to do in this next era. I've tried so many different things and learned from all of these different genres, so I feel like I've taken a little bit from everything and found my own way from these next things coming up.
MSM: Does the support and feedback from fans influence you're creative decisions in any way?
STORM: I think so, but not too much. Like I said, I always make what I want to make, but of course it influences me because if I see that they liked something better. That's also something I learned a lot now from releasing my songs that are so different. I'll say things like, "Oh, they like that a lot, but they didn't fuck with that too much," but you can't be too influenced by that because people are always going to have different opinions. Maybe that song just had more luck and some others didn't, but the most important part is that you, as an artist, are happy with what you made. So, of course, it probably influences me a little bit, but not a lot. The most important part is if it's what I want to do, and if people like it, then it's a big plus, but if people don't like it, then it's not like I'm not going to do that anymore. It's like, "Ok, this one didn't work." That wasn't their taste, and it's cool. It was my taste, and I'm happy with it.
MSM: What's one musical goal you haven't achieved yet but are striving for?
STORM: There are so many goals, but I have one that I've had since I started. So, my favorite band is Falling in Reverse, and I've always said my number one dream would be to perform as a support for them. I don't know what I would do if I could meet Ronnie Radke and all the dudes in that kind of way. That would be crazy. I would probably just be silent because they're such big idols for me, so yeah, that's a big dream. Also, to have the opportunity to be able to do music for a living. That's a goal, and of course, the bigger, the better, but if I can do music for a living, then I'll be more than happy.
MSM: Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to share with your longtime supporters or new listeners just tuning in?
STORM: Yeah, like I've mentioned before, just be yourself. I think that's how new talent comes in and how the best personalities come out. Just be yourself and go listen to my new album! I want to say to everyone reading this to go check out the album. It's a lot of different things, and it's chaos. Maybe not everything is for you, but I think you're going to find something there that you'll fuck with. Go check out Join The Storm and join the storm!
