"To be on stage has always been a dream for me. In a way it has been something so big for me that I've never had the courage to really pursue it. Already as a child my father used to have to encourage me with numerous bribes to get me to sing in front of my parents guests at different parties, even though I clearly remember how good it felt to be on the stage. The times I didn't perform were few, but they gave me an empty feeling for days only because I didn't take my chance. I also think, alongside the team and competing aspect, that this is the reason why I love football. I always will and always have played not only for me, but for my team and the supporters. Probably in a way that isn’t good if you want to become a professional football player, but that’s another story. Anyway football and sports are what put me on the track to becoming an artist and this is also in a way were Sam Zimon started.
Sam lived only a few hundred meters from our house and was my youngest brother’s best friend. This was of course a different time without Facebook and internet. So in a little village, like Inkoo, on the countryside you had to use your imagination to keep yourself occupied. I, my brothers, a few friends and Sam had sports. Big thanks to our parents for supplying us with equipment and fields, and for encouraging us to be outside. I think we pretty much tried every sport from football to tennis to javelin throwing to ski jumping, and of course competing and someone commentating on every single performance. One incident comes to mind when Sam's family had invited our family over for a garden party. With our parents sitting and enjoying the evening on the porch we engaged in a high competing game of football. Me, being the oldest, played against Sam and my two brothers. At first I was crushing it. I remember scoring goal, after goal, after goal, using my more developed physics and a few more years on the field, in my advantage. But this was the thing with our games, the guys adapted because we all had learned to hate to lose. Suddenly they were moving far apart, passing the ball from one to another and not giving me a chance to get the ball from them. When I got tired they were dominating me. Well this time the game and the garden party ended with me, frustrated of losing, throwing an ugly tackle on Sam putting him on crutches for a few days and with me getting a hell of a lecture from both family’s parents. This event may seem harsh but this was our everyday life; someone winning and someone crying. However I think this is a part from mine and Sam’s life that really makes our chemistry’s work. I mean, we really hate to lose. When you do that and when trying to achieve your common goals, you're really left with just one possible outcome; winning!
We started to win together almost immediately after Sam called me and asked me if I would like to sing on one of his projects. I hadn't talked with Sam for a few years but remembering how I missed performing on every school ending and Christmas party from my younger years I answered yes. I remembered how surprised I was when I saw how good Sam was at producing, which shouldn't have come as a surprise. For example when I finished my piano lessons, Sam continued. He also had a short time as the lead singer in a rock band, bought his first studio equipment with his first paycheck from his shop assistant work in the local store in Inkoo and studied for a half year in a music school. I also remember how I instantly recognized a determination in Sam to work for his success, probably because I was lacking it and searching for myself and a meaning in life in different schools and whatever. Every piece fell in place when I and Sam randomly were invited to the same wedding. As I always do I asked the band if I could perform a few songs with them. A few songs later Sam was certain that we had to work together, so we did.
Combining our love for music and performing with our knowledge from our economic studies, we started working with a team based and goal oriented project model, refining the process as we go. 2015 resulted in our first joint single, 2016 in an EP and 2017 in 5 singles and our first album "Deep Valleys And Golden Mountains". Who knows what the future will bring, but we’ll work for it.”
Zimon