We promised you a little surprise and are happy to let you know we got the opportunity to ask Stine and Anders SG from Alphabeat a few questions. Alphabeat has released this morning their new single ‘Vacation’ on iTunes and Spotify.

We took the opportunity to ask Alphabeat about their new single, their plans for 2012, touring with Lady GaGa, etc. Enjoy!

Hey Stine and Anders SG from Alphabeat, we are really thrilled to be able to do an interview with you. Thank you so much for the opportunity. First of all welcome back, we have missed Alphabeat! Tell us, your new single ‘Vacation’ is released tomorrow. It’s the first since ‘DJ’ in 2010. What’s been happening for Alphabeat since then?

”We have actually played a lot of gigs in Denmark since then, but mainly we have spend a lot of time in our studio in Copenhagen writing fresh and new Alphabeat songs for our next album.”

We L-O-V-E the new single ‘Vacation’.  Can you tell us a bit more about it? Who wrote the single and what’s the story behind it?

”We love it too! It is written by Anders SG and it’s a song about wanting to go somewhere with sun and beaches and forget about the cold winter and whatever troubles you have on your mind.”

Sounds amazing! Your second album, ‘’The Spell’’ (released in 2010) had in our opinion an experimental sound to it, being very electro-pop. I remember when I heard ‘Hole in My heart’ for the first time I wasn’t sure whether it was Alphabeat. ’Vacation’ on the other hand is instantly recognizable with its catchy chorus and it’s got the Alphabeat feel all over it. Do you perceive the single in a similar way and was it a deliberate decision to go back to that recognizable Alphabeat sound and explore deeper into the Euro-pop genre?

“We definitely wanted to make a happy album this time because moving back to Denmark has made us very happy. In our opinion we have taken the best things from our previous albums and added some fresh sounds and references. This album sounds bandy and is very instant and lively like the first album, but we have kept the synths and programming from our second album.”

Alphabeat is known to write, produce and record their own songs. How hard is it to write a song together with five other people? Do you work in a rotor system in terms of writing lyrics or does everybody have their own task within the group?  

”We are always developing in terms of how we create our music and this time 3 of our band members have been writing the songs, but we all chip in, so everybody in the band is a part of the development of every song.”

As the new single is titled ‘vacation’, what is your favourite holiday destination? And which must-see places would you recommend your fans in the world to visit in Denmark?

”Personally I love Paris and New York. Paris has always had a special place in my heart – I love speaking French and the beautiful Montmartre. New York is a must see! It has so much going on and so many different neighbourhoods to visit. In Denmark you should definitely see Copenhagen on a summer day – beautiful girls in the parks and people hanging out everywhere. It is a small city, so you can ride your bike anywhere and it still has everything that a bigger city can offer you.”

In the teaser video for ‘Vacation’, which was released last week, the band Alphabeat is introduced by many tv talk show hosts including Paul de Leeuw & Graham Norton but you also have the  support of Lady GaGa, which you’ve been on tour with. What was it like to tour with her? And how did she inspire you? 

”We were so proud to go on tour with the amazing GaGa and it was a great experience. We played in front of thousands of young people every night and we even got to meet the Lady. I think we learned a lot about how a live pop show can offer visual aspects and entertainment, but we like to keep it simple in Alphaland.”

Speaking of inspiration. If you had to choose between the Scissor Sisters or Steps, which one do you consider to be an inspiration for the band and why?

” We have to say Scissor Sisters. We love manufactured pop music but I think we have a few more things in common with the Scissor Sisters. ”

Forgive us for asking this question, but we couldn’t help but recognizing Graham Noton in the  ‘vacation’ video teaser.  As you probably know, he’s the commentator for the BBC in the Eurovision Song Contest. Several European countries are selecting their representatives as did Denmark in January.  Alphabeat is a name which is regularly mentioned as one of the more known acts Euro fans would like to see in the contest. Is it an opportunity which Alphabeat have ever considered or would consider in the future?

”The Eurovision has a wonderful history of great pop songs and golden moments and we still enjoy watching it, but for us it is not a competition for established bands like ourselves. The songs and lyrics should be in focus and therefore we think relatively unknown singers are better suited to compete.”

With the fantastic new single out, we have to ask, what other plans have Alphabeat in store for 2012? will there be a new album? If so, When can our fans expect it and has there been a title for the album already?

”You can definitely expect a new album, we’re finishing it at the moment, but you have to wait until after this summer. There is no title yet! Apart from that we have a summer tour lined up in Denmark and maybe there will be some dates in the rest of Europe too. Stay updated on thisisalphabeat.com!”

Thank you so much for this interview, Stine and Anders SG. We wish you all the best with the new single!

The new single ‘Vacation’ is out now on iTunes and Spotify.

Many thanks to Copenhagen Records APS for making this interview possible.