By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Inspired by acts like Northlane, Volumes and Kingdom Of Giants, Indo-French metalcore band Paradise Plaza recently dropped their debut single “Hopeless,” which showcases their crossover appeal with vocals in both English and Hindi.
The Music Bugle had the opportunity to chat with the band – guitarist Flavian, vocalist Hardik, drummer Guillaume and bassist Raphaël – about what they’ve been up to and more.
Music Bugle – How did you guys decide the band name?
Flavian – When we started the band, I was composing and listening to a lot of vaporwave. “Paradise”/ ”Plaza” are in the “wave” theme. A nostalgia from a time we did not know. I just wanted to bring good vibes in the music we were about to do, even if not always wavy.
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your style of music?
Hardik – I like how modern metalcore is pushing boundaries and we get to listen to so many styles in one music. We get to hear heavy breakdowns and R&B melodies in one song.
Music Bugle – What made you want to release “Hopeless” as your debut single?
Hardik – “Hopeless” was not the first song we started, but as soon as Flavian gave us the first export of the song, we knew there was something to it.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Guillaume – I listen to a lot of different stuff, but I’m really into heavy metalcore, hip hop/rap and techno. Whatever genre it is, I am really into energetic music.
Music Bugle – Does social media help or hurt musicians?
Raphaël – Let’s say both! It’s easy today to be visible anywhere in the world and to be on any social media and so easy to quickly melt away into the masses and just become another fish in the ocean. Algorithms have made it very difficult for upcoming bands because you have to compete for attention.
Guillaume – I think it helps a lot, particularly during this pandemic with no concerts allowed to bring and share music with people. It’s an excellent way to connect with the world, but on the other hand, algorithm changes make promotion more and more difficult, or expensive.
Music Bugle – If you had to pick your own theme song, what would it be?
Raphaël – The “Malcolm In The Middle” theme song.
Music Bugle – How were you personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Flavian – Well, not that much. We all live in different cities. We all have the necessary gear to record at home, but luckily, we have all the communication/sharing tools we need! Of course, it became harder to meet for rehearsal or shootings and the curfews/lockdowns.
Music Bugle – What’s something that you wish happened more in today’s music industry?
Guillaume – Maybe big events could give the chance to lesser known but good bands more often! It happens too often that you go to a small gig in your hometown, an unknown band is playing on a weekday during their tour and… “Damn, they’re good” and you enjoy the gig more than you enjoy rockstars playing big venues.
Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Hardik – “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.”
Music Bugle – What has been your biggest challenge lately?
Raphaël – In the last several months, we have been working on making music. Now that it was time to put the puzzle together, it was hard to ensure that everything was ready to go out there in the right way and we had enough material to keep releasing while we work on the next things. Time flies fast and social media is hard. (Laughs)
