Former BATTLE BEAST frontwoman Noora Louhimo has opened up about her decision to leave the Finnish heavy metal band after 13 years, speaking candidly in a new interview with Finland’s Chaoszine. Her departure marks the end of an era for the band, which has already announced Brazilian vocalist Marina La Torraca as Louhimo’s replacement. La Torraca, from São Paulo, is best known as the powerhouse frontwoman of modern metal band PHANTOM ELITE and as a member of the symphonic metal project EXIT EDEN.
Reflecting on how long she had been considering her exit, Noora said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Well, for me it has been kind of a long process. Nothing happens in an instant or anything like that. But in my life so many [things] happened, these kind of situations, like health wise — people have heard about my health issues with the artery [ruptured], and a year before that I was in a car accident — and things like this that really make me prioritize what I want in my life. And maybe because of these events also I started to think about what things I wanna do in life and what I want to achieve. And because in BATTLE BEAST, it is very demanding schedules, and it’s always, like, either you are making an album with them or you are preparing an album or you are touring. There is no time for a solo career or whatever you want to do, like extra. And that was something that became too big of an issue for me because I’m an artist and I need to do different things to express myself to feel fulfilled.”
Noora added that her desire for creative freedom played a major role in her decision.
“When I [released my solo LP Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space in 2021], it was like I had already thought about a solo album for a decade. And when the pandemic came, I was, like, ‘Okay, now I can do it.’ But after that, I haven’t been able to do anything, almost, in my solo career for five years, and it’s been really kind of… I need that. It’s, like, when people have been asking, like, ‘Why are you doing so many things and not just focusing on BATTLE BEAST?’ or something that, and all I can say is that it’s my nature to do many different things to express myself, and that keeps me going and that keeps me happy.”
Louhimo also emphasized the importance of delivering the news of her departure with honesty and respect for both her bandmates and the fans.
“When we informed [the fans] about this, everything that we said on the video [announcing my exit] was honest and true,” she said. “13 years I was building the band with the guys, and I have a huge respect towards them as well and also towards our fans. And what I feared the most breaking the news was losing the fans, because I love all of [them]. And it is like when you say out loud that actually I need to do this to be happy and maybe disappoint some people, it was the scariest thing I have ever done, because being rejected is maybe the worst nightmare for me. Just to put myself out there honestly, what I want to be happy, has been maybe the hardest thing I have ever done.”
Noora revealed that she informed the band about her decision after the summer shows, wanting to allow time for planning with the members, the record label, and agents: “I did announce this after the summer, after the summer shows had been done. Because I wanted to have enough time with the guys to think through, what are we gonna do? And also with our record label and our agents and stuff like that. So this has been a long process, but I also definitely didn’t want to say that, ‘Okay, I’m leaving now,’ and then new album was coming out and things like that. But I knew also that there is no right time for this kind of [announcement].”
Looking ahead, Noora is fully focused on her solo career and upcoming projects: “[I am] definitely now a hundred percent [focused on my] solo career. And I’m really excited about the future and, and things that will happen in the future. And I’ve got already so much music in my mind and in the works that will be released in the near future. And, yeah, a lot of different projects that I really want to get into.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.