Forza

What's the meaning behind the band's name?
FORZA comes from the Latin word 'Vis' meaning strenght or force. In our translation we've added hope. It has to do with the bands history which you can read all about under next question.

How the band started??
We started as a percussion group at a reception centre for refugees in Bergen, Norway. Some of us were refugee kids in Norway and we started playing drums together since we could not speak together due to language barriers. We started collecting plastic and metal bins and modified them into drums. Then we did some shows in our local community. With the money we earned and support from the reception center we bought our first instruments.

By coincidences we met each other along the way, the original drummers and the rest of us. So we are a bunch of musicians, some of us born here and some of us drifted ashore from other parts of the world. We
became Forza, a folk hip-hop hybrid, or worldmusichiphoppunk if you like.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
If we were a political party we would have a clear message. But we're not. We're a band. Our lyrics are inspired by our different origins, about different cultures and cultural clashes. Still, if we were to have a political agenda it would be something like explaining how people should focus on coexistence instead of promoting prejudices and egoism. Indeed some of our lyrics are very clear about this.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
Say that one of us comes up with a guitar lick, a rythm groove or a text line or whatever. We simply bring it before the rest of the band and start working it out together. So initially there is an idea of something, but we never know where this idea will take us. This process can take a few days or some months. Some songs are more difficult to write than other.

Who are your music influences??
We listen to all kind of music; hip-hop, rock, metal & pop. Within our band there's a wide variety of musical taste. But when it comes to composing, we let us inspire by old folk music from different parts of the world, mainly from the Balkans and oriental stuff. The world is like a well of music that has been played since the early ages. This is where we get some of our inspiration.

What plans do you guys have for the future??
Beside being able to pay our bills you mean? We look forward to finish our new album and to play in different parts of the world. Lots of festivals coming up next year.

Which has been the funniest prank you guys have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
This is about about a former member of the band. A chronical oversleeper. We had this gig, and he didn't show up at the venue on the scheduled time. We called his cell, we even sent some people to his house with no result. So we had to start without him. In the middle of the set, we explained the audience the situation, and phoned him again from stage. He woke up pretty fast with help from the audience. I think it was the last time he missed a gig really.

If you guys were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show orwhile on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you guys are, ¿Who would you guys send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
We would definetely send Rudi (the accordion player) to look for help. Beacuse he is the old & wise (and too old to eat anyway, bad meat). Then we might just eat Jaser or Milad. Because they are both drummers, and if we got help in time we would still have one of them left, and the damage wouldnt be so big..

What country you guys would love to play?
China because it's so far away, and so different. USA because it's the USA. Then we would love to play in southern and eastern Europe since we find lots of inspiration there.

With what bands you guys would love to share stage??
With Ojos De Brujo (Spain). They are great. Great flamenco, funk & hiphop fusion.

Are you guys OK, with the direction the band is going actually?
Absolutely. Our latest single on rotation at the Norwegian main radio channels, quite a lot attention from the media and good support from our audience. We're not complaining. The future looks like a big Piñata :) - Vents Magazine

The new hip-hop hybrid band, Forza, is making their mark on the Norwegian music scene. NRK P3, Norwegian leading music radio station, has put their latest single "Mr. King" on rotation.

After touring Norway this summer, including major festivals such as HOVE and Norwegian Wood, the band has gained quite a lot of attention on the music scene. The seven-piece band delivers an energetic live act, which has resulted in good reviews in the media.

During September, Forza will record their first full-length album, which is to be released mid February 2011. Several media outlets consider Forza to be one of the most exciting Norwegian bands this year. - www.bandweblogs.com

A pinch of this, a spoon of that. No, we’re not swapping recipes, we’re introducing a band who likes to mix it up. Take some Manu Chao, some disco, a bit of Ojos de Brujo, a sprinkle of pop tunes, add some Balkan/French accordion, and, yeah, a rapper. And the result is so much tastier than you’d expect!

We guess if you wanted to join the band, they’re missing… a bag pipe? So start practicing!
Here’s Forza! - Nö Music Media

Huddled over hot coffee at a cafe in Norway’s capital city, certain members of the band Forza are finding the climate outside a bit more challenging than others.

“I remember when I was small,” recalls the drummer, Jaser Sayun, who was born in Baghdad. “I was six maybe, and the first time I saw snow, because we don’t have it in Iraq, I thought it was soap or something, so I jumped on it. Five seconds later I start to cry, ‘it’s burning! I’m burning!’ I hate snow.”

It does seem an odd time to be in Oslo, given the icy pavements and sub-zero temperatures. And yet in late-February every year, an impressive array of music industry personnel, media professionals and actual music fans gather here for By:Larm, a long weekend of seminars, networking and, most importantly, gig-going, as the next generation of Norwegian musical talent reveals itself.

Norwegian musical talent? Well, yes, and a diverse mix it is too. There may be fewer than five million people scattered between the northern tundra and the southern fjords, but support for the arts is such in this prosperous nation that all forms of musical life are encouraged.

Forza have a more interesting history than most. The roots of the eclectic seven-piece lie in a refugee reception centre in the city of Bergen, where disparate young musicians collaborated on a drumming project, run by Rudi Bakken. His group has evolved somewhat in the decade since: only a couple of the original members remain but they’ve maintained the cosmopolitan spirit, incorporating several native Norwegians, an Iraqi/Serbian drummer and an Iranian rapper.

“Somebody told me that we are the most politically correct band on stage,” laughs Bakken. “But really we want to be heard for our music. We know who we are and we know where we come from, but we need to get recognition for our work.”

This is their best opportunity yet, and Forza throw everything into their performance, mixing Balkan and salsa rhythms, Persian strings, a few rock licks and a hip-hop vibe. - The National