Finnish goth ‘n’ rollers THE 69 EYES have finally unleashed the stunning result of their collaboration with American songwriter Diane Warren. The soulful power ballad titled “Fade To Grey”, with music and lyrics by Warren, is out now via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). Watch the visualizer video below.
THE 69 EYES frontman Jyrki 69 comments: “The magic of Diane Warren songs, which is often told, is that her songs speak to their performers in a way as if she knew what’s going in their live. So does ‘Fade To Grey’: It sounded like straightly taken from my own personal life when I heard its demo version for the first time!”
The song will additionally be available on a brand new vinyl variant of THE 69 EYES‘ current album “Death Of Darkness”, which will be released in April 26.
Warren, often referred to as “the most important songwriter in the world,” wrote an impressive list of timeless hits, collaborating with iconic pop stars like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga alongside legends such as Cher (“If I Could Turn Back Time”),Celine Dion (“Because You Loved Me”) and Whitney Houston. She is also known for her works with rock icons such as AEROSMITH (“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”),THE CULT (“Painted On My Heart”) and Meat Loaf (“I’d Lie For You (And That’s The Truth)”). She is a Grammy winner with 15 nominations, has two Golden Globe awards and is a 15-time Oscar nominee who received an “Honorary Oscar” as voted by the Academy’s Board of Governors in 2022.
“Fade To Grey” combines Diane‘s conspicuous artistic signature with the group’s trademark soundscapes with both melting into an epic power ballad. This creative collaboration is not only a highlight in music, but also pushes the boundaries of handmade music.
Diane says: “The year before last I walked into a store and saw someone so cool who just epitomized rock ‘n’ roll. That was Jyrki, the amazing singer from THE 69 EYES. Now here we are with my song with them, ‘Fade To Grey’, about to be released. I am very excited for everyone to hear it!”
Jyrki 69, THE 69 EYES‘ charismatic frontman, also shares his excitement about the collaboration: “This was exactly like one of those Hollywood dreams: I was hanging on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills when a lady asked me who I was out of the blue. I got confused, and that’s about it. Later on, I realized that the lady was Diane Warren, the ultimately greatest songwriter on earth and writer of my favorite THE CULT song, ‘Painted On My Heart’. That was my opportunity to start a musical collaboration with her but I missed my once-in-a-lifetime chance! A year passed by and her hits were following me everywhere. Then I was watching the presentation of the Oscars and she was performing there! I encouraged myself getting in touch with her and here’s the result: an epic power ballad called ‘Fade To Grey’ which this world and THE 69 EYES needed!”
“Fade To Grey” was produced by Erno Laitinen at Inkfish Studios in Helsinki, Finland and mixed by Miles Walker at Westside Studios in Atlanta, Georgia before Björn Engelmann put his finishing touches to the song at Stockholm, Sweden’s Cutting Room. The single artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, KERRY KING, DIMMU BORGIR).
THE 69 EYES earned platinum status with the albums “Blessed Be” (2000) and “Paris Kills” (2022) and not only reached No. 1 of the single and album charts in their home country of Finland, but also plunged the world into a sinful cosmos of love, death, and melancholy, while outliving any other band emerging from the goth hype of the early 2000s. By developing their sound further into sleaze rock on “Devils” (2004) and “Angels” (2007) and not shying away from pitch-black Elvis allusions in singer Jyrki 69‘s dark voice and unique onstage dance moves, the band has established a worldwide following. Over the course of more than three decades, the band has toured relentlessly throughout Europe, America, Asia, and Australia and released twelve full-length studio albums.
Sprawling across ten lavishly dark, effortlessly cool tracks, THE 69 EYES‘ “Death Of Darkness” is one of their most flawless and consistent offerings bearing a title that’s, of course, both stylish and symbolic, much like the music they create. 2024 is a far cry from the early days of the new millennium when gothic rock bands emerged from every graveyard and Finnish vampires stormed the charts around the world. However, the spirit of a world-class record like “Death Of Darkness”, the sheer passion and the enticing mystery, the suspense, and the smirk, are still very much alive.
Photo credit: Marek Sabogal