In a recent press conference on Loud TV, Yngwie Malmsteen answered some questions and called his singers instruments.
During the chat, he was asked if it gets difficult to co-produce his albums or if he prefers to do them by himself. After telling a story about the question, he went on and explained why he doesn’t have producers:
“So basically I’m like a painter or an author like this. Like a painter, I paint half the painting and I call my friend, I say, ‘Hey, can you come up finish half of my painting?’ No. I don’t do that and that’s why I don’t have producers. That’s why I don’t have co-writers and so on, because when I did have that every single time I came out unhappy and I wasn’t pleased with the result.”
Malmsteen then explained why he sees his singers as instruments:
“I only live once so what I want to leave behind, what I want to create, what I want to put out on records, what I want to perform on stage is something that is purely my expression because I have so much inside. I want pure expression of myself, not diluted by having Elvis Presley in the band. Most singers think they’re Elvis Presley, they’re not. They’re just another instrument in my orchestra.”
Working Alone Is Not ‘Egotistical’
Throughout his career, Malmsteen has been part of several bands such as Alcatrazz and his own band Rising Force. However, the guitarist generally prefers working as a solo artist.
In an interview with producer, musician, and YouTuber Rick Beato, Malmsteen has clarified why he prefers not to collaborate with other musicians. He highlighted that it’s not about ego but rather about his personal creative approach:
“From [Deep] Purple to [Black] Sabbath, The Rolling Stones – I love The Rolling Stones – The Beatles. They have this partnership stuff which is great. I could never deal with that, to me it felt like I was diluting my art, you know?”
He then shared a similar approach to his more recent comments:
“It’s like I’m a painter, I’m painting – not Mona Lisa – but something really nice. And I’m halfway done, I’m calling, ‘Hey, could you come over and finish half my painting?’ That’s my way of working and creating. It’s nothing to do with being egotistical, it’s just an artistic thing really.”
You can watch the press conference down below.