Enfnts Terribles

We’ve been following PROMIS3 since the beginning. How much has the project changed in the past few years?

A lot, actually. We started this project knowing we wanted to bring something fantastical and futuristic, although back then, we were still apprehensive of daring to be truly different and unique. We met some people along the way who helped us shape our visual identity further and challenged us to let go of the fear to be criticized for doing something wild. Sonically we dug deeper into our past for inspiration. We both grew up with the early ’90s / 2000s eurotrance music, which—as a genre—has been looked down upon for quite some time. We both have this strong connection to those types of melodies and sounds though they may be perceived as “kitsch” by some people. At some point, we didn’t want to please the crowd anymore; we wanted to satisfy ourselves. The crowd went along with it naturally.

You’ve performed a lot this year. Did that change your perspective on music?

We believe it opened up our understanding of music even more. When you’re on that stage, you feel the energy of the room to the point where you can differentiate which tracks, effects, and vibes work and which don’t. Although we don’t want to let that impact our course of style too much, it’s quite interesting to keep that in mind when you’re in the studio. You get a better sense of drama, dynamics, impact, storytelling, etc. What we do realize now is that the music industry is a very hard world. We feel like we put more money into the shows to make it something unforgettable than what we actually earn by performing. It’s definitely not an easy path, but we do it because we live and breathe it, so it’s all been worth it so far.

You’re often described as a futuristic pop duo but are also heavily inspired by Y2K. Why are you so fascinated by Y2K?

It’s what we grew up with and have seen/known for so long. From the beginning, we said we wanted to bring the future as well as nostalgia. The Y2K aspect came naturally, sonically, and visually. 2000s pop culture is also so iconic for us. We grew up watching MTV for hours on end, just looking at all the music videos. It’s what we always loved and knew to be the ultimate pop dream.

Every release has been visually stunning so far. What does the creative process of a release usually look like?

The wildest. Sometimes visions come when the songs are being made, sometimes beforehand. Either way, they kick off those processes. They influence final music changes, and they are the base for sketches that later on go to production. We always like to do everything in-house. It allows us to fully be involved in the creation process. For this music video, we knew we wanted to do something with an underwater theme. We started sketching the vision we had from scene compositions to props and outfits. From there, we contacted director and photographer Lennert Madou, who helped with shaping the storytelling aspect. After months of hard work with our designer Jaimy Aris D’hont making prints and patterns for the outfits, sculpting props, nails, and jewelry … We finally got to see the results we aimed for.

The creative process was draining, financially and emotionally, but it was so worth it. We feel like this time the creative process was the most influential on our visual identity. Together with Jaimy, we found a way to transform vague ideas into reality, which then again influences the music, in a way, when you put visuals next to the sound. We are beyond happy to have our team, who are also at the core of these creations. Without any of them, we wouldn’t be able to realize this level of elegance.

What were the challenges while filming the music video?

We faced a lot of challenges. With everything that we wanted to achieve the budget kept on growing and became triple what we had in mind for the video. We’re still recovering. (laughs) We shot the video in mid-January so that’s not a perfect match to shoot in water. It was nearly impossible to heat the studio, so it was freezing cold in the water basin, Brent actually nearly reached hypothermia for these shots.

On the second day, the water tank suddenly started leaking heavily, just before we were planning to shoot the scene. Luckily our decor team had a TEC7 solution in their van and were able to temporarily seal it in time because a studio full of electrical equipment and a leaking 10.000-liter water tank isn’t exactly a good combo. We’re super thankful to the massive team that participated in the project; everyone really went the extra mile for this. From putting the decor together in the middle of the night to driving through the whole country to find the necessary equipment. It was beautiful to see that there was so much goodwill involved from all the volunteers and the rental companies.

What can we expect from Promis3 in the future? 

For 2023 we want to take our fanbase by storm with sick new music. We are working on some really cool stuff we’d love to present at a faster pace and bigger volume this time. We’re planning on lifting the bar even higher on a visual and performance level. We’ll definitely be working on a fresh new tour that will reflect the fire we feel burning inside. We’re looking forward to seeing loads of new faces in the crowd losing themselves to our music. 

Pictures of Promis3 by Lennert Madou.