Following the release of her fantastic new record, Green Live, ( of which she says “we’ve played some of these songs hundreds of times, yet something new keeps happening. Those are the moments you can’t manufacture. They only happen live,” Swiss singer-songwriter Seraina Telli is taking the show on the road this autumn when she docks into the UK for a number of dates with longtime drummer Mike and bassist Lukas. The tour sits between shows in Germany, her native Switzerland, and Spain.

Seraina Telli takes time out to share her love for Swedish Metal giants, Opeth.

IT HAS TO BE OPETH

I have so many favourite bands that choosing just one is really difficult, but if I have to, it has to be Opeth.

I discovered Opeth when I was getting deeper into heavier music, and they immediately showed me that you don’t have to choose between being heavy, beautiful, progressive, emotional or complicated. You can have all of it in one song. That really blew my mind.

What I love most about Opeth is that they never seem afraid to go wherever the music takes them. You can have an absolutely crushing riff followed by a beautiful acoustic part, a jazzier moment, something incredibly dark and then suddenly something completely unexpected. There are no unnecessary boundaries. That way of thinking about music has influenced me a lot as a songwriter, especially with my progressive rock band Dead Venus but also up to some very popish songs I released recently.

And then there’s Mikael Åkerfeldt. The sound of his voice is obviously incredible, but what really inspires me is his creativity. He has such a strong musical identity, and he is not afraid of showing all the different sides of his musical personality. For me, that is what being an artist should be about: finding your own sound instead of trying to fit into what people expect from you.

MUSIC THAT SURPRISES

If I had to pick one album, Ghost Reveries would probably be very high on the list. I actually chose it when I was asked to pick three albums to take with me to a deserted island — which probably says enough! Haha. I also love Blackwater Park and Heritage, because they show such different sides of the band.

I’ve always loved music that surprises me. I don’t want to know exactly what is coming next. Opeth are masters at that. They taught me that you can be heavy without always being loud, emotional without being cheesy, and progressive without losing the feeling of a song.

So, yeah… if you ask me why I love Opeth, the short answer is: because they give me the freedom to imagine what music can be.

And that’s something I will always love.

Here’s some footage from Vegas in 2025:

Our thanks to Seraina for taking the time to add her admiration to that of the ATB management and Grace Hayhurst – especially after a trip to Piece Hall this Summer.

You can catch her on the imminent UK tour – dates below:

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

Seraina Telli: Website

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