Classical pop act Aston have built some serious online buzz with the release of the viral video cover of “Telephone” and their soon-to-be-released new single “Bulletproof.” I caught up with the band’s cellist Hanna Oblikov today to talk about online success, performing on The Matty Johns Show, and what it’s like arranging chart toppers for her classical act.
You’re Aston’s cellist. What inspired you to take up the instrument?
I was actually three when I started. It wasn’t really my choice; my dad’s a cellist, my mum plays the flute as well so it was kind of a parent thing. But after I left school I decided I’d continue on. I don’t know, I just loved it. It was just in my blood and my family had always done it; it was kind of all I knew. I think my mum said when I was little she saw my hands and said “She’s going to play cello.”
But starting at three though, do they have little cellos?
Yeah, little mini cellos. I think they’re a quarter size, or an eighth. They’re really cute. They’re really little.
You were all trained at the Conservatorium of Music. So what inspired you to start playing Rihanna rather than Rachmaninoff?
We’d done it for a few corporate sort of gigs, and we were really quite surprised by how it came off. We just thought it was normal, whatever we did, but the people who listened and heard us, they just came up and absolutely raved about it. And they would always be so excited by it. And I mean we’ve done a whole heap of classical gigs and no one really comes up and says anything! So we realised that people were more inspired by that kind of music.
How do you approach arranging pop songs to suit your band?
There are a couple of us that do arrangements; Daniel [Luscombe] does a lot of them, Ella [Jamieson] and I started doing a few. It’s all just interpretation; getting the harmonies, getting the melodies together and choosing what instrument would sound the best for that particular melody and what songs are going to work. Certain songs aren’t going to work, certain songs are. It’s kind of hard to explain.
You’re the house band on The Matty Johns Show, which seems like a strange fit for a classically trained act. How did that come to be?
Well we thought so too actually. It was funny because when we did the screen test for them we were just all classical instruments, but then they said “We love you guys. We really want you on the show” and everything. And then they started bringing in an electric guitar, and a bass guitar, and a drum kit. And so we were just kind of wondering. It’s not really classical anymore, but I don’t know. It sort of doesn’t really work on the show, the sound, so we had to add more instruments. So it’s not really that classical on the show; it’s sort of a bit different to what we normally do.
Are you a rugby league fan at all?
I had no idea about rugby league at the start of the show! But I’ve embraced it. I’ve been to one or two games. I wouldn’t say I’m a hardcore fan, but yeah.
The internet has been really important in spreading the word about Aston, so much so that you asked fans online to vote for the next single. Were you happy they chose “Bulletproof”?
Yeah I was. I thought if the other Lady Gaga song [“Alejandro”] had won, it would have been too much Lady Gaga. Yeah, “Bulletproof” is a good song. I like it. I think everyone will find it a bit different from the other tracks. I think it’s a little less intense, sort of softer. Yeah I’m glad, I’m glad it was chosen.
Your cover of “Telephone” has been viewed more than 800, 000 times on YouTube. Did that take you by surprise?
Completely. I actually never thought I would actually see the video, because that was just the screen test they took for The Matty Johns Show, and we wanted to get a copy of the video just so we could have it. And I think Daniel was the one who put it on our YouTube channel, and I don’t know how it happened. It was just overnight.
Apparently even Perez Hilton is a fan of your cover. What’s it like to know that song is getting recognised all over the world?
That was the craziest day. I have no words. Just amazing.
Do you think you guys are going to try and promote yourselves overseas as well or are you just focusing on Australia at the moment?
At the moment we’re focusing on Australia. I think at the moment most of our fans are overseas though. They’re mainly coming from America and from the UK and around Europe. I think we’re actually played in quite a few radio stations around Europe. I don’t know. I’d love for us to do well in Australia.
You’re releasing your debut album later this year. What can you tell me about it?
Well we haven’t finished recording it yet; we’re in the process of doing it right now. I think we’re going to record a whole lot of tracks and decide which ones, so I can’t even tell you which tracks are going to definitely be on it, because I don’t know yet. I’d say “Telephone” will most definitely be on it. I think we’re going to try and do some collaborations, and we’re going to try to add a few more instruments in, get some guest appearances by different instrumentalists, but I’m not quite sure exactly how that’s going to work as yet.
Who would you like to work with?
Katherine Jenkins has been doing really well over in the UK, so it’d be amazing to do something with her. Just anyone, any musician who’s doing really well in this country. I think we’d like to work with some up-and-coming instrumentalists, but I don’t know the specifics.
Are you planning on touring after the album’s release?
I hope so. I think we’re going to do a national tour. I’ve been told that the album release is going to be towards the end of the year, so I’m guessing that the tour will be after that.
Image used with permission from Revolutions