Dea Cellos presented a skillful cover of HIM’s “Join Me” by two top cellists

Dea Cellos is the non-genre creation of two classically trained cellists. Juuli Jokinen and Magdalena Valkeus, a duo that makes darkly beautiful arrangements of big songs, was born out of the need of musicians who don’t adapt to the norms to find an authentic channel of expression. The cello duo, founded on the day they graduated from the Sibelius Academy, wanted to create something behind which they could stand 100% as themselves, and last Friday, Dea Cellos‘ first, long-ripened fruit of musical love is being released: a stylish cover of HIM‘s Join Me.

Juuli and Martta about the first release:

“Join Me is our first arrangement, which was created years ago right after the band was founded. Ville Valo’s charismatic singing voice and the melody of the hit song really demanded to be arranged for a cello duo. The song is also closely connected to our teenage memories. Time literally stood still during the first rehearsals, when we passionately played the version we made of the song over and over again, until the neighbors banging on the wall made us wake up in musical ecstasy. That’s when we knew that this would be our path and a natural choice for the first release.”

Both members of the band have had versatile careers performing in Finland and internationally. Juuli has played in symphony orchestras, theaters, with many famous artists in the background, and taught cello playing at a music college. Magdalena has made a career as a freelance musician as a cellist, electric cellist and country music singer, performing all the way to Texas. At the same time, the women have created a duo, in which each of them felt for the first time that they were doing something as cellists that felt completely right and authentic. The duo describes:

“Between the worlds of classical and light music, art caused frustration and internal conflict. We felt ourselves to be a bit outsiders, but in the end, using that feeling of being outside as strength, we created Dea, where we can use everything we love, from the grandeur of virtuoso cello concertos and the ecstatic power of metal music to the most poignant breakup ballads of pop music and enjoyable harmonies”

With the music video released, written by the duo themselves, Dea Cellos paints meanings with timeless symbols, challenging the viewer to look at the message of the original song from a new perspective and stop at the great mystery.

“Figures wrapped in transparent black fabrics wander through a snowy swamp. The light of consciousness penetrates the dark illusion, revealing behind the gauze pure love, passion, creativity and feminine power. In the background of everything, the symbols of death, the ravens, which are among the most conscious creatures in the world, reveal the ancient truth: ‘The death of the ego is the beginning of your real life'”

Dea Cellos‘ first live performance will take place at On The Rocks in Helsinki on 14.12. Future Export Acts pt. 1 night, which also features Westway, Frozen Factory and Memoremains.