My name is Jonas Heidgert, I am 35 years old and was born and raised in Gothenburg. Alongside Destiny I am also in Dragon Land, Rawburt and the cover band Metal Monarchs with Oscar Dronjak (Hammerfall) as the band leader. It may sound a lot, but Dragon Land is largely dormant since two of the members are in another band that is doing very well at the moment.  Oscar is also very busy with his other projects, so Metal Monarchs will only play occasionally. It’s still mostly a fun hobby.

And now you are in Destiny.
Yes, I received an email from Stefan Björnshög. They were looking for a singer and someone* had told them about me. I feel very flattered to be asked by a band that has been around almost as long as I am old. The music they play is close to my heart and I’m very much psyched for this.

Did you listen to Destiny before joining the band?
Not actively listening, no. But I have heard them and knew of them. Now I’m listening a lot, of course, learning the lyrics and especially the vocal melodies.

How would you compare yourself with your predecessor, Kristoffer Göbel?
We have probably about the same tonal range, but otherwise we are quite different as singers. I find it hard to put a finger on how to describe it. Kristoffer has maybe a little rougher voice, a little more hoarseness. I’m probably a little more ”clean”.

What’s next for you in Destiny?
I have a cold now, but as soon as I get well I’ll record vocals for ”Sabotage”. It’s a song from the Destiny album ”Future of the Past” that we are recording again and releasing as a digital single. It’s a heavy and dark song that does not sound like anything else. I will of course try to make the best version ever of the song.

You are self-taught as a singer. How did you discover you could sing and how have you worked to develop your singing?
It all started when I applied to the school choir in high school. Not very fun, it was probably just a ploy. Then I noticed that I could sing and joined a band. After I left them really not very much happened before I started Dragon Land. That’s when I started to work with my voice; it was mostly by trying to imitate my favorite singers. Bruce Dickinson is one example and of course, the best hard rock singer of all time, in my ears: Michael Kiske. So I sat and howled along with their songs.
*The excellent singer Mija.

Interviewed by: Zendt
Photos by: Lillian Christiansson