Playing On Heart Strings - Tokio Hotel

Chapter 4: On The Front Page

July was approaching fast. Maya and Ronnie were very busy practicing the new songs for the album. The album would be called "Lucky Strike"... The title in this song showed off more of Sigmund's drum skills, so Maya didn't struggle as much as she did with Inferno. She worked long hours, alone and with the band. 

The CEO seemed happy with the work they did. Lagom Ethics was improving, and everyone could see it. Suddenly, the release date for "Inferno" came. Maya will never forget how it was for them to finally release something. It topped the charts in Scandinavia, but seemed to struggle a bit with the other countries in Europe. The company was happy though, the result was better than expected.

Lagom Ethics performed "Inferno" all over Scandinavia, trying to get as much coverage as possible. It would later pay off, but at the moment, the band was quite exhausted and tired. The month between the single and album felt like nothing. Maya knew the band was worried about how the album would be received. Sigmund didn't like how the company hid their future plans for Lagom Ethics from the band members. Carlo and Oscar felt the pressure, and seemed to stress about the album just as much... 

Maya herself wanted to know the songs perfectly. She decided to occupy one of the jamming session rooms. After sitting there for an hour, she heard someone enter the room. Maya smirked. "Wow! The myth, the legend. You look tired, Sigmund." Sigmund shrugged. He seemed very tired... The panda eyes and messy hair gave away that he either had a nap or hadn't slept properly for days. All the members had acted like this for a good amount of time now... "Yeah.. I was planning on doing some drums, but I will grab another room." He said. Maya stood up quickly. "No, no... Uhm..." She was trying to find the best way to tell Sigmund he would hit the wall soon, if he didn't get some proper sleep. "We can grab some snacks and chill instead? Can we get up early and practice together early tomorrow instead?" Something about Maya always persuaded Sigmund. Oscar could never change his mind, and only Carlo when SIgmund was obviously in the wrong. He nods slowly. "Okay... But I really need some practice."

The duo walked out on one of the company's balconies. Sigmund threw himself in one of the chairs. The stars shone brightly, with a half moon filing the sky. Maya opened the chips bag and offered some to Sigmund. He took a handful and ate at it slowly. "Sigmund... I don't think this is very good for us. Working ourselves to the bone." Maya said calmly. Sigmund turned to her. "You're so naive Maya. The company won't be interested in pushing us fully before we have a good album. We might not get to release a new one before a year or two. I just want this to work out." Maya understood, but it pained her to see the boys so tired and stressed. Later in life, Maya agreed with Sigmund. 14 year old Maya was naive... But she was the reason their feet stayed on the ground. Seeing her tired, reminded them that they were her older brothers. Maya felt tears fill her eyes. 

Sigmund turned to her. "Maya! What's wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Maya shaked her head. "It's not that... We all want this album to succeed, but this is going to make us dead before the tour can even happen. Please Sigmund. Sleep when you should sleep and eat proper meals. I know Oscar and Carlo get influenced by your constant stress." Sigmund sighed but stroked Maya's hair. He seemed to struggle with his words. "I just worry about us... I don't know how to calm myself down... I will try though, You're right. I'm not being a good role model." Maya smiled slightly at him. Sadly, Sigmund would find his anxieties calmed by heavy smoking... He would never stress this bad about an album again though, so something good came out of it...

The album release suddenly closed in on them. Everything was in order. Maya and Ronnie had spent many hours together preparing for this album. The last session was a week before the release. Maya put her cup of tea down. Ronnie made sure to bring her drinks and snacks. Maya wasn't the only one who saw how stressed the band was. "Alright kid... You're good." Ronnie announced. Maya smiled and thanked him. She was about to pack her stuff up, before Ronnie cleared his voice. "Maya, since you have improved this much, I want you to have this from me."