Join the Storm: Leo Davadi Sundli Unleashes Chaos at 16

Join the Storm: Leo Davadi Sundli Unleashes Chaos at 16

At just 16, Leo Davadi Sundli — known to the scene as Storm — is already tearing through Europe’s biggest metal festivals with a sound that’s equal parts chaos, catharsis, and dancefloor defiance. From the raw pulse of “Moonlight” to the genre-smashing madness of “Fever Dreams,” Storm’s debut full-length Join the Storm is a manifesto for misfits, dreamers, and anyone ready to break free. Highwire Daze caught up with Leo fresh off Download Fest and deep in the studio trenches to talk collabs, breakdowns, and what it means to be unapologetically yourself.

Editor’s Note:  This interview took place one week before the release date of Join The Storm!

Storm Rising: Leo Davadi Sundli on His Debut Album, Collaborations, and Chaos in Sound

You’ve got a new album dropping this week. What’s going through your head knowing your debut full-length is finally coming out?
It’s crazy — I can’t wait. It’s been such a long process. Over the summer, I kind of forgot about it, honestly. But these last two weeks? Man, it hit me — it’s actually happening. I’m super stoked to finally share it with people.

Let’s talk about “Moonlight,” the opening track. What inspired that one?
“Moonlight” was the first song I wrote for the album — way back in 2022, even before my first EP. It was the first time I tried something really different. I was used to writing everything on guitar, riff-driven stuff. But with this one I thought, screw it — let’s make something you can dance to.

The songs about that urge to break free. For me, it was like, “You wanna join me tonight?” That’s the chorus. Sometimes everything feels messed up — the system, the world — and you just want to escape. Do whatever you want. Shoot for the stars.

It’s such a vibe — and you can dance to it too.
Exactly. That’s why it’s probably my favorite on the album. It’s got meaning, but it’s also fun. You’re dreaming of this perfect world while vibing out. It doesn’t have to be super specific — just that feeling of wanting to live in a dream and take someone you care about with you.

Let’s jump to “Fame.” What’s the story behind that one?
“Fame” started with a chorus that just popped into my head. I had to record it on my phone right away. The song’s about how normalized it is to not be yourself. People act fake — not just celebrities, but everyone. It’s like they’re wearing versions of themselves that aren’t real, and I think that’s messed up. But I get it — if you stick out, people make fun of you. So yeah, it’s kind of a pop-rock track, and we had a blast making it.

Now “Suffocate,” your collab with Fixation. How did that come together?
That one started in a writing session with my producer Erlend and two of his friends from Skinny Days. I’d made a track at home — super Rammstein-inspired — and we passed around a mic with full auto-tune, just riffing melodies. It was a new way of writing for me. The lyrics are about that voice in your head telling you you’re not good enough — feeling alone in that.

We had a strong chorus and verse, but something was missing. I thought of Fixation — I’ve known those guys forever. Martin, their guitarist, helped produce my first EP and tracked guitars for every song on this album. He’s also mixed everything. Jonas, their vocalist, has taught me a lot. So, I sent them the track and they were like, “Hell yeah.” They added the breakdown, sang the second verse, and made the guitars way more exciting. They leveled it up.

You’ve got a show coming up with Fixation, right?
Yeah, we’re playing together soon. It’s gonna be fun. We haven’t performed “Suffocate” live yet, so that’ll be exciting. I think we’ll get some cool videos out of it too.

Let’s wrap with “Fever Dreams.” What’s the story there?
“Fever Dreams” was the last song we wrote for the album. At first, we had a bunch of soft piano tracks — like five of them. That was cool, but I felt like we needed some heavier metal stuff. So we wrote “Walking Dead” and then “Fever Dreams.”

With that one, we said: no rules. Usually we focus on catchy choruses, but this time we just let loose. It’s chaos — like the whole album. There’s rapping, heavy breakdowns, a techno party in the middle. It’s wild.

Then I played a show with Snak the Ripper — he’s a legendary rapper from Canada and a longtime friend. After the concert, he was like, “Let’s collab.” I was trying to make something Linkin Park-style, but he said, “No, I want to dig into your world.” So I showed him “Fever Dreams” and he loved it. We stayed up all night in the studio tracking vocals. He shredded it.

Sounds like you’ve got history with Snack.
Yeah, funny story — when I was six, my dad booked him for a show in Trondheim. His flight got canceled, so he stayed at our house. Him and his girlfriend slept in my tiny race car bed for a week! I called him Uncle Snak. He kept coming back every year, building a fanbase in this small town. I even opened for him at one of my first gigs. So when he said, “Leo, I see you’re going places — let’s collab,” I was like, hell yeah. I’ve been waiting for that moment.

Storm Surge: Leo Davadi Sundli on Festivals, Future Plans, and Bringing the Chaos

You played Download Festival — one of the biggest metal festivals in the world. What was that experience like?
Man, the whole trip was wild. We played a gig called by:Larm in Oslo, and my project manager told me someone in the crowd could book us for Download. He said, “Give it everything.” I was stressed, but I gave it my all. After the show, he came up and said, “You’re playing Download next year.” I was like, are you serious?

Big shoutout to Kem — he made it happen. I dreamed about it nonstop until it became real. Playing in England was unreal. The crowd was amazing — people were singing my songs, and I’d never experienced that before. Backstage was insane too. Queens of the Stone Age, Escape the Fate… I even got to talk with Craig Mabbitt. I was hyped all day.

And just being there as a fan was part of the dream. I had a list of bands I wanted to see after our set. It was an unforgettable experience.

You also played Summer Breeze in Germany — another legendary fest. What was that like?
That was back in 2022 — my second-ever show as Storm. We’d only played one gig before that, and then boom, we were heading to Germany. I was 13, maybe just turned 14, and I was so nervous. The lights, the crowd — it was intense.

There was drama too. We didn’t have cymbals, something was wrong with the guitars. My guitarist was like, “You’re stressed as hell. Sit down, I’ll fix it.” I tried, but I couldn’t just sit — I had to help. But once we hit the stage, everything clicked. The show went great, and we had so much fun.

And get this — the weather was awful all day, but when we played, the sun came out. As soon as we finished, it started raining again. We got lucky.

How old are you now?
I’m 16.

Any chance Storm might come to the U.S. for shows or a tour?
Man, that would be a dream. But right now, it’s not in the plans — it’s a pretty expensive trip. Still, you never know. I didn’t think I’d play Download or Summer Breeze either. Things keep surprising me, so maybe the U.S. is next.

For fans who haven’t seen you live yet — what can they expect from a Storm show?
Energy. Chaos. Storm. That’s what we bring. You can’t always afford light shows or flames, but you can always bring raw energy. That’s what I focus on — giving everything I’ve got.

We’ve been working hard this summer, writing new songs and leveling up the live show. Me and my guitarist are always running around, probably too much. But it’s all about creating a show that hits hard.

Your album drops Friday. What’s next for you?
We’ve got some big plans — I can’t say much yet, but it’s exciting. We’ve been working nonstop, which is why I almost forgot the album was coming out! This summer alone, we’ve written around 50 songs.

It’s still early, but we’re starting to finish things up. I think what’s coming next will surprise people. Writing all these songs has helped me figure out who I am as an artist — what I want to say, how I want to sound. It’s been amazing, and I can’t wait to share it. But first, I’ve got to drop this album.

Any message for your fans in the U.S. who are reading this?
Yeah — first off, I’d love to come over. That would be amazing. I’ve got family in the States too, so hopefully soon. And to everyone reading this: check out my new album, Join the Storm. Be yourself. Join the chaos.

That’s the message of the album — be yourself, no matter what. That’s all I want to say. Join The Storm.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Storm on Instagram