Just Live Loud!: A Conversation with Mark Fox of Shakra

Just Live Loud!: A Conversation with Mark Fox of Shakra

There’s a certain electricity that runs through a conversation with Mark Fox — the same spark that’s powered Shakra for more than three decades. Speaking from Switzerland, Fox is thoughtful, grounded, and surprisingly candid about the highs, lows, and rebirths that have shaped both his life and the band’s long-running legacy. With Just Live Loud! (out now on Frontiers Music Srl), Shakra delivers an album built on positivity, resilience, and pure rock‑and‑roll adrenaline — a record born from solitude, fatherhood, and a renewed sense of purpose.

In this conversation, Fox opens up about rediscovering joy in music, navigating the pandemic era, revisiting milestone albums, and embracing the constant evolution of Shakra. It’s a portrait of an artist who has lived loud, learned deeply, and come out the other side with clarity — and a whole lot of fire.

We are here with Mark Fox from Shakra. First of all, let’s jump into the new album Just Live Loud! Is there any overall story or concept behind that title?The concept is basically to turn it up loud and enjoy it loud. It’s not a concept album, but it’s definitely a positive album. That’s really the idea — something that makes you feel good, not depressed. It’s meant to be an album you can listen to anywhere and just have fun with.

We’ve never done a concept album, and I don’t think we ever will. Our songs are too different, and we have too many things we want to say to fit into one storyline. That’s just not our thing.

Well, fun is a good concept. I like that.
Yeah, exactly.

Before we get into individual songs, how did becoming a father affect your songwriting and your overall participation in the band?
Everything became more positive for me. My focus changed — it’s not on me anymore, it’s on my daughter. My whole life turned around, and now the goal is to give her a bright future and show her the good things in the world.

There’s so much negativity out there — the news, social media, everything. It’s all bad. I think it’s time to pull the positive things out of the bad things because there’s too much darkness.

I’m much more focused on details now. I want to be someone she can look up to, someone she can ask, “Papa, how do I do this?” And I need to show her the right way. I want to be responsible — not doing things she shouldn’t see or know. That changes you.

I was reading that you like to record your vocals in solitude. How has that isolation shaped the emotional tone of the album?
That’s a difficult question, but I think it added more emotion. I was completely alone while recording, and I could let out whatever was on my mind. I could try things I wouldn’t try if someone was sitting in the studio saying, “No, don’t do that.”

I had total freedom to do whatever I wanted, and that’s how I like to work. You can hear that freedom on the record.

Let’s talk about a few of the songs. Let the Show Begin is amazing. Tell me about that track and the inspiration behind it.
The title actually came from Thomas, who wrote the song. He said he wanted it to be the opener because “Let the Show Begin” is the perfect title for the first track.

I thought about what I could do with that title because it can mean so many things. I remembered going to concerts when I was younger — the excitement on the train ride to the venue, the feeling right before the show starts. I tried to capture that electricity in the air before everything explodes in the chorus. That was the idea.

Wasteland Warriors — what exactly is a “wasteland warrior”?
A wasteland warrior is someone who has almost no hope left, but still has that tiny spark inside. It’s a metaphor for a human being — even when there’s nothing, a person can stand up and keep going. I thought it was a great way to show how resilient people can be.

Left Outside Alone, featuring Seraina Telli — tell me about that song and how the collaboration came about.
That song is actually two firsts for us. In over 30 years of Shakra, we’ve never done a cover. We always talked about doing one, but we never found the right song. Covering another hard rock or metal track is easy — it’s already in our world. It’s not very creative or satisfying.

We wanted something we could truly make our own. I remembered Left Outside Alone because I listened to it a thousand times when I was younger. I suggested it to Thomas, and he immediately said, “I already hear a riff for that.”

It’s not easy to turn a pop song into a rock song, but this one had everything in it — we just had to unleash it. We made a demo and thought, “This would be great as a duet.”

Last year we toured with Seraina Telli, who opened the shows. She has an incredible voice — real goosebumps. We were already in contact, so we asked her if she wanted to join us on the track, and she said yes immediately.

So we did two things we’d never done before, and I think the result is pretty great.

(Editor’s Note: The original version of “Left Outside Alone” was performed by Anastacia, the American pop singer-songwriter.)

Have you had a chance to perform it live yet?
No, not yet. We haven’t played live since about a year ago — we’re waiting for the album release. The first shows will be at the end of September. For some gigs, not all, Seraina will perform it with us. That will be cool.

Has Shakra ever played here in the States, or is that something you’d like to do in the future?
No, we’ve never been to the States with Shakra, and I’ve never been personally either. Not because I don’t like it — I’d really love to come one day. It just hasn’t happened yet.

People ask us to come play, but it’s usually one or two gigs. You need a full tour because it’s expensive to come to the U.S., and you don’t want to pay to play. That’s the problem.

But what I really want to do is one of those rock cruises you have in the Caribbean Sea. That would be great.

Let’s go back a bit. Mad World came out just a few days before the pandemic shut everything down. What was that experience like — releasing music during such a historic moment?
It was not a good time for us. All the clubs were closed, everything was shut down, and we couldn’t play live or promote the album. That was really sad because we loved that album — still do — and it didn’t get the live push it deserved.

And of course, it was sad for everyone. You had to stay at home. I don’t know how it was in the USA, but did you also have to stay home?

Yes, we did.
Yeah, so it was really like, “What do we do now?” You’ve already made a new album — you can’t just say, “Okay, let’s make another one.” We did some unplugged versions, each of us recording at home and then mixing them together.

But it’s not the same.

When concerts finally started again, people were wearing masks. It felt like Mad Max or something. But it was still a relief because we could play in front of a crowd again, and that was great for them and for us.

Now it’s better — everything is open, you can go out, you can make music. And that’s what counts.

High Noon marked your return to Shakra in 2016. Now that we’re approaching its ten‑year anniversary, what does that album mean to you in hindsight?
A lot. That album changed my life again. Before that, I was on my own with my project Fox — I had two albums and was about to make a third. When Thomas wanted to talk about everything that happened in the past, I said, “Okay, let’s do that.”

But instead of talking, we made music. That’s our connection — it fits really well.

When I listen to High Noon, it’s like going back and realizing that rejoining the band was the right choice. It sounds like it should sound — for us and for the fans.

Since then, we’ve had a really good relationship. We respect each other. We don’t have that bad feeling anymore.

During the Everest album era, it was like, “No, this guy is also on stage with me? This mother—” You can’t go on like that, so I quit.

But now it’s totally different. Now it’s, “Hey, let’s go on stage, let’s have fun.” We’re on the same level in how we think and talk. Our experiences are more equal now.

When you look back on the Fox albums and that time period, what do you think of it now? And would you want to do another Fox album?
Of course. I like those two albums. They’re very different from each other because different people played and recorded them. The first one I recorded by myself, and the second one was made in Germany with musicians I like very much.

That time in my life taught me that it’s not always easy to do everything on your own. When you’re deciding everything yourself, it’s not simple. But it was a good experience.

I do want to make a third album, but it’s not something I have to do tomorrow. I have a lot to do with Shakra, and I don’t want to mix projects. I want to stay focused because if you’re working on different things at the same time, you’re not 100% on any of them. The concentration should be on one thing.

I’ve already written a lot of songs for a third album, but it has time. No problem.

Next year marks the 20‑year anniversary of Infected. When you look back on that album — and the fact that it’s been twenty years — what stands out to you now?
Wow, is it really 20 years next year? I didn’t realize that.

I was very young — very, very young. And that was one of the peaks of my career at the time. I behaved like a rock star, and that was a problem for the band.

When you’re young and you have success, success, success, and more success, something changes. It changes you. I’m not the kind of guy you think of as a rock star now, but I was then because everything around me happened fast. It was big, it was great, and it changed me a lot.

I should listen to that album again — it’s been a long time.

Shakra started in 1995, which means you passed your 30th anniversary last year. What goes through your mind knowing you’ve been doing Shakra — on and off — for thirty years?
I wasn’t there at the beginning. I joined six years later. But it’s still a long time I’ve been with the band.

I think Shakra has its own life. Members leave, members come back, things change — but it’s always Shakra, and it always sounds like Shakra. I can’t explain why.

It’s a part of my life. It’s not just a band I play in and quit whenever I want. It’s a big part of my life. I’m very careful with it now. I wasn’t then because I didn’t know I’d still be in this band years later.

Now I know. And it’s important to have something constant like that in your life. You don’t fool around with it.

Do you have any messages for your fans here in the States?
Of course. The album title says it: Just Live Loud! Turn it up, listen as loud as you can, and have fun with it.

In Conclusion

Thirty years in, Shakra remains a band defined not by nostalgia, but by momentum — and Mark Fox stands at the center of that forward motion. Just Live Loud! is more than a title; it’s a mission statement, a reminder to embrace the volume, the joy, and the spark that first drew us all to rock music in the first place.

As Fox looks ahead — to new tours, new songs, and even the possibility of another Fox solo album — one thing is clear: the fire is still burning, and the story is far from over. For fans in the States waiting patiently, Fox’s message is simple and unmistakably Shakra: turn it up, live loud, and have fun with it.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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