Today, we’re diving into the evocative world of Fernando’s Eyes, the solo project of Fernando Honorato, previously known for his role as the frontman of Swedish post-punk band Principe Valiente. After nearly two decades with the band, Honorato has stepped into uncharted territory with his debut solo album, Center of Your World. It’s a bold, intimate, and genre-blurring release that pushes beyond the sonic confines of his previous work. What began as a period of creative friction evolved into an opportunity for radical artistic freedom. From cinematic textures and grunge-tinged energy to stripped-down vulnerability, the musician explores new emotional landscapes while still echoing the haunting beauty fans have come to expect. For On The Record, we discuss the shift from band dynamics to complete creative autonomy, the emotional weight behind the album, and what lies ahead for this compelling new chapter.
Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t already familiar with Fernando’s Eyes, can you introduce yourself?
Hi and thank you! I am the singer and primary songwriter in Swedish band Principe Valiente and have been making music in this band for almost 20 years now. So wow, time flies. And now I have just released my first album as a solo artist.
After years fronting Principe Valiente, what inspired you to step into this solo project as Fernando’s Eyes?
It all started, cliché as it may sound, with disagreements within the band around 2022, and I saved the ideas I had at the time for later, as I wanted to experiment more freely with things anyway and they weren’t well received back then. But it has been a developing time and nothing strange really. But after 5 albums with PV, I wanted to try some other things now, and om my own terms 100%.
How did the creative process differ when working alone versus collaborating with a band?
As previously mentioned in other interviews, I currently have total freedom here to try out things without having to bounce ideas with anyone else. I think I needed it, less frustration during the process and probably healthy to have the band on the side as well that isn’t affected by the bad energies that can arise within when sometimes you just don’t get along. Even now when the band has been reduced to two people some years ago. Another important aspect is that I play all the instruments myself now. I’ve done it quite with Principe as well, but now I also play all the guitars and have total freedom over where the drums and bass drum should be placed as well, just to mention an example. So quite a lot that people probably haven’t thought about otherwise.
Your debut solo album, Center of Your World, is introspective and emotionally stripped-down. What drew you to explore this more vulnerable musical territory?
I wanted to dare being more vulnerable in my songwriting and move away from my “genre” that I have been in with the band for more than 15 years as well. Just needed variation above all and to build things up in a different way.
What musical influences helped shape the sonic landscape of the album?
Everything from psychedelic rock to more cinematic things, which is actually something we’ve been into with PV, (besides of the post-punk ingredients) but now being completely alone with it makes it a bit different. There are some singer/songwriter vibes here as well compared to the band, and I can also feel a bit more energetic associations with grunge (Nirvana), but it’s not something I had planned beforehand. I guess it’s just still in me since high school times. “More For You” I believe, is the most grunge-y kind of song I’ve done. But still with post-punk vibes.
The title-track captures both yearning and optimism, so how does this reflect the emotional space you were in when writing ‘Center of Your World’?
That specific song is actually among the most balanced I’ve ever written. And I am very pleased with it both in its structure and in the mixing that came together with my co-producer Hans. The rest of the songs were quite scattered at first, both in terms of structure and sound, but we managed to find a common thread amidst it all that made everything much better. He also helped me decide which songs we should have real drums on.
Comparatively, the lead single ‘A Million Times’ has a more delicate, electronic feel. How do these two singles represent different sides of the album’s emotional or sonic spectrum?
Just as you write, “A Million Times” and “Center..” were two songs that were actually quite far apart from each other, and after analyzing the material I had at the time, I noticed that many of the other songs related to each other in a similar way. “More For You” and “Crystal” are both more organic vs electronic, and then we had “In My Dreams And In My Heart” which has a quite similar instrumentation to “The Fire Of The Night”. So the album consists of 3-4 different types of songs in some way, but in the end they still fit together. In hindsight, it feels like quite a bold thing to attempt, but at the time, it felt obvious that all the songs could actually fit on the same album.
Which song on the album feels the most personal or emotionally raw to you? And why?
The first song, “City Of Strangers”, as the lyrics and the way I sing are quite in the same spirit as “Center Of Your World”. I sing significantly more balanced on both tracks there than the most of what I’ve done before.
Do you see Center of Your World as a one-time personal project or the beginning of a new long-term musical identity?
Right now, the entire reception of the album feels better than expected, and I’ve already been playing around with new song ideas for a few months, so I will definitely continue with that. Whether there will be another album in the future remains to be seen, or if I will do some things together with Jimmy in PV. We also have a lot of ideas we want to develop there, but I will gradually feel what fits with what there. I’ve had quite a good creative period in recent years.
What’s next on the horizon for Fernando’s Eyes?
As mentioned above, write more songs and especially try to play live. Right now, it feels very surreal to think about these songs with a live band, as it wasn’t something I thought much about while they were being written, but it would be a fantastic challenge to do it. I’m waiting for some news about things but no gigs confirmed yet, but I’m hoping for some progress there. So stay tuned and have your eyes peeled!
You can also find title-track ‘Center Of Your World’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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