So how did Michael learn to rock?

That titular question remains unanswered up to now and not even the three members of MLTR (Michael Learns To Rock…Jascha Richter, Mikkel Lentz and Kare Wanscher), Denmark’s biggest pop-rock band could answer when The STAR interviewed them twice, first in 2008 and then in 2015.

As part of its Still Asia Tour 2018, MLTR will be back for a series of shows on Dec. 4 at SMX Convention Center in Davao, Dec. 6 at Santa Rosa Sports Coliseum in Laguna, Dec. 7 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu and Dec. 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Listen one more time…live!...to the trio’s well-loved songs like 25 Minutes, That’s Why You Go Away, The Actor, Paint My Love, Out of the Blue, Take Me To Your Heart, Sleeping Child and more.

Here are relevant excerpts from those previous interviews:

You’ve been together for so many years during which different bands have cropped up as well as varied musical genres. How does your group keep up with the fast-changing trends of the times?

“We never try to keep up with the trends. To us, it is not important. What means something to us is being true to what we stand for and what we love and that is exactly the reason why we have been able to stay relevant for so many years.”

Other bands have, well, disbanded and the members have gone their separate ways. How are you able to sustain yourselves as a group in the face of competition and other challenges in a field very crowded with talents?

“We all love music and that’s really the reason we ever started in this business. We still love music and that’s why we stick to what we do. But the real reason that we are still here is that we feel an enormous support from our fans around the world supplying us with the energy to keep making music and go on tour.”

You have always been role models having come from a country (Denmark) which, according to you in an interview with this writer in 2008, “has no crime nor poverty.” Have you maintained that “clean” image?

“We never felt the need to be all that controversial. All the scandals are still to come…”

All three of you are fathers. What are the lessons/values you’ve learned from your own lives that you have handed down to your children? How are you as dads?

“I guess we are like all other parents. Trying to raise our children to be good persons both to others and to themselves.”

The prevailing message of your music is about peace and happiness. Why so? Do you still convey the same message in your music today?

“To us, love and peace are the most important issues in the world. And at the same time things that all people can feel with their body and mind. That makes such topics perfect for songs since people relate to the lyrics and draw up their own pictures and emotions when listening to the songs. We will never stop singing about love and peace.”

How would you sum up your years as musicians?

“Unbelievable. Meaningful. Fortunate.”

You were in the Philippines for shows twice. What comes to your mind about those visits?

“Our Philippine fans are the absolute best singers in the whole world — so we remember their voices. The Filipinos are a very musical people. We love it when the audience sings along with us. I remember that we had our show at the big venue where Thrilla In Manila (Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier in 1975) was held. We remember that trip very well. It was short but we enjoyed it a lot. We always love going to the Philippines. We have performed in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and other cities in the country.”

(Michael Learns To Rock’s Still Asia Tour 2018 is produced by Ovation Productions with Philippine STAR among the media partners. For tickets, call Ticketnet at 911-5555, or SM Tickets at 470-2222, or Ovation Productions at 532-8883.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)