From December issue of Billboard Magazine: Tobias on why the Grammy recognition matters & the band's "for your consideration" ad.

"When you’re working with art, you normally do not have a whole lot of the sort of moments that you have within sports. In sports, the win is very momentary: Either you win or you lose. Whereas an artistic career is usually over the course of time. Even if you’re somewhat successful as an artist, it’s very, very rarely happening overnight. When you’re nominated for awards, that’s the closest you can get [as an artist] to that “One second ago, I didn’t have it, and now I have it.” [Winning a Grammy] is one of the few moments I’ve had throughout my professional career where I really felt [how things] could have felt very different had I not achieved what happened 10 seconds ago. The rings on the water meant a lot of things professionally in terms of quote-unquote “being taken seriously. Radio, promoters — if you for some reason might be looking for a new label — all of a sudden, when you’re nominated, it’s a stamp of approval that will automatically make potential collaborators, partners, what have you, give you more chances. That is not to say that you can come in and be a dick. You just automatically get a bit more of a gravitas in maneuvering within the different aspects of your career in a way that you might not have, had you not had the stamp of approval of getting a Grammy nomination — or, even better, winning it. But as with most things, what you’re getting is a bag of tools. And you can choose not to use them. Over the course of many, many decades of artists getting awards, there are many that have gotten an accolade and then just faded into nothingness. Because it’s all about momentum. You should see it as a steppingstone. It’s part of your journey, not the end of it."

Kind reminder the Grammy Awards will take place on February 4, 2024 and Ghost is nominated in the Best Metal Performance category with their rendition of 'Phantom of The Opera.' 🫶

Actually playing his guitar

Bridgeport 8/20/23 

Magazine 2013 found in a barber shop in Ireland

From Ghost Sweden Facebook

Thanks Steff Caffrey

Someone wrote a papier on Ghost

Source: Dimissa https://www.facebook.com/dimissaemeritus?mibextid=LQQJ4d

School of Ghoul- Ghost Fan Club

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwoB8koMNjU/?igshid=NmQ4MjZlMjE5YQ==

Slav, since you are the all knower in the Ghost fandom, I was wondering what you think is gonna happen to Copia? Do you think there'll be a full on Papal change or do you think that there's gonna be some big change with Popia himself?

Well, ha, I'm not a soothsayer, just a humble observer and enjoyer of what Mr Ghost conjures. But if you want my opinion, I believe Copia's character arc has ran its course and there are no further avenues to explore. Since the Cardinal's debut in 2018, TF consistently indicated that the character would span 2 album cycles. He said his 'purpose' was to prove his mettle as a frontman to the clergy that eventually may allow him to be elevated to the status of Papa. That was the intent from the outset. Indeed he succeeded, he became a Papa. So where else to now?

Tobias throws in little hints about the future here and there, like the red cardinal bird in Square Hammer. Sometimes he drops morsels of info in interviews. I remember him saying an 'outsider' would take reign before Copia appeared, or joking about how he thinks the Cardinal would look better in facepaint shortly before he indeed earned his paint. Recently he said Copia knows his time is coming to an end, but he (Copia) is trying to ignore it, pretending all is fine. Chapters allude to that as well. You have Saltarian saying he knows when Copia's time is up. The ominous coffin scene. Heck, in one of the chapters you can hear a song that's called Hang the Pope. Coincidences maybe, sure. But that seems like a hell of a lot of coincidences.

I know for a lot of you Copia was your 'first' Papa, so it's hard to envisage a change, but trust me, seeing the transition play out in real time can be fun, albeit chaotic. Chances are you're gonna hate the new guy at first and everything will feel off, but once you get past that initial resistance, the process of getting to know him & navigating the new surroundings may start to feel akin to discovering the band anew. That's the cool and unique thing about Ghost and its ever-evolving nature, with each new iteration come fresh emotions.