Rock Overdose and Zisis Petkanas had the opportunity to talk to one of the most influential frontwomen of Rock / Metal music, Anneke Van Giersbergen.
They talk about her new album, which has already been released, her future plans, as well as the challenges of being a mother and dividing time between music and family.
Enjoy!
RockOverdose: Hi Anneke and welcome to Rock Overdose once again. It’s a great pleasure and I’m happy to chat with you after some years.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Thank you likewise my man!
RockOverdose: So, you have a new album that has come out. Would you like to give us more details about it?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I think I started writing about two years ago, maybe longer and I was actually working on an album for my band, VUUR, which is a metal band, but a lot of different songs came out. Everything I was writing was kind of soft and melancholic and I knew I had to write a solo acoustic album, so I started concentrating on that and worked for about a year on it and this is what came out! It was a surprise for me that this style of music came out of my pen, but I’m really happy with it, it’s very honest and pure, straight from the heart and I’m happy it’s out now!
RockOverdose: What about the feedback you received from the Press and the fans?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: To be honest, I didn’t know what people were going to say, because the plan was to make a rock or metal album and when I made something entirely different people could really be surprised or shocked, but I don’t know, the reactions are fantastic. I think maybe because it’s just an honest album and they really understand what I’m writing about and they like the melodies and the songs. Also, I think that in times of crisis, like we are now, people like to hear a bit of moody music with a lot of emotion in it, so it’s fitting with the people now. And that’s so nice, you know?
RockOverdose: Is there any other video coming out from this release?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: No, I think we did the last video for the song “I saw a car”, which is the fourth video for this album, so now we’re working on something we can broadcast online, so we’ll have some more footage and some images for a couple of weeks.
RockOverdose: I suppose you are looking forward to live gigs.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Oh yes, I’ve been missing playing live, just like any other musician. I think we can probably start touring physically in 2022. Maybe until that time we can do some little things, but now it’s all still in lockdown and we can’t go anywhere, so I think online would be something to do to express ourselves and play live, but physically I think it will be next year and that’s a long time.
RockOverdose: During the Covid lockdown you offered to guest appear in bands of any music style. How did that go?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: That went well! I didn’t know, I said online “I can sing on your album, just let me know” and then there were so many people who sent me a song they were working on, so I had to choose between a lot of really nice songs and I picked 12 songs and I did like two a month approximately. That was last year, so now these songs have started to come out online, so I created a Spotify list on my account to gather all those songs.
RockOverdose: How did you name this list?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I think something like Covid project or… I don’t know, but you’ll recognise it when you see it in my Spotify.
RockOverdose: In recent years, you have changed music styles quite often and you also switch between playing solo and in a band or making guest appearances. Do you think that fans may be confused at some point or do you consider it as different expressions of your talent?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Exactly the latest! I’m really happy to be in this scene, the alternative and metal scene, because people who listen to this kind of music are very open minded. They really like the solo acoustic projects I’ve been doing, for so many years now, so I have this artistic freedom and everybody checks out whatever I’m doing and takes it seriously and gives it a chance and that is so nice. And I also like singing really loud in Heavy Metal, you know, moving around on stage and have this chunk of energy. On the other hand, I really love singing in a small venue where I sing soft songs and tell stories and it’s something completely different. I can do both and I really enjoy it and the audience enjoys it too, just because it’s different every time.
RockOverdose: So where does Anneke really belong, in a band or singing solo with her guitar?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I would say both, as long as I can express myself in an honest way, I feel at home, so I can feel at home in my band and also on my own. I have to say, playing on my own, just with my guitar, that’s also really emotional, really close to my heart and then sometimes I feel that that’s the only honest way of making music, but I love loud music and singing loud, jumping up and down… So yeah, both.
RockOverdose: You have opened your heart on social media regarding personal issues. Was it difficult for you to be exposed, have you found that people took it well?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yeah, I didn’t know, because you never know when you’re going to release anything, like an album or when you talk about your personal life, how people are going to perceive it and you know this, online, people are sometimes really rude, they have an opinion about everything, sometimes it’s very aggressive, but for some reason I found a lot of people understand what I’m saying and a lot of people are thinking the same things, because it’s also just life, you know, it’s all about love, finding love, fighting for what you believe, trying to face difficulties head on, it’s something we all deal with.
RockOverdose: So it’s good to open your heart.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yeah, I guess so. I found that many people are very understanding about it and if feels good, I feel safe with our audience.
RockOverdose: I also have to say happy birthday for your son! It was his birthday a few days ago.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Thanks! That’s true, he’s 16! Time goes by so fast, it’s amazing.
RockOverdose: And I suppose you’re a proud mother.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I am, he’s such an intelligent boy and he plays the guitar, makes me very proud every day.
RockOverdose: He likes music too!
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yeah, he always listens to music but for a few years now he plays the guitar and he writes songs, so next year he’s going for an education in music and music production, which is really cool!
RockOverdose: And I suppose you are considering making a duet with him?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yes, that would be so great!
RockOverdose: How is it to be a mother and a musician so energetic like you are? Do you find that sometimes you don’t have the time to be with your family and is it difficult?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Sometimes it is, because I think also making music we have weird hours, sometimes you’re away for a night, sometimes for a week and sometimes longer, so it’s pretty random, timewise, but other than that, I have the same issues as any other working mother, because you have to divide your time between work and home, but I have to say with this pandemic situation and the lockdown, I’ve been home for a year now and of course I miss touring and playing live, but I’m really enjoying my time with Rob and Finn, and I see Finn every day, so I also see that as a blessing, that I was home so much. You know, we did a lot of Netflixing and yeah, that makes me happy!
RockOverdose: It was a break from your busy career, it is one of the benefits of the pandemic.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Exactly, I mean the situation is forced, we can’t do anything, so I’m all about enjoying what is positive about it.
RockOverdose: I bet there are still many people out there who would want to see you with Gathering again, on tour or on an album. How would you feel about such a move?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Never say never of course, but at the moment no man, I’m happy with my solo career, focusing on my solo project, so there’s no plan for that.
RockOverdose: But who knows, maybe someday you’ll make something, I suppose.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yeah, when we’re 80! Very slow music!
RockOverdose: How do you feel about having been a part of this band?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I’m very proud of what we’ve done and I cherish the memories that we have, I started my professional music career with them, we started touring and saw the world together and we made this beautiful music, which I’m really proud of, so I have a lot of love for this band.
RockOverdose: What about your other music projects?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: At the moment, I have nothing planned, it’s only my solo album, but my past projects, some of them worked out better than others. I’m proud of everything I’ve done and with everything you kind of finish and everything you do, you always say “next time, I’m going to do this, this and this better”. It’s the same with playing live, I always think “this is a great gig, but tomorrow I’m going to improve in this, this and this”. So, it’s always like work in progress and if everything goes right your last project or last album is always the best, right?
RockOverdose: What about your future plans? Are there any other news you would like to share through this interview?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: The next steps will be slow, normally, when you release an album, you go on tour, which is not the case right now, but I am practising my solo sets, I’m learning the songs on the acoustic guitar, so when I do go out, I’ll go out on my own, just me and the guitar. I’m planning to come to Greece, I think next year, but that’s not the case just yet, so we’re gonna do some stuff online and I’ll keep writing, since we’re in lockdown, I don’t have anywhere to go, I’ll keep writing songs and see what happens.
RockOverdose: In this difficult time for artists, how are you planning to promote your new release?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Like I said, I’m going to do some things online, nowadays we have the infrastructure to play online and also play a show where you can sell tickets, so that’s a way for artists to earn an income of playing live only online and not physically. So that’s kind of the plan. It’s difficult to earn a living in these difficult situations, hopefully it won’t go on for much longer, but I think this year there’s not a lot happening in terms of being able to travel.
RockOverdose: What are your memories from Greece? You have visited Greece a lot of times and also played in smaller cities here, like my hometown Kastoria, it was great.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: I love Greece, I love a lot of things about Greece, your climate, your nature and the people, you know, you’re very passionate people and you always say what you think, what you like, what you don’t like. I think it’s a very honest crowd and I love your food! Greek salads and everything. Last time I was in Greece I was also in a solo acoustic tour and I brought my sound guy Chuck and it was just the two of us and the promoter in the car, travelling around Greece and we met so many wonderful people, sometimes we still talk about coming back, so there was a plan for a little tour, but it didn’t occur because of Covid. So it was postponed, but if we come back, I think I’ll come back with the same sound guy, do it all over again, I’m really looking forward to it.
RockOverdose: We are looking forward to it too! It’s been almost six years since then.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Really? Jesus! It’s way too long.
RockOverdose: Yeah, in my hometown at least it was on 2015. So you have to come back.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Yes, we have to!
RockOverdose: So what would you like to say to your fans listening to this interview?
Anneke Van Giersbergen: First of all, thanks for listening, thanks for checking out my new album, it never gets old, that people get into my music and tell me that they like it or they feel something with this new music, that makes me happy and the only thing I wish is that we all in the world, as artists and me, can go out very soon to play live, because for me, that’s the best thing, to go out and meet everybody and play songs and sing. That’s what fills my heart and that’s what I hope to do very soon again.
RockOverdose: Thank you very much for this interview and looking forward to meet again and offer you this greek food, wine etc. You’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met in this music industry.
Anneke Van Giersbergen: Thank you so much, that’s so nice of you! Hope to see you again.
For Rock Overdose,
Zisis Petkanas
Questions by Ilias Perogamvros
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