by Jolien Nagels
Eefje de Visser interview by Drm.am. The Dutch singer-songwriter from the Netherlands speaks with Jolien Nagels.
When Eefje was a teenager she used to sing in English and her dream is to bring her own music abroad to reach a larger audience. Eefje is a very spontaneous, bubbly lady and for me as a Dutch speaker (from Belgium) was thrilled to get the opportunity of chatting with her over Skype.
Below you can read the full interview about her albums, the Dutch language, her inspiration and her plans for the future.
Last year you had a new album ‘Het is’. Are you already working on a new album?
I’m writing songs but it is not going so fast because I’m a bit busy at this moment. I have a lot of ideas for melodies, structures but not yet for lyrics so it is going a bit slowly, but I’m going to work on it this summer.
The album ‘Het is’ is different of your previous one ‘De Koek’ that you made in 2011. Do you want to bring again something new, something different?
Yes, I want to do something more up beat, not faster, but I want it to be more energetic. The last album is a very soft and warm album, I wanted it to be soft, warm and very easy, soft for your ears. It can be very tiring to listen to the kind of sounds that you hear a lot in pop music. I like that loud sound as well but I wanted to make something that has more space. But for the new album I want more energy, I want to make something more upbeat, melodic and more energetic.
There are acoustic and highly melodic elements in your music. Do you see any artists such as Agnes Obel and Goldfrapp inspirational or any close to what you do? Where do you get your inspiration from?
This last album I was more inspired by artists like Agnes Obel, Angus & Julia Stone but I also listened a lot to for example Robyn and Lykke Li, both Swedish singer-songwriters. So more electronic and almost trance like dance music. But I didn’t want to be so electronic, I wanted to do something that was really in a way poppy but still modest and sober.
Last months, you did a lot of concerts to show off your new album and you still have some concerts to go. What are your plans after this tour?
I still have a few concerts to go, one in Belgium, I’m doing that solo, it is a support show for the Belgian singer-songwriter Renee. After I’ll do 2 shows on my own, a festival and after that a theatre tour. But I’m also busy with writing for other projects. I’m writing songs for other people.
Do you prefer to do that in the future?
No I really prefer to perform my own songs but I also like to composing the music for a theatre or a movie that I like because this is what I wanted to do when I was younger. I had a stage fright so I wanted to be more a composer, songwriter in the background. But now I love performing but I still like to do the other things.
Tomorrow you play in Ghent to do the supporting act of Belgium singer Renée, do you know her personally?
Yes, we did 18 shows together, she did my supporting acts in Holland and I did her supporting acts in Belgium. So we did like 20 shows together.
On 24th May it’s Summerfestival in Dheft. Do you prefer to play a single concert or in a music festival?
I think I prefer a single concert because you can do more intimate music, and you can get more attention from the audience. People are more willing to listen.
I can show more myself in a way, I can also do soft songs and the “little” songs . Not only the “bangers”. I also like to make the more danceable music, but even more the intimate music that is not for festivals.
Earlier you’ve told me that you did a lot of supporting acts in Belgium with Renee. Is the audience different than in the Netherlands?
I know the public is different but I did a tour mainly in theatres with Renee, and than you can’t see the differences because you don’t have that much contacts with the audience because there is this code: you play and the people listen.
In clubs or on festivals you have more interaction with your public and than you see the differences. In Belgium people are more quiet, in Holland people give more feedback, if they don’t like my music, they will talk over it and won’t listen and if they do like it they’re quiet. The audience in Belgium is mostly quieter.
A while time ago you used to sing in English. When did you decide that you rather like to write and to sing in Dutch instead of in English?
That was when I was studying song-writing in an academy in Holland and I was more focused in writing for other people, and writing children’s song. Because there were a few songwriters that make children’s songs that I really liked and I wanted to do that as well. But I made songs that were too philosophical, a bit too personal also. But I had the experience with the Dutch language that way and I found out that I could be more original in Dutch. I could play more with the lyrics so I suddenly decided to try it with my own songs, for my own music and than I just tried and than it took me a few years to discover what was my style and then I decided to be a singer–songwriter and to do it in Dutch.
Do you have any plans to sing in English again?
Not right now but I’ve tried some things with another songwriter but if I start to sing in English again I would work together with an English songwriter, with someone who write lyrics in English because I am not good enough in English. It would be an acceleration than with a native speaker in English.
I see you have done some covers like “call me” and “paddling out”? Would you like to do more covers?
No, I really want to do my own stuff, I also like to do covering songs but song-writing is really what I like the most and it is really why I make music. I want to write and compose. I want to do the whole thing and as an exception I like to do a cover sometimes.
Is it your ambition to get more famous in Belgium and in other countries?
Yes, I would like to reach more people in Belgium and in other countries. I would like to reach as far as possible. I will keep doing what I’m doing and I don’t want to make any concessions.
I will be honest and make my own things but with that I want to reach as far as possible. So Belgium, South Africa or wherever they speak or like the Dutch language I would like to play there, travel a lot, meet new people and play for new audiences.
Have you already gave concerts abroad?
Not yet in other countries, only in Belgium and in Holland.
What you think about a concert in London?
I would love to but probably they won’t know what I’m singing.
Sometimes I think that I am not going to translate anything and just go abroad and sing my Dutch music and see what happens. Maybe I will do that in the future, I don’t know yet.
Her album ‘Het is’ is out, you can download it HERE.
Find more information on her website.
Listen to Eefje de Visser on Spotify.
All photos used with courtesy of Double Vee and Eefje’s Platenmaatschappijtje.
