Featured artist: Annicke Shireen
22 Februari 2021
One of the proud artists who joined Duitje is the manifaceted Annicke Shireen. Her work is not simply confined to a clear-cut art discipline - you might know her as a vocalist, a costume designer and couturier, or from any of her numerous other artistic endeavours. We interviewed her about her upcoming solo EP and about her experiences as an artist living in a time and place where nothing is as it used to be.
A quick glance at Annicke Shireen's portfolio reveals a broad spectrum of artistic feats and a pethora of impressing experiences. She appeared on Dutch television as the winner of the RTL4 programme "Door het Oog van de Naald" (Through the Eye of the Needle), her costume designs have been used in the Xbox Series X game "Senua's Saga: Hellblade II", and she has performed on numerous large international stages with bands such as Heilung, Wardruna and her own project Shireen.
Image of Senua | Ninja Theory
The newest project springing from her mind is her first solo EP, entitled "The Serpent". The first song, "Do Better", will be released on 26 February. For this EP, she collaborated with producer and drummer Koen Herfst, who previously worked with artists like Armin van Buuren, Anneke van Giersbergen and bands such as After Forever and Epica.
"The voices on your shoulder always influence you, but as this is my first solo project, I wanted to dive even further and bring my most deeply hidden sides to light."
Cover of "The Serpent"
"Working with Koen was incredibly instructive and rewarding," Annicke recounts. Those who are most familiar with her work with Shireen should prepare themselves for a whole new sound. "Koen's input and ideas were elemental in finding the vibe we wanted for the three songs on the EP. The first studio session immediately showed us how well we clicked on a musical level; in a short time we worked on a great number of ideas, in a vast amount of musical genres."
Those different influences become apparent immediately upon your first listen of "Do Better", a heavy, slow song which deals with an equally onerous topic. Something manipulative reverberates in the speaker's words, something insatiable. It allows you to interpret the wish "We could do better / We could be one" both positively and negatively. The exporation of such profound subjects is carried through the rest of the EP as well. "For this project, I decided to face my personal demons," Annicke explains. "The voices on your shoulder always influence you, but as this is my first solo project, I wanted to dive even further and bring my most deeply hidden sides to light." Was the resulting experience in any way cathartic for her, then? "I believe so! The past year has not been kind to me, in many regards. Many elements of my personal life have been turned upside down. Writing this EP forced me to finally confront myself; in that regard, the chance to produce this EP arrived at the perfect time."
Those different influences become apparent immediately upon your first listen of "Do Better", a heavy, slow song which deals with an equally onerous topic. Something manipulative reverberates in the speaker's words, something insatiable. It allows you to interpret the wish "We could do better / We could be one" both positively and negatively. The exporation of such profound subjects is carried through the rest of the EP as well. "For this project, I decided to face my personal demons," Annicke explains. "The voices on your shoulder always influence you, but as this is my first solo project, I wanted to dive even further and bring my most deeply hidden sides to light." Was the resulting experience in any way cathartic for her, then? "I believe so! The past year has not been kind to me, in many regards. Many elements of my personal life have been turned upside down. Writing this EP forced me to finally confront myself; in that regard, the chance to produce this EP arrived at the perfect time."
R. Terborg | MUA: C. van Beusekom
No-one will deny that this year has been a challenging, alienating time. How did it impact Annicke, who makes a living fully from her work as an artist? "In March of last year, my calendar was shaken up completely," she answers. As part of the band Heilung, she was looking forward to what would amount to a full year of touring internationally. "That month, the first cancellation came. Shortly after the next. And then the next, and so on. In a few weeks time, all our concerts were put to a halt. I was already dealing with a giant shitstorm, and everything combined brought me down to one of my lowest points. I'm only now climbing back up. I'm deeply grateful for the people who have been there for me in the past months. Being able to bring something new and beautiful into te world again feels simply wonderful. This has been one of my most empowering moments."
"The Serpent" will be released in parts; the first song, "Do Better", will be released on all the usual platforms on 26 February! Our tip: close your curtains, dim your lights and take a moment to let the song get to you.
If you'd like to find out more about Annicke's work, please view her artist portfolio on her website annickeshireen.com and follow her on Facebook or Instagram. If you'd like to support Annicke, please give her a pretty penny here:
If you'd like to find out more about Annicke's work, please view her artist portfolio on her website annickeshireen.com and follow her on Facebook or Instagram. If you'd like to support Annicke, please give her a pretty penny here:
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