Interview by Wout de Natris
© WoNo Magazine 2015
In the past year Dutch singer/songwriter Mieke van Veen featured regularly on this blog. First as one of the artists on a singer/songwriter evening in The Hague that I went to because it was the only chance I had of seeing Shane Alexander play that time around (and the rest of the year it turned out). Mieke van Veen caught my ear (and eye as the review showed), especially with 'Riverside'. That the interest for the post was mainly through Mieke's fans was proven by the fact that our review of her debut album 'Between these walls' (read here: http://wonomagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/11/between-these-walls-mieke-van-veen.html) was the second best read post of 2014. We met with Mieke at a singer/songwriter event in Leiden and made an appointment for an interview.
As
not all readers of this blog may be familiar with you, how would you like to
introduce yourself?
My name is Mieke van Veen, I’m a Dutch
singer/songwriter with an americana sound.
You
have worked for years towards the moment to release your first album. In what
ways did the release influence and/or change your life?
The whole process of making an album has
been a lifetime experience, a rollercoaster ride. It took me 2 years to finish 'Between
these Walls' and I’m really proud of it. The best musicians Holland has to offer
worked with me and I feel blessed. My release was the perfect ending of that
process and it also marks a new start. Finally people can hear what I have been
doing the last 2 years. Also I have the time and freedom now to write new
stuff.
Your
music has a distinctive mood around it. I’d best describe it as
melancholy. In what way does your music
reflect who you are?
I love that melancholy mood. You can dwell
in that lonely, lost feeling, but in the end it always has a positive side.
That’s me, I always look for the positive in life. But I’m not a moody type
at all, you can ask my kids. They will say their mom is a funny, bit crazy and
outgoing person, haha.
In
what mood are you when you’re creative?
A lot of songs on my album, 'Between these
walls', reflect on what I’ve been through, or what I experienced around me. Like
the song 'Long Gone' I composed on my piano on a day I met a close friend who’s mother was slowly
fading away by Alzheimer's disease. Such a cruel disease. I Just imagined how
it felt and wrote the song.
What
influences your writing most, happy or sad? I’m personally under the impression
that it’s both.
Both!
Your
songs appear to be personal, some even messages to someone close by. Do you
write from a personal level or are they more personalised observations?
It’s always personal. Even if the topic is
not about me, it’s about the way I see it.
'LOW' is about a mother who cannot let her ex-husband go. She will do
anything to make his life miserable. At a point
where she will use her own kids to do so. And the cruel reality is, her actions won’t make her any happier. In the end it’s the kids who suffer the most. As a mother of 2 I have little respect
for that. But those
stories happen every day.
On
stage you said that ‘Riverside’ is based on a family history. Would you like to
share it with our readers?
It’s about my grandparents. They lived in
Indonesia when WWII broke out. My
grandmother was pregnant of my father at that time and already had 2 little
daughters. My grandfather was captured and thrown in jail. My grandmother tried
to run away but it was too late. Together with her sister, she was detained in
one of the Japanese camps. My father was born there. My family suffered so
much, but they survived. It took about 4
years before my grandfather saw his firstborn son.
When
reading about you the name of your brother Bart* pops up sooner or later. If so,
in what ways does it help to be identified with him?
It doesn’t help getting me further in the
music business, if that is what you mean. My brother is a very talented
songwriter, but he likes to be in the background. A lot of people don’t even know him.
Sometimes people ask me why I don’t sing his songs, but we just both love
writing; and I love performing as well. As a brother he means the world. We have a special bond. When I was still
studying journalism, we even lived together. Bart helped me with producing my
first EP, ‘Mica’sMess’. Thanks to Bart I know a lot of awesome musicians who
like to work with me. On my debut album I decided to work with producer Budy
Mokoginta.
* Bart van Veen is a songwriter with several hits and songs for Anouk to his name.
Was
music important in the home you grew up in and if so what are your earliest
influences?
Yes. My parents wanted their kids to have a
musical education (as well as sports). So I played the mandolin and hobo. Both classical
music. When I was about 15 I grabbed my brothers guitar and just started
playing without knowing the chords. And I still
don’t know what I’m playing. I don’t
need to. Rather let the sound lead the way.
You
perform alone, as a duo, trio and with a large band. How do you manage all
these different settings and which one has your preference?
I love those different settings. Depending on the kind of venue, I decide how and with whom I can perform. The musicians I play with
are all very talented, so it’s easy to play with them. It’s awesome to hear how
those guys give my songs more depth. But
solo on stage is easier for me, cause I can improvise how and when I want. I
can change my setlist and play songs I don’t often play.
The basis of all your songs is one woman, one
guitar. On record they are fleshed out, some more, some less. Do you know up
front how a song will or should develop or does this come later in the process?
Not always. It really depends on the feel
of the song. Some of them where already finished just the way they where.
Others I felt could use an extra touch. I took the time to figure that out
along the way, together with
my producer. So when we got in the studio there was
enough freedom to change things and use the creativity of the musicians. Even
in the last process of mastering the songs we
changed things. Cause eventually it always comes down to the
song, the story and my voice.
The
final song on Between these walls, ‘Lege handen’, is in Dutch. Hidden away as
it were. You decided to sing in English. Why not in Dutch and what is the story
behind the one Dutch song?
About two years ago I was working with a
theater director for a performance at Fringe Festival. She challenged me to write a Dutch song. 'Lege handen' ("Empty hands")
was the result. And when I play it live a lot of people love it. So in the studio we jammed
a bit with gitarist Menno Gootjes on guitar, and it sounded awesome. So we recorded it. So I decided to put I it
on the album as a hidden track. Maybe in
the future I will write another Dutch song, but don’t expect a Dutch album,
haha!
What
can we expect from you in 2015?
I’ll be performing a lot! Hopefully I’ll be playing on some beautiful festivals upcoming summer. I’m
planning a little tour in the USA somewhere in September. Probably NY
city (I was there 2 years ago when I wrote 'Traffic Jam'). And I’m writing a lot
of new stuff. I will start working on my
new album at the end of this year. And
I’ll promise you, more happy songs ;-)
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