Anouk, the Netherlands’ Eurovision 2013 singer, is not enthusiastic about public interviews. So when RTL Late Night secured her for its show on Friday, producers decided to dedicate the entire programme to this blond birdy who is busy, busy, busy doing it all. At the moment Anouk is storming the charts with ‘Paradise And Back Again‘, is collaborating with Trijntje for ESC 2015 and has a new album in the works. The most exciting bit of the evening? Anouk is apparently drawing her writing inspiration from ‘having a great night with someone’. Get it gurrrrrrl.
About writing lyrics after having a ‘great night’:
Anouk was particularly open about her process of music writing. She mostly writes about things she encounters in daily life, including naughty nightly events: “When I have had a great night with someone, where I think, ‘Wow, he knows how to handle things,’ the next day I put on a beat and write lyrics about it.” On her next album, you can listen to one such recap in the song ‘Down Daddy Down’, which she previewed on the show (starts at 2:14). There’s not yet a release date for the new album, but she revealed that seven songs are more or less done.
The Dutch ESC 2015 song
Anouk told the story behind Dutch ESC participation for 2015 and how Trijntje ended up with one of her songs:“Trijntje visited me at home and said she wanted to participate in Eurovision. If I was in her place, I would not do it. It will be very difficult now to get first or second place. But Trijntje was okay with that and just wants to have a great time just like I had at Eurovision. She asked me if I had a song for her. I had nothing, so she wanted to look around in my computer. I let her and after plowing through my music, she found a great catchy song. I would have released it myself one day, if Trijntje wasn’t using it for ESC”.
Trijntje is singing, but Anouk will pull the strings for Vienna 2015:
We all know about Anouk’s desire for control from 2013 already, when she basically told the broadcaster things should go her way or not at all. Anouk reveals that this participation will be no different: “I told her she needs to sing the song exactly the way I want it. She sings beautifully, but with a lot of soul. I want to take the soul out. A little bit more straight without all the musical ornamentation and decoration. The same evening I booked a a great hotel for myself and Trijntje in Vienna. With a spa and good relaxation facilities. And I am looking forward to it. I want to be there for the first rehearsal in Vienna, to advise about lighting, staging, sound and so on. I also had a team with me in ESC, just to have someone to look and listen along.”
Eurovision 2013: good memories
About her own participation in 2013 Anouk and Kees de Koning (her manager) have good memories. Kees De Koning: “It was such a bizarre world, where we didn’t really fit in and that made it so much fun. We were not that focused on winning but just on having fun. Lining up at the toilets with a giant, women with beards walking around. I tried to steal the flags of all the countries the first week (for my kids). For us, it was a bit of a school trip.” Anouk: “I hope Trijntje has as much fun and a good vibe as we had there”.
You can watch the full RTL Late Night here.
RTL Late Night staat volledig in het teken van zangeres @Anouk! Haar nieuwe album is op 1 binnengekomen. #rtlln (1/2) pic.twitter.com/qKxCXWD5Kw
— BEAU (@BeauRTL) November 28, 2014
Source header picture: anouk.nl
Anouks album is GREAT!!!
Anouk & Trijntje are befriended and both professionals. So no-one is bossy, Trijntje just knows Anouk has European experience.
“women with beards walking around” – did not know that in 2013 there were women with beards at ESC
She doesn’t boss her around Jethro, not everything Anouk says should be taken literally. Anouk and Trijntje are friends and good friends can tell each other the truth without having to fear that the other will be hurt. I think together they can make the Netherlands shine at Eurovision for a third year in a row. That is all we care about after 9 terrible years.
Anouk sounds like a diva. How does she have the right to boss Trijntje around?!