Auteur: myrthe

On this EP we’re diving deeper into beats, bars and big feelings… MOTION is chapter two of the trilogy album that is DYNAMO. We broke the STANDSTILL in chapter 1. Now what…?

On MOTION, we move. On bop-worthy beats, but also through big feelings. And when you move, everything around you changes. It’s unsteady, it’s scary, and it’s exciting. You sip from a cocktail of feelings, consisting of anger and freedom, sadness and hope, vulnerability and power, at times causing some motion sickness. You want to heal, and you want to live. You cry, and you dance. You scream, and you sing. On MOTION, you are along for the ride.

I am so proud of these 5 tracks that have been brewing for a long time. They were written on nightly tram rides, during sleepless nights, somewhere on Portugese soil, on the streets of Los Angeles, in multiple newly found homes in Amsterdam, and then a lot of it was just hard work in Jochem Broersen’s (Ocabo Music) studio in Utrecht, meticulously fitting words and melodies and looking for sounds that inspired us and ‘’fit the DYNAMO vibe’’.

It would mean a lot if you gave it a listen 💛
So let’s set things in MOTION and hit PLAY 🪩🌪️

Big thanks to:
Production by Jochem Broersen / Ocabo Music
Mastering by Ivo Statinski 
Cover by Lisanne Lentink
Recorded at Wisseloord Studios

A decision has been made. We broke the STANDSTILL. Now what…? After releasing STANDSTILL in August, the first chapter of trilogy album DYNAMO, it is now time for chapter two: ‘MOTION’. On this EP, set to release on 6 June, we move deeper into the fascinating mix of beats, poetic lyrics, catchy choruses and wooshing synths. Are you ready?

A cocktail of feelings
On MOTION, we move. On bop-worthy beats, but also through big feelings. And when you move, everything around you changes. It’s unsteady, it’s scary, and it’s exciting. You sip from a cocktail of feelings, consisting of anger and freedom, sadness and hope, vulnerability and power, at times causing some motion sickness. You want to heal, and you want to live. You cry, and you dance. You scream, and you sing. On MOTION, you are along for the ride.   

DYNAMO
Chapter 2: MOTION
Out 6/6

Produced by Jochem Broersen / Ocabo Music.
Cover photo shot by the most talented Lisanne Lentink.

‘STANDSTILL’, the first chapter of DYNAMO, is out now! What happens if a dynamo stops moving? It turns dark. It turns quiet. This is where the story starts, told in raw and rhythmic poetry, accompanied by electronic beats and moody synths. 

I’m so excited!! After two years of thinking about and working on this, together with my friend and producer Jochem Broersen, the day is finally here. We have released five brand new tracks, as the EP ‘STANDSTILL’. 

This has been a very special ride so far. Me and Jochem have never done anything like this, going full electronic, playing with strong beats, vocal effects and heavy synths. It is dark and moody, but by incorporating more traditional songwriting influences next to spoken word, it also feels energetic and dynamic, and dare I say, even catchy at times. My one constant thought was: ‘’head bopping is essential’’. But most of all I hope that the story I’m telling will resonate with you as the listener. And if it does, I hope it will make you feel seen and less alone, as writing it has done for me. 

I want to thank the people that helped make this EP come to life:
*Ocabo Music, Jochem, for producing his heart out on these tracks.
*Amber Kamminga, sprinkling her songwriting magic on track #4.
*Lisanne Lentink, for helping me make the visual part come to life.
*Ivo Statinski Mastering for polishing up these tracks so nicely.
*Wisseloord Studios for providing such an awesome space to record these tracks in.

With this EP, a dark chapter is literally released, packaged up and put out there to visit and experience, but not to live in anymore. From now on we are slowly moving towards the light.

Listen to STANDSTILL on your favourite streaming platform and let me know what you think, it would mean a lot!

It was 9 July 2023 that I mentioned to my friend and musical partner in crime Jochem Broersen that I wanted to record again, but “nothing complicated”. I guess that’s just not in my nature, cause here we are, two years later, at the first step of releasing an album, called DYNAMO, in three chapters.

STANDSTILL:

A state characterized by absence of motion or of progress
A point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in. 

“They battled each other to a standstill.”

What happens if a dynamo stops moving? It turns dark. It turns quiet. DYNAMO will be a trilogy album, starting with the first chapter: STANDSTILL. This chapter is about being stuck in a harmful status quo, not knowing how to free yourself from it. Or if you even want to be freed from it, because the loss scares you and the hurt has become familiar. So you just carry on. Always ready to fight, to protect, to prepare yourself for imminent doom. Till you’re at a standstill. A point of deciding: do you stay, or do you move?

DYNAMO
Chapter 1: STANDSTILL
Out 8/8

Thrilled and excited. Stay tuned!

Produced by Jochem Broersen / Ocabo Music.
Cover photo shot by the most talented Lisanne Lentink.

P.S: Making this album is a blast. Here’s some behind the scenes footage, including a musical sneak preview…

Van februari t/m april mocht ik op theatertour samen met de vier andere winnaars van een SPOKEN Award, die ik in september heb mogen ontvangen. Ik mocht spelen in theaters door heel Nederland met de geweldige en inspirerende artiesten Mees van Rijswijk, Abdelhak Aoulad Hadj, Houda Noussi en Luc Howie Duzzith. 

Onder de vleugels van regisseur Renee Trijselaar met ondersteuning van Nadîja Roza Broekhart hebben we een prachtige spoken word voorstelling in elkaar kunnen zetten die heel goed bij ons paste, met muziek van Jermaine Berkhoudt. Samen hebben we mensen (nader) kennis kunnen laten maken met spoken word, en ik heb een aantal stukken van mijn debuutalbum Naastenliefde kunnen opvoeren wat een droom was die uitkwam!

Het was een fantastische ervaring waarin ik gegroeid ben als artiest. Nu ben ik volop bezig met nieuwe creaties! De laatste daarvan is de spoken word track ARMOR, in samenwerking met Studio 404 NYC en Ocabo Music, te beluisteren op de streamingdiensten!

Wat er verder komt…. dat houd ik nog even voor me ;-).

ARMOR is out now. I wrote most of it while traveling through the US, where the student protests started, holding their universities accountable and standing up for a free Palestine. While I was away, students from the university of Amsterdam, and soon other universities in the Netherlands, followed. I felt conflicted being so far away while this was happening in my country and I couldn’t be present. But what I could do was write about it. So I did.

ARMOR is for those speaking up, even if their voice quivers and their body shivers. Stay resilient, be bold, and please, don’t do as you’re told. Free Palestine. Disclose. Divest.

It would mean a lot if you’d give it a listen. And if you want to support, here are some organizations to donate to and support:
Plant een Olijfboom
UNRWA
Student Encampments the Netherlands: follow @student.encampment.nl on Instagram.
You can also donate to their Gofundme here.

ARMOR was recorded in Brooklyn at Studio 404
Produced by Studio 404/Aaron Michael Vinik and Ocabo Music
Mastered by Statinski Mastering

I first wrote this piece after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021. In my work for Free Press Unlimited I saw the bravery, the steadfastness and importance of journalists at the front line. Facing and documenting the horrible realities of war, the destruction of homes and innocent people getting hurt and killed, all the while Putin was forbidding the use of the word. I performed it, and released it as a video made by Jan-Willem Bult.

But unfortunately the content of this piece is still painfully accurate nearly 2 years later. Not only for Ukraine, where they are still fighting to defend their home, but also the horrific crimes against humanity that are committed in Palestine, and other places in the world that are not receiving much attention like Sudan and Congo.

That’s why I wanted to record it, with a few adjustments, and release it on streaming. Produced by my friend and collaborator Ocabo Music. It would mean a lot to me if you give it a listen.

Today the cease fire in Palestine ended, and the bombing continues. We need documentation to hold perpetrators of human rights to account, and we need solidarity for all people, not just for people who look like us. So let’s say peace, loudly and together. We know better.

🕊️🌍

Wat een mooie dag. Jarig, en een SPOKEN Award winnen in de categorie Poetry. Ik droeg mijn stuk Genesis voor, waarna de jury mij uitkoos als winnaar in de categorie Poetry. Heel blij en dankbaar!

Het ging al missss bij Genesis….
Was het niet een man die verzon
dat Eva zich niet inhouden kon?
En uit de man ontstond.
Een rib uit zijn lijf
Adem door Adam
Voor altijd in het krijt.

Naast mij stonden er andere geweldige spoken word artiesten op het podium, waaruit er nog 4 winnaars gekozen werden. Samen met hen ga ik op de SPOKEN Theatertour! De eerste try out vindt plaats in december 2023, en in 2024 zullen we verschillende kleine theaters in Nederland langsgaan.

Daar heb ik ontzettend veel zin in natuurlijk. Kom je langs? Bekijk mijn agenda voor de laatste updates over data!

One and a half years ago, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I wrote an English text for press freedom organisation Free Press Unlimited. Putin had just announced that uttering the word “war” was a punishable offense.

I wrote this text to express my anger at what was being done to the people of Ukraine, but also my admiration for all Ukrainians and the brave journalists who take it upon themselves to continue reporting reliable information.

Unfortunately, this text remains just as relevant today. The Venice Fullshot Film Festival agreed, awarding the film the prize for “Best Experimental Film.”

Directed by Jan-Willem Bult.

Watch the video here:

Afgelopen maandag was ik op bezoek bij Omroep Flevoland om in gesprek te gaan over Naastenliefde en het optreden met de band in Lelystad op 6 mei ❤️.

Het was een superfijn gesprek, en mooi om daar Grijze Regenbogen voor te dragen! Het hele gesprek en optreden is hieronder terug te kijken: