Dutch singer wants to rock out 'In Your Room'

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article specified a different song as the single to be released first.

Anneke van Giersbergen has been mystifying thousands of fans with her deep, soulful voice since her debut with The Gathering, a Dutch alternative rock band, in the mid-1990s. Now fronting her solo outfit Agua de Annique, Giersbergen is on the eve of releasing her new album, “In Your Room.”

“It came out to be exactly the way I wanted,” she told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, adding that this album is different in a few ways to “Air,” her solo debut, which revolved around the theme of flight. “[The new album] does not really have a concept, but it is kind of like the opposite of ‘Air’ in its meaning. ‘Air’ was about flying, going out into the sky – big and all that. With this album, the title says it all: ‘In Your Room.’ A confined space, small, clear, no nonsense,” Giersbergen explained. “An album is always like a part, a phase of your life, like a diary. I just felt more transparent, more introspective this time.”

Unlike during her time with The Gathering, Giersbergen currently spends less time in the recording studio, even though she has one in her home. “I like the songs to be finished and then go into the studio to record. I am not into searching for sounds for hours and hours,” she said, describing the biggest difference between writing and recording with her past and current bands. Not that she is badmouthing the former outfit. When asked how she likes the new album by The Gathering, her reply was simple: “It is great.” There are no clichéd rock n’ roll ego trips here.

Still, Giersbergen’s approach is unusual as many artists with the luxury of home studios enjoy practically living in there. “It is really dangerous to have your own studio because then it can take a year for recording,” she said. “I like the songs to be finished before recording, so there is no discussion in the studio. It is not inspiring to have discussions about where the chorus should be, where the bridge should be, when you are actually recording. I am all for a fast and good job.”

The first two songs to appear on MySpace prior to the album’s release are “Hey Okay” and “Adore.” The former, although not the official single, is a very catchy song and features a homemade video edited from footage shot during the recording sessions. The first release is likely to be "Sunny Side Up," but had not been decided upon when this interview was conducted. “Adore” questions the role that electric guitars will play on this album: “On this album, although it’s a bit of a poppy, alternative-pop sound, there is a kind of crunchy guitar on it. With ‘Air,’ it was more like big guitar,” said Giersbergen.

At the time of the interview, it had not yet been announced that Giersbergen will play Turkey alongside Anathema singer Danny Cavanagh on Dec. 25 and 26, but their recent musical partnership came up in conversation. Anathema and The Gathering had known each other since the early days. Giersbergen said she and Cavanagh wanted to play together for a long time but that it could not be realized until recently: “Even though we had met every once in a while, it was only three years ago when we said, ‘Seriously, let’s make some music together.’ So we kept in contact and started thinking about doing shows together and an album.” They played a few shows at different venues while recording the live album, “In Parallel.” As for the shows in Turkey, nothing is certain at this point apart from the dates.

Anathema is considered among the founding fathers of English doom metal, which is considered metal at its slowest and saddest, but, along with Giersbergen, both musicians are playing to a more varied audience these days. Before Giersbergen started singing with The Gathering, the group was just another metal band from Holland. Her voice made all the difference on the band’s 1995 album “Mandylion,” earning The Gathering immediate recognition.

But the transformation did not end there. Throughout the years, The Gathering experimented with new styles, losing some of its diehard metal fans, while gaining new listeners from the ranks of alternative rock, pop and shoegaze.

Giersbergen agreed: “It is true that in every phase of our musical existence, the fan base is changing. But there are still a lot of people there since 1995 because as they grow up, they get into more kinds of music. And these days, like you said, we are more into alternative pop and rock, but today the rock and metal scene is so big people are more open minded.” When it was suggested that Giersbergen seems to have the best of both worlds, she smiled, saying, “Yes, I do.”

It is perhaps surprising that Giersbergen has apparently never even thought of recording a commercial pop album, since she definitely has the voice and looks to beat MTV stars at their own game. The devil has never tempted her into making millions, she said.

“I do not think it is the devil’s work, pop music,” she joked. “I think I will always be in alternative music. I always do what my heart tells me and if that is pop music, well, that is awesome. It does not matter what name you stick on it, but I think the genre [in the mainstream] is sometimes a bit empty; it’s all about the looks, the outside. Still, it is entertainment; if you like to look at it, it’s all right.”

Giersbergen ended the interview with another laugh: “Of course, I’d like my album to be successful – but I’ll never deal with the devil!”