Anneke van Giersbergen needs no introduction to fans of rock and metal. Her voice has been a constant source of comfort, strength, and vulnerability, from her early days with The Gathering to her wide-ranging solo career. Now, Anneke is back with a new project—a trilogy of EPs called La Vie, La Mort, L’Amour. The first part, La Vie, has just been released, and we caught up with her to talk about the creative process, grief, and reconnecting with her past.
Teen Art Out: First of all, congrats, because today is the day you release the first EP. How does it feel for it to be out?
Anneke: “Oh, it’s nice. It’s a good feeling, because I’m quite proud. I, you know, we worked really hard on them, on the songs and on the release. And there’s so much that you have to take care of, you know, in approaching the release. So, you know, the artwork and the whole thing. It’s not just the music and making the music, it’s also recording and releasing, so it’s always a big task. It’s all always deadline driven, so it’s always a lot of work. So, and, yeah, I’m really happy. It’s out there and the reactions are quite good.”
Teen Art Out: Oh, Are you personally following the reactions?
Anneke: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I posted on my Insta and Facebook, and so I’m following and I’m looking at all the comments and yeah, absolutely.”
Teen Art Out: I’m glad people are being nice. I listened to it and it’s really good. I’m gonna start with the obvious question for me, which is: why a trilogy?
Anneke: “Well, it was just something that came naturally, because I was writing songs and I could kind of categorize them in a certain mood. And I came up with this title, La Vie, La Mort, L’Amour, and that was three words. And so, like, for some reason all these things came together. And I thought, well, wouldn’t it be so fitting to make a trilogy?”
“Plus, when you do that, you can kind of take the time to crystallize all the songs—to record, to release, to keep writing, keep recording, keep releasing. So it’s also kind of a nice way to write and release the music, if it goes in chunks. So the trilogy also means that the songs still progress as we are moving forward with the releases.”
Teen Art Out: So you’re still writing and recording for the next EPs?
Anneke: “Yes! And that’s so nice. So we’re still writing and recording, and there’s already a release. So that’s so cool. You can kind of keep working on the songs while it’s already out there, part of it.”
Teen Art Out: Do you approach songwriting differently when it’s an EP compared to a full album?
Anneke: “Yes, I think also in a more relaxed way. We don’t have to finish 20 songs all at once. You can keep working and work on details, even because you can take a longer time to write and record.”
“I have an 8-piece band, so there’s eight people recording, and they all have their own musical lives. So to get them all in one room is also a challenge. I like that over time, you can divide all the work, and because you can divide all the work, you can work on details, you can work individually—and I like that.”
Teen Art Out: Obviously, this is a material that comes from a tragic place. Do you find it easier to write happy songs or sad songs?
Anneke: “I like this question because it’s—yeah, for me, it’s both. I know a lot of musicians who, when they’re unhappy, they write the best songs, but I just write about my own life, really.”
“So when I’m happy, I write more happy stuff. And when things happen, or when I have a period where I do a lot of soul searching and trying to find out who I am—you know, when I was a bit younger, that was a big thing: who am I, and what am I doing in this world, and what’s my purpose? So I write just what I’m dealing with at the moment.”
“Like you said, the past year was a big year for me, because I lost both my parents in a short amount of time. That obviously has a lot of impact on my daily life and my psyche and my feelings. So I wrote a lot about that. Those songs will end up on the next EP or the EP after that. But this EP also has songs I wrote two years ago. So all these songs are going to be scattered across the three EPs.”
“And the funny thing is, I wrote When I Die, which is on this EP, two years ago—long before my parents passed. And there’s a song I wrote about my birth house and my village, also two years ago. So somehow all this stuff comes together with the events of last year. It’s like my thoughts were already heading there.”
Teen Art Out: That reminds me of something from our national poet, Mihai Eminescu. He wrote, ‘I never thought I’d learn how to die.’
Anneke: “Wow. That’s something beautiful—that’s something really profound, indeed. And it’s true. We all have so many mixed feelings about death. And what I like about being in the rock and metal scene is that people here are not so afraid of talking about these things. There’s less taboo.”
“We dare to think about it. We dare to talk about it. That’s why I feel free to write about it. Because everybody has these feelings. There are only two things guaranteed in life: being born and dying. So why keep death far away from us? It’s inevitable.”
Teen Art Out: What’s something about grief you don’t understand until you’re in the middle of it?
Anneke: “For me, it’s the notion of time. I was talking to my husband this morning, and I said, sometimes I think about the 80s, when I was really young. I think about the dog I had when I was 12, the house I lived in, the walks I took with my dog. And sometimes I can smell it or feel it.”
“But you can’t touch it. You can’t go back. That’s also grief—you grieve the time that’s gone.”
“And then when your parents are gone, all of a sudden you’re the oldest generation. Now I’m the oldest, together with my brother. And we have kids. We had responsibility before, but it feels so different now. It’s so weird not having my parents around. They were always there.”
Teen Art Out: I have to ask about those reunion shows with The Gathering, because everyone went crazy when they were announced. What was it like to decide to do that?
Anneke: “Yeah! I’m so happy about it. I never really thought we’d do this. You never say never, of course, but you just kind of go on with your life—you’re doing your thing, they’re doing theirs. But we stayed in touch, you know? We’d go out to lunch, talk about life, about the kids, all that normal stuff. And then we realized Mandylion was turning 30.”
“And we thought, well, if there’s ever a good reason, this is it. So we started thinking, ‘Maybe we should do a show.’ And when we announced it, people just jumped on it. The response was overwhelming. We knew people loved the album, but we didn’t expect this.”
Teen Art Out: If you could go back and give advice to yourself in those Mandylion days, what would you say?
Anneke: “Oh, I would just say: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ Because I’m very much a ‘live in the moment’ person. I never really think far ahead, and I don’t dwell too much on the past either. And I think that’s a good thing. It keeps the music honest.”
“And you know, you have to make mistakes. I wouldn’t want to avoid any of them. You learn so much from the stupid things you do! So yeah—I’d tell myself, ‘Just keep going. It’s all gonna be fine.’”
Teen Art Out: You’ve been in this industry for a long time. What do you think is the hardest part about being a musician today compared to when you started?
Anneke: “Oh man. It’s so different. In the 90s, we had a big record label, and they handled everything—marketing, management, all of it. You just made the music. But now, with the internet and social media, you have to do so much yourself.”
“I’m an independent artist now, and I just fulfilled my contract with my label. So now I have my own little label, just me and Rob, my husband. And it’s wonderful to have the freedom, but also—it’s a lot. It’s a blessing and a challenge. You have to stand out in this huge crowd where everyone is shouting for attention.”
“And at the same time, you want to stay yourself. You don’t want to be fake. And I feel really lucky because I found my audience over the years, and they follow me and support me. But I see how hard it is for newer artists, you know?”
Teen Art Out: Oh wow, so this is your very first release on your own label?
Anneke: “Yes! This is the first. It’s really special.”
Teen Art Out: That’s so cool. I’ve always felt like you’re one of those artists who actually seems to love what they do. Every time you put something out, it feels genuine.
Anneke: “Thank you! That’s so important to me. And you know, people can tell. People aren’t stupid. If I had some manager or label telling me, ‘You have to make this kind of music because that’s what sells,’ and I did it even though it wasn’t me—people would see right through it.”
“And especially in the rock and metal world, people know when you’re being honest. My music is niche—it’s alternative, it’s not mainstream—but it’s from the heart. And people recognize that.”
Teen Art Out: When you said you started your own label, is it just for your music, or would you want to release other artists someday?
Anneke: “Right now, it’s just for me—because it’s already so much work! (laughs) But maybe in the future, who knows? If we find the right artist, that could be really cool.”
Teen Art Out: Do you ever think about writing a book—like a memoir or something outside of music?
Anneke: “Yeah, actually, I’ve been thinking about that. Not so much a memoir, like ‘Look at my fabulous life!’ (laughs) But more just putting some thoughts on paper. I don’t want to say too much yet because it’s still in my head, but yeah, I’m thinking about it. And I could even release it through our little label—that would be cool too.”
Teen Art Out: And because I’m a sucker for merch—do you have anything special planned for this EP? I remember those beautiful little tiles you did for the last album.
Anneke: “Ah yes! Well, we have a T-shirt, and the design was actually made by my son. He’s a really good artist—every mom says that, I know, but it’s true! (laughs) And the EP will be on vinyl too. But no tiles this time—maybe when the whole album comes out, we’ll do something special.”
Teen Art Out: You have time to figure it out! Thank you so much for this, Anneke. And congratulations again—La Vie is absolutely beautiful.
Anneke: “Thank you, Simona! And thank you for all the years of support and for having me in your magazine so many times. I love that. It’s always so nice to talk to you.”
La Vie, the first part of Anneke van Giersbergen’s trilogy La Vie, La Mort, L’Amour, is out now on all streaming platforms.
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