Berenice Van Leer

More than ever, and for the first time, it is now time to tell her own story. From a young age she has been setting fire to countless leading venues at home and abroad for years, nowadays mainly as the lead singer of Kraak & Smaak, but many will also know her from Wicked Jazz Sounds. In between touring she has always collected her own ideas for songs. In this she finds the peace and space for her personal story in which she sings about acceptance, mourning and finding answers in the silence. Open, honest and above all close to the listener. “With this very first solo album, I'm ushering in a new era for myself, a new phase, with acceptance of all that is. I am an ambivert person: outgoing and introverted at the same time. This album was born out of silence. I listened and I found many answers. For my introverted side, this period was very welcome. The great thing that I have discovered in my entire writing process is that if you are quiet, and really do nothing for a while and say nothing, space is created; and from there, other openings and perspectives present themselves. At times this was an intense process, with all the decisions I had to make and courage I sometimes had to muster. But it was totally worth it. It was precisely in that silence that the ideas for songs I had written down over the years could come together to create this album. Finally, and on vinyl too, a very long-cherished wish. 
Profile photo: Isolde Woudstra www.berenicevanleer.com