I have a weird relationship with the idea of guilty pleasures

Tell us, what do you do in life?

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After studying music and digital storytelling for five years in total, I am trying to find a balance between working and creating music without any pressure. I started my own podcast on the link between art and activism called ’the bridges we’ve made’, in which I take the listener along in my research for my next album on how I can use my voice as a songwriter and artist to bring across an activist message.

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What do you like best about your place?

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I live in a lovely house in the cosiest street of Ghent if I do say so myself. There’s nothing I love more than the sound of the rain on the windows of my attic room at night, while I’m quietly jamming on my acoustic guitar. 

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What kind of music are you listening to at the moment? 

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Every mood asks for a different style of music, for me personally. Life has been quite hectic lately and because music/sound is already a big part of my day, I’ve been really into cinematic music like Patrick Watson to wind down and reset after a long day. 

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What’s the first record that you bought? 

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I don’t really know where my musical taste came from when I was younger, ‘cause my dad always has had a great musical taste. So I think the first album I bought was from Belle Perez, the most opposite from all the records he would buy. Oh that’s part of being young I guess. 

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What’s your favourite pastime? 

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Wandering around, exploring new spots while listening to an inspiring podcast (preferably an episode of ‘And the writer is…’), with my analogue camera in my hand and stopping along the way for a coffee and some reading time. Or cooking dinner with my boyfriend or friends with a glass of wine in my hand and some jazzy music playing in the background. 

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Any guilty pleasures? 

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I have a weird relationship with the idea of guilty pleasures, I feel like I always want to justify why I like certain things which I honestly shouldn’t. When preparing the classes for my vocal students, I always end up loudly singing along to all the extreme pop songs they want to sing during class. ‘Cause honestly, I can really enjoy having a little solo party with my headphones on. Although I do have to say that this now messes with my Spotify algorithm… 

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If you could be famous, what kind of celebrity would you be? 

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I would still be a singer, using my voice and platform to bring across an activist message. I would work to enhance young people’s voices who should be heard, using my time and audience to bring awareness for certain topics through my music and other media. I always want to learn from other people: activists, musicians, writers, … While staying true to my own creative soul. 

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Have you experienced any regrets recently? 

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Thinking back or analysing decisions is something that I’m trying to stay away from as much as possible. I can be quite hard on myself, especially with my music or personal goals. I do regret doubting myself so much which led to me postponing the release of my podcast, even though a lot of people believed in the project from the beginning. No more excuses now. I also started rewriting and finishing all the music I wrote the last two years, with no time for regret.

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Who do you wanna give credits to? 

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I would love to highlight my lovely and talented friend Lotte and her band Patches. I am very honoured to do backing vocals for her, which is always one of my happiest moments, being on stage with her. She has so much more in store, so definitely someone to keep an eye on.