What was life like for you before you got into music?
I grew up in the Netherlands with my parents, an older brother and a younger brother. I spent most of my childhood playing outside. School, to me, was more like a playground, I only later realized it was supposed to be educational too. But honestly, everything just felt so exciting back then.
My parents bought a piano when I was quite young, and that quietly shaped everything. I wanted to try everything, football, tennis, running, swimming, I even spent a year at a sports academy. But no matter what I did, I always ended up back at that piano. That’s where I eventually started singing too. Music slowly became the one thing I couldn’t walk away from.
Eventually, I got kicked out of that sports academy, I was way more interested in the outside world than in the drills and discipline I was supposed to follow. That’s when I decided to switch to a music academy instead.
After finishing that program, I was offered the chance to tour internationally with Satori, the electronic act. That’s really where it all started for me, making music on a serious level, and discovering who I was as an artist.
What’s the live music scene like in Nijmegen right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Nijmegen’s music scene is alive and full of energy. One of the central venues here is Doornroosje, a place that’s always been great at supporting both upcoming talent and major international acts.
A new act I’d definitely mention is Superstrings2000. They’re a trance collective from Nijmegen, and apart from making great music, they just radiate fun. Watching them live, you really feel the joy of it all. Besides Doornroosje, we’ve also got great clubs like Mesh and Paak, and festivals like Drift and Nest Festival. Every summer, Nijmegen also hosts the ‘Vierdaagse’, a massive international event that draws in millions, with a full week of live music from around the world.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
It’s overwhelming, honestly. I didn’t become an artist to compete with the algorithm, but I also get that connection matters. It’s a balance I’m still learning.
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
I use social media mainly to share my music. Lately I’ve been posting more often, which makes sense with a new release coming. But in general, I don’t post to keep up appearances. There’s a difference between being engaged and being performative. Some people post more about causes than about their craft, and that’s fine, if it’s genuine. But for me, it’s about intention. If I post, it’s because I have something real to share. Even if that means overthinking a caption or going quiet now and then.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
The music industry has always been tough. I honestly believe some of the most talented musicians in the world are still sitting in their bedrooms, making brilliant work that no one hears. It’s not always about talent. Sometimes it’s about being seen at the right moment, or having the time and money to take a shot. And even then, it’s still a gamble.
These days, being an artist also means being your own marketer, content creator, and strategist. You can have something beautiful to share, but without visibility, it’s easy to feel invisible. At the same time, you also see the reverse; sometimes it’s not even about the music anymore, but about the act surrounding it. And that can work too, if it’s done right. But it shows how much is about being marketable. I’m doing my best to find my place in that system, step by step, and on my own terms.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
This part of my journey feels new, but it’s been a long time coming. For years I toured internationally with an electronic act, an amazing ride full of lessons, stages, and sound. The crowd would often go wild when I sang, especially in the middle of a mostly electronic set, and I loved that. But over time, I felt myself pushing up against the edges of what I could express there. I wanted more than just a role in someone else’s story. And to be fair, that was not my story.
After my father passed, the need to step out and speak in my own voice became impossible to ignore. He’d told me often enough: stop playing small, go stand in your light. So that’s what I’m doing now. No pretense, no permission. This is me, moving forward. Let’s see how far this can go.
And there’s a lot more on the way, not just solo work, but other exciting projects too.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
That no one’s coming to save you. No label, no viral moment, no big break. It all starts with your own discipline, your own taste, and how much time you’re willing to put in. When things don’t move, you have to be the one that moves them. And make music you truly believe in. It’s the only way to make this life sustainable.
What was your best experience on stage?
One of the best moments was at EXIT Festival in Serbia with Satori & The Band From Space. It was a massive crowd, tens of thousands, but I remember one quiet moment during the set when I stepped up to the mic, sang a line, and suddenly everything locked in. People went wild. There’s no better feeling than connection on that scale. That moment stuck with me, it reminds me why I do this.
What was your worst experience on stage?
One of my worst experiences on stage happened in Guadalajara, Mexico. We were playing in a club, and above the stage there were big decorative light bulbs hanging. The sound was so loud that the stage literally started shaking. After just two songs, one of the bulbs fell. Then another.
They started crashing down one by one, and of course, only above my head. One even hit me. I left the stage out of shock. The band kept playing. I wasn’t injured, just shaken, but those last few bulbs looked heavy enough to do real damage. My manager came to me and said: ‘Hugo, are you going back on or are you done?’ It was honestly a great show up until then, so I made the call to go back out. We finished the set safely, and the crowd went wild, they had seen it all. A disaster turned into a victory. Terrifying moment, happy ending.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about.
Something people are often surprised to hear is that I hear music in colours. Not in a full-on synesthetic way, but certain notes or keys trigger specific shades or moods in my mind.
That’s how a lot of my writing starts, I sit at the piano and keep pressing one single note until it gives me a feeling. A colour. Red usually means tension or inner conflict. Blue means comfort. Grey is danger. It might sound abstract, but it’s the most intuitive way I know to start shaping a song.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Yeh, I just released a new track called ‘S.M.S.tt.D.’, short for ‘Sold My Soul to the Devil’. It’s a cinematic, hybrid genre song with bold gospel-inspired harmonies and a raw, emotional core. Lyrically, it’s about losing parts of yourself by giving in to the world’s expectations. It’s dramatic, theatrical, and honest, the first real chapter of my solo story.
What was the recording process like?
The recording process for ‘S.M.S.tt.D.’ started mid-flight. I was on tour, and somewhere between Mexico and LA I felt completely disconnected from myself. The words just came, a flood of emotion. I wrote the first version of the lyrics in my phone, like I often do when a thought or a sentence hits me.
Once I got home, I sat behind the piano and built the song piece by piece. First chords, then vocal ideas, then production layers. At some point it was nearly done, but the vocal takes didn’t sit right with me. They were too clean, too polished. So I re-recorded everything, the choirs, the leads, all of it, in a way that felt more spoken, more honest. I wasn’t chasing perfection. I was chasing truth.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
The biggest shift came when I decided to re-record the vocals. Technically, the first takes were ‘better’, but they didn’t fit the emotion of the track. Letting go of polish and choosing expression over perfection, that was new for me. But it made all the difference.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
No. And that’s not because I think it’s perfect, it’s because it’s honest. The imperfections are part of the story. This song had to feel human, not polished.
Changing anything now would take away the edge it has.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
If there’s one thing I’d want people to know, it’s that this is just the beginning. I’ve never felt more connected to what I’m creating. New music is coming, more stories are unfolding, and I’m finally telling them on my own terms. So stick around.
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