FEATURE
14 | NOVEMBER 2015
Young Dutch musicians with international appeal
In exclusive interviews with The Holland Times, three Dutch musicians talk about the start of their careers and
hopes for the future. LUCIE CUNNINGHAM spoke with singer-songwriters Julia Zahra and Karsu, and Frank
Bond, lead singer and guitarist of the band AlascA. They share their inspirations for their sounds, and their connections to the community beyond their albums.
Julia Zahra
Dutch singer-song writer Julia Zahra
experienced her defining moment
when she was discovered at age 17
during a blind audition for the popular TV show “The Voice of Holland”.
She took the jury and audience by
surprise with her acoustic rendition of
two well-known pop songs in English.
Standing confidently on stage with
her guitar, she looked at ease while
jury members turned around quickly
to see where such a mature voice was
coming from. The jury went wild over
her playful rendition of “Oops, I Did
It Again” by Britney Spears and her
intimate yet strong “Empire State Of
Mind” by Alicia Keys. Julia won the
2013 season of the show and is now
making more music.
Childhood influences
Before all her fame on “The Voice”,
Julia grew up in Bussum, North Holland. When asked if music had been
always been an important part of her
life she explains, “Yes, from a young
age.... I received a guitar as a young
girl and began singing around the
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age of 13. I started musical studies
at the HKU University of the Arts in
Utrecht but had to stop after winning
“The Voice” to focus on releasing my
first album... right away and working
on my own music.” According to Julia, her early musical influences came
from her father’s album collection.
“My father listened to The Rolling
Stones, Phil Collins, also some Dutch
bands,” she recounts.
Musical style
She had the chance to revisit of one
these bands’ hits, “Zaterdag” by BLØF,
this summer when she captivated TV
audiences in a show where famous
singers get to listen live to their songs
being reinterpreted in front of them
by fellow singers. Julia was yet again
the youngest among that crowd and
charmed every one with her versatility, handling upbeat, emotional songs
and even rap with ease. This time she
could show off how she can also handle Dutch classics, after being known
for her performances in English.
She has never lived nor performed
abroad, yet her elocution and accent
in English are so on point that she
becomes a true storyteller on stage.
When performing songs such as “Fast
Car” or “Just An Illusion”, listeners
can understand every word of the
lyrics and get goose bumps from the
rich tone of her voice. The first notes
on her guitar and her voice create a
sense of solemnity in the room and
make you hang on her words. Her
story-telling skills are essential to her
dreams.
“People call my genre soul and
pop but my goal is to be known as
a singer-songwriter.” Her first album
was titled Julia van der Toorn for her
real name, which she later changed
to Julia Zahra (her middle name).
The album comprised many covers
in English but her upcoming one will
have a lot more Dutch lyrics after her
performances in Dutch were so well
received on television during “De
Beste Zangers van Nederland” show.
people’s lives. You would never know.
Someone told me that they played
my music at their wedding.”
Her first album and several singles
are available for purchase on iTunes,
Spotify and Deezer. You can follow
Julia via Facebook www.facebook.
com/juliazahramusic and Twitter @
juliazahramusic.
“but I still feel strange hiring a cab for
shorter distances even when wearing
high heels.” About enjoying biking
she adds, “Riding back from a gig on
your bike releases a lot of stress. With
the wind in your hair, you just get to
relax.”
Sense of style
Karsu is known for dressing very stylishly, whether gracing the stage of the
Carnegie Hall with a grand orchestra
in a gala dress, or shooting a video for
her reggae-influenced song “Yeah” or
swing song “Monday” in hip clothes.
Karsu says she loves to shop for her
own performance outfits. “My work
clothes have to look great but also
be warm and comfortable enough
for performances.” Karsu once got to
wear an “amazing dress” by Dutch
haute couture designer Ronald Kolk,
whose clients include Hollywood
stars. This dress is now on exhibit at a
museum and to her regret she cannot
wear it anymore.
Karsu
Karsu Dönmez was raised in Amsterdam by her parents who owned
a restaurant where she performed at
the beginning of her career. Her artist name, Karsu, is also her real name,
after their native village in Turkey.
When she was young, her parents
bought Karsu her first piano with
money that they had saved to purchase a car.
Her love for learning music never stopped. From then on, she took
many private lessons, and at age 25
she still works on her voice and piano
New album in 2016
skills including hours of practice at
Julia’s life at the moment involves home and then with orchestras when
going to the studio to work on her preparing a new tour or concert.
A role model committed to charisecond album which is planned to
table causes
be released in 2016. This time it will Multilingual music
Karsu supports the promotion of chilbe her own lyrics and music, some- Karsu has a distinctive powerful, deep dren’s musical education, especially
times co-written. “I perform for closed voice that excels in jazz and clas- for young girls. “I feel so proud when
crowds in small venues, no festivals sic tunes. She now uses it for more parents take their children to my
this summer,” says Julia. Asked about swinging numbers in her new album concerts,” she says, “even when they
how inspiration comes, she says, “Of- Colors, which she released in Septem- are late at night. They expose their
ten I will start with a melody on the ber. She composes her own music children to the whole experience:
guitar or piano and the lyrics come and lyrics and performs on the piano the sounds, the lights, the costumes,
to me, but not always. Sometimes I or keyboard, usually in English.
much more than on TV.”
write with others. My writing process
She had a few Turkish songs in
She is also an ambassador for a
is different every time.”
her first album, but she says that it charity called MasterPeace which is
was challenging because “songs in a global grassroots movement that
About her dreams
Turkish are a lot more poetic. Turkish inspires everyone to use their talent
Julia Zahra is dealing with fame in audiences liked my voice but told me and energy for peace building and toa grounded and modest way. She re- that I sang differently. I just sing in a getherness. Through music, arts and
flects, “I am still young and at the be- way that I find sounds nice.”
education, MasterPeace will help lead
ginning of my career.” She adds, “We
There is a vibrant jazz community the way to a more sustainable world
recorded a lot of materials already in Ankara and Istanbul, and it is ex- with less armed conflict. She is one of
but I still have to find this album’s citing for Karsu to be part of it, travel- their spokespersons and composed a
final musical direction.” She will re- ling back and forth between Turkey song about world peace, “Raise Our
lease a couple of singles before the and her native Amsterdam.
Hands”. The song can be purchased
album is complete.
on iTunes and all profits go to their
Julia is regularly asked to perform Biking like a typical Amsterdam- cause. She is currently involved in
for closed events at small venues. mer
welcoming the influx of refugees in
Fans recognize her on the street and When performing abroad, Karsu Amsterdam as MasterPeace’s repreapproach her to tell her how much misses the freedom of riding her sentative. (www.masterpeace.nl)
they like her music or how it has bike like she would in Amsterdam.
become part of their lives. “It is so “It is just not safe to ride a bike in Colors, new album and tour
nice to hear how your music touches New York City like here,” says Karsu, The evolution between her two al-
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FEATURE
NOVEMBER 2015 | 15
Photo: Danijel Mihajlovic
bums is such according to Karsu: “My
first album had the sort of music to
sing along or listen to in the background. The new one is pretty much
right [in] your face with themes such
as love and travelling the world. It is
about dance, having fun and having
a party.”
The name Colors was chosen because the album is a mix of different
music genres, and English and Turkish songs. For the first time Karsu
also wrote two Turkish songs, which
she hadn’t dare to do before.
Visit her website www.karsu.nl
for touring dates, now through early
2016. Karsu’s music is for sale on
iTunes, and you can follow her on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/karsu.karsu and Twitter at @KarsuDonmez.
AlascA
AlascA is an Indie country band that
was founded in 2008 in Volendam,
North Holland. The band participated
in a prestigious national song writing contest called De Grote Prijs van
Nederland (The Big Prize of the Netherlands) and in 2010 they reached the
Photo: Hüsne Afsar
tht_november2015_RV.indd 15
band category finals at a time when
singer-songwriters and folk music
were becoming more and more popular. Since then the band has enjoyed
increasing exposure in the Netherlands and around Europe.
trumpets, native American instruments and African percussions such
as long Djembe drums... And a saloon
piano to give it a more Western-inspired sound like compositions from
Ennio Morricone.” An example of this
can be heard in the song called “In
European Country
Media Res” with a captivating trumAlascA is composed of five members pet sound throughout.
from the Netherlands under the age
of 30: Frank Bond (vocals, guitars), Musical, poetic, humorous craftsFerdinand Jonk (guitars, banjo, vo- men
cals), Louis van Sinderen (drums, per- Bond holds a Master’s in American
cussion), Paul Bond (keys, vocals) and Literature and is very comfortable
Maarten Stok (bass).
composing in English. He originally
AlascA boast a very unique sound wrote a song based on Shakespeare’s
and music genre that their former play The Tempest for their new album
British label once coined “European but realized that a whole concept
Country”. They could appreciate the album on Shakespeare would not
humor in it, so decided to keep this work. (However, the title Prospero is
title. Their lead singer and guitar- the name of the main character in
ist, Frank Bond, says that they make The Tempest.) AlascA’s lyrics are also
country music but in a different con- inspired by the works of other poets,
text than bands in the US.
including that of French poet RimThey kept the close harmonies, baud.
introspective lyrics and instruments
The band is very selective about
such as the banjo, harmonica and what music they do release. ”We keep
slide guitars, for example, but in their a bit less than the half of our tracks.
new album Prospero, says Bond, “We It’s a lot of work! Anyone can record a
also added a bass guitar, Mariachi track, [but] it should be good enough
to withstand time.”
As a joke they released their second album as a 25th anniversary
album, as if they were in 2040 looking back on their career. “If it sounds
like a classic than it is good enough,”
Bond adds. “This means spending
many hours working towards the
quality that we can be proud of and
involves some sacrifices in our private lives as young people.”
Response from the industry and the
public
Their perfectionism has paid off;
AlascA is well-received by music critics in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
Their first album, Actors & Liars, was
also released in the UK where they
toured. A great experience but not
“cost effective”.
Bond says, “The Deer Shed festival in Yorkshire was great. Crowds
vary greatly in their responses... It is
always great to feel their reactions
when we play a great solo or are having fun on stage. Yes, it is really special to be on tour. The coolest thing
that we did was a three-week tour in
Italy [and] we also played for radio
stations there.”
graphic artists who understand their
standards and creative universe. AlascA are about to start a subscription
where members receive pictures and
postcards of supporting artwork.
Their next concert is in Amsterdam at Paradiso on 13 December. For
touring and album news, go to www.
alascamusic.com. To discover the artists they support, see www.kingforwardrecords.com.
Independent spirits
AlascA run their own music label,
King Forward Records, to preserve
their artistic freedom and quality
integrity, and to support other avantgardist artists beyond the Netherlands. Their website states: “As an
avant-gardist the artist is driven by
art and willing to commit his life to
it. King Forward Records does not
‘make’ artists, nor does it turn commitment into success. King Forward
supports the committed artist by
sharing its expertise and network, enhancing the artist’s work by sharing
experience and engaging experienced
people who serve art.”
Their album cover art, video teasers and website, for example, are
of high quality as they work with
Photo: Ted van den Bergh
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