“I do my best, but some reactions are sensitive”
Dutch television presenter Özcan Akyol, likewise known as Eus, recently asked people on the street for their opinions on singer Maan de Steenwinkel. He repeatedly heard that the pop artist has taken her music in “a latest direction.” When Akyol later met with de Steenwinkel, he asked her about it directly. “The emphasis has been so much on the idea that I’m taking a whole new course,” she said with a smile, “while I’ve just gotten older and my interests have changed.”
Her new songs have received considerable criticism in recent months. “People either really liked this new direction or found it complicated. It doesn’t matter to me, as I really enjoy it myself,” de Steenwinkel explained. The singer also noted she’s gained many new fans. “They really like the change.”
For de Steenwinkel, it was time for a shift. “I was done with what I had been doing,” she told Akyol. “You can make that incredibly black and white, but for me it feels fluid. You have to see it like a book: you’ve finished one book and it was great, and now you wish to start the next one.” She says she’s in a “new phase.” “As a person, I’ve outgrown the whole poppy, commercial thing.”
That led her to explore a new sound. “Beyoncé also makes a country album one time and then a disco album. That’s just really cool,” she said. According to de Steenwinkel, every artist should continue to challenge and reinvent themselves in that way.
However, the negative reactions still affect her. “I do my best, but some reactions are sensitive. That can really get to me and under my skin.” She cited rumors circulating in the media world as an example. “There’s another side to the coin. That can sometimes be heavy.”
She often feels like a “target” for the media. “That’s pretty tough.” De Steenwinkel said she doesn’t always know how to deal with all the stories. “Then I sense like I’m in a corner. I want to say something, but then I think: I’d better say nothing. But saying nothing also feels unfair to myself, because I want to stand up for myself.”
De Steenwinkel hopes to one day be able to brush off the negative reactions. “I wish I could sit here and think: f*ck it, I don’t care about any of this and I’m just going to do what I want,” the singer said. “That’s a goal I’m working towards, but it’s really incredibly hard.”
De Steenwinkel previously told RTL Boulevard she was “very proud” of her new repertoire.
De Geknipte Gast airs every Saturday at 9:20 PM on NPO 2.
