My first single ever ‘Stories’ is out now!
Watch the music video & lyric video on YouTube and listen to ‘Stories’ on your favorite streaming platform! Add it to your playlist and save it if you want to support me. It helps a lot! (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play)
behind the song
I wrote ‘Stories’ in June 2017 and started recording it with Glenn van de Wiel a month later. Glenn introduced me to Nick Jongejan who mixed and mastered the song.
The song means a lot to me, so I wanted to take on a professional approach with the release of it. The song is about the fact that we all have a story. I’ve been through a rough time, struggling with mental illness and an eating disorder. The first verse came to me while I was riding my bike. The sun was shining and I was smiling and suddenly I realized I felt happy again. At the same time I realized I won’t always feel happy. Life has ups and downs and we all go through some things that make us into who we are.
For a very long time I felt ashamed of my struggle with mental illness. I felt like everyone around me was happy and making progress in life while I was stuck in place. I only saw the masks of other people and put on my own mask too. At some point I couldn’t pretend any longer and I carefully put down my mask. As soon as I started sharing how I really felt I found out that I was not alone. Those people I thought were perfect turned out to be scared, insecure and lonely too.
We all have a story and we don’t have to be ashamed of it. The only way to heal is to share. We can learn a lot from each other’s stories. We have more in common than we think.
I dare you to be you. Come on and share your story.
behind the video.
I wrote the entire script for the ‘Stories’ music video on a boat in Peru. I never shot a music video before and I knew I really wanted the video to tell a story. I wanted to use the video to tell my story and the stories of other people. Everyone in this music video is ‘playing’ themselves, sharing their own personal stories.
With this video I’m sharing my struggle with an eating disorder for the very first time. Even some of my best friends don’t know about this, until today. I could never really find the right moment or the right way to say it. I guess this is just my way: through music and art.
By being vulnerable like this I hope to inspire you to do the same. Being open and honest, putting down my mask, has been a huge step in fighting this mental illness and coming closer to the people around me.
lyrics.
Life’s looking perfect today
But I won’t make my old mistake
Of thinking it can always stay, this way
That it has to be all or nothing
Not accomplishing perfection just leaves quitting
But the struggle’s part of life
Nothing easy is worth the fight
We all have a story
We all deal with the pain
We’ve all been through some things
To be where we are today, so
Just remember that you are not alone
We all walk the same bumpy road
Yeah, I bet that you are just like me
We all share having a story
Yeah, I know in this crazy world
It’s scary to be vulnerable
We make it all look perfect
Afraid of not being worth it
But behind the masks we wear
Wounds and scars are always there
And they can only heal by being shared
We all have a story
We all deal with the pain
We’ve all been through some things
To be where we are today, so
Just remember that you are not alone
We all walk the same bumpy road
Yeah, I bet that you are just like me
We all share having a story
And I dare you to be true
To yourself and everyone else
Share your story, don’t be ashamed
It could start a fire and inspire change
We are connected, we’re all the same
And we all have a story, we all have our reasons why
We all have a story, we all fight our fights, oh
We all have a story, we all have a story
So just remember that you are not alone
We all walk the same bumpy road
Yeah, I bet that you are just like me
We all share having a story
We all share having a story
And I dare you, to be you
Come on and share your story