Who is Hadassa?
Hadassa is a girl with a lot of plans and a lot of ambition. She’s very energetic, stubborn and has a lot of perseverance. She loves to
sing and express herself in different ways.
You did some things with theatre before you started singing, what did you do exactly?
I started acting in plays and musicals when I was twelve. I also played in some movies in Zeeland (where I’m from) which I also wrote
and made with a great group of young people. We did that for a couple of summers; it was great! When I finished high school, I studied
acting for one year and then I went to the theatre writing department of the art school in Utrecht (HKU). I stopped that study after two
years, because I didn’t always want to stay home to write. I missed expressing myself live to people and I wanted to know more about
music. So then I started to look for a rock band and a study about music. I found a rock band and started my study Musicology.
What made you change your mind and made you start singing?
I didn’t want to act anymore, because I wanted to decide myself what feelings I could express or not. I already loved to sing and
did that in some musicals as well, but I wanted something more rough than that and I wanted to write my own lyrics and melodies.
So I searched for a rock band (which was 2,5 years ago) and then after that band I ‘accidentally’ became the singer of theNAME.
Let me explain ‘accidentally’. One night I was waiting in front of a practise room for the band I used to be the singer of and then
Mike –the bass player of theNAME- saw me waiting and asked me if I was a singer. He told me theNAME needed a singer and
off course I was curious so he gave me a theNAME CD to listed to. I liked it a lot, so I auditioned and theNAME wanted me to
stay. I’m glad my previous band made me wait that night.
Can you introduce the band to us?
theNAME is a groovy metal/ rock band with clear and sensual female vocals and rough male screams and a lot of energy on stage.
We want to do something else than most female fronted metal bands do, so we chose dynamic female pop vocals instead of an opera
sound. In this band I can be the cutest little girl and the biggest bitch I want to be and I like that very much. So it’s a little bit of acting
after all.
You wrote some lyrics for TheName, what inspires you in writing lyrics?
Mostly experiences with people I care(d) about and the way I like to express myself in my own little world. I think a lot about the joy
and pain people bring me or I bring people and how that changes me or how I choose not to change myself because of other people’s
behaviour. I deal with these occurrences by writing about it, although the settings aren’t always real. I like to use a lot of fantasy, drama
and especially playfulness in my lyrics (check the lyrics of Lies for instance). Basically they are the mirrors of the period I am in my life
at the moment I write them.
TheName recorded 3 cd’s already, in what way differ the new songs from the songs on the demo?
The first two demo’s have been the search to what we wanted to become, although we’re not there yet; we’re closer than before.
The first demo is with high female opera sounding vocals. The second demo is with a rough female rocking voice. The third demo has
more dynamics in vocals and instrumental music and of course the female vocals have a rocking pop sound. Also our new songs are
getting more heavy.
How do you prepare for a concert, calm your nerves?
I drink tea or a beer and we do a ‘titties-yell’ before we go on stage. Just because we like the word and it’s fun to scream it.
You should try.
You will play on the Summer Darkness festival, do you have any secret plans to conquer the hearts of the gothic orientated audience?
Actually, I didn’t think about that yet. I think all we can do is have fun and make sure we’re going to play the greatest, energetic,
rocking show we ever did
You had too much rock & roll lifestyle in the past. What is a rock & roll lifestyle for you? What made you decide to calm things down?
Please don’t make me answer that.
But in everybody’s life there are changing points, what were yours?
Well, it was quite simple actually. I wanted to get my diploma for Musicology and I wanted to spend more time on being a singer,
so I had to party less.
What music is on your mp3player right now?
I listen a lot to Disturbed, Evanescence and I love the voice of Floor from After Forever so I listen a lot to that as well. Also I really
need to buy a CD of the Birthday Massacre, because they are so great! And I’m curious about the CD of Zombie Girl.
When you are having a bad day, what can turn it into a good day?
My moods change very quickly. I don’t have bad days, my bad moods alternate with all other moods you can imagine and anything
can change them. But I must admit that a good rocking concert, dancing and drinking and having fun with my friends, playing a rocking
gig or meeting some new interesting people and have a great conversation with them will make the long continuous bad moods disappear.
What are your futureplans, both personally as for the band?
I want to conquer the world with theNAME, but we’ll start with Holland first . Hopefully we can do a lot of great gigs in Holland and
maybe later in Europe as well. I want to keep improving my singing and performing and I want to write a lot of new lyrics and melodies.
I want to play and play and play and have a lot of fun
Any last words for the readers?
Come to see our show at Summer Darkness!!!
Website:
http://www.thename.nl