While most law students start their career as a lawyer after studying for 7 years, Niek decided after he graduated to focus completely on his passion: Music!

Niek is a 24-year-old upcoming artist from Tilburg, the Netherlands. He completed his master's degree in Law but is now focusing fulltime on music. He is busy writing songs, performing and preparing for his trips to Spain and Australia. Niek will tell you in this article his story while going over the topics; ‘ABOUT NIEK’ and ‘ABOUT HIS MUSIC’. Can’t wait to hear more of Niek, tune in on HUB Radio to discover his beautiful refreshing voice!

ABOUT NIEK

“I would describe myself as a social, adventurous, energetic and positive person. I grew up in a big family, with 3 sisters, my mom and my dad. The positivity and the adventurous side are something I inherit from my parents. They are really adventurous and like to travel a lot. Besides, I also learned from them that it is really important to think adventures through and have a sense of security before you start your adventure. This is something I also did before I started my music journey. I first made sure I graduated to then after that start with music.”

“I’m not very materialistic. I buy certain stuff with a specific goal in mind. For example a nice piano or good guitar, for making better sounds and eventually music. Although I admit my vinyl collection can’t be justified for that reason ;). I just say it is for my music inspiration. Something materialistic which does mean a lot to me is the necklace with the charm I inherited from my grandmother. I wear it every day, and because of the necklace, it feels like my grandmother is with me every day. Family in general means a lot to me. I feel safe and warm with them. My parents are my biggest role models. I respect and admire the balance they have found in life. Anne-Jan (AJ; one of my best friends) is also someone I admire because of his creativity, musicality, humor and charisma. Something I struggle with is being on my own. I get energy out of being with others. Another weakness is that I can be very stubborn and convinced that my way is the best, I get easily distracted (in a conversation for example; no matter how interesting I find it, I'm a bit of a dreamer) and I can get lost in my enthusiasm. As good qualities, I would say that I try to be as sweet/nice as possible (to everyone), do my best to make people feel comfortable and look at life as positively as possible.”

ABOUT HIS MUSIC

“My career as an artist started because I played the drums as a child, I received a CD from Micheal Jackson from my dad as inspiration. I stopped drumming around the age of twelve. I got back into music after I heard Ed Sheeran's song The A Team on the radio (I was about 15 years old at the time I think). From that moment on, I started listening to music, mostly Ed Sheeran. I was completely obsessed with his music and started recording myself and listening to it back to improve my voice and singing. After nervously playing songs to girls a few times during my high school days (trying to impress), the responses (which I don't know if it was out of kindness or trustworthiness) were always super supporting. Unlike my now mega-supportive sisters, sometimes they told me I shouldn't sing because it sounded like a dying cat (haha). 

Some years went by and I sang a lot of hours. After performing at an open mic session at a surf camp in France (from Surflife) I thought I'd probably feel a little more comfortable on stage if I had a huge guitar; So that's when I started playing the guitar at 19 years. Two years ago, at the age of 22, I bought a piano to learn to play this instrument. As an artist, I struggle with being active on social media, mostly TikTok. Something more music-related I struggle with, is choosing one specific sound or direction, to make my music will be recognisable. Indie pop is my favourite genre however I like a lot of different styles, and that’s why I admire Ed Sheeran. He has a lot of variation in his songs. In music another great example is Harry Styles; his charisma, music, looks and positivity are very inspiring. I hope to connect people with my music; because they can recognize certain situations or the energy I try to convey. Love is my greatest inspiration, both positive and negative, in friendship and romance. Writing songs allows me to get rid of my thoughts, but performing has my preference! I started with singing, later with writing and producing. I can't write and produce very well, but I'm trying more and more and I would really like to learn! My biggest dream is to play a headline show with my own music. One Direction is my biggest guilty pleasure; although I dare to speak up about it because they have damn good songs… Haha.”

Nieks’ advice special for BUas students is that you have to follow your dreams and passion. Dare to do wherever you feel good or get energy from, he says. Happiness is the biggest gift you can give yourself.

Do you want to hear more about how Niek knew he wanted to be serious with music, and what his most personal song is? Check the SoundCloud attachment! Wanna hear his music? Listen here!