Agua De Annique Biography

Founded by Anneke van Giersbergen (formerly The Gathering); Agua de Annique made a perfect start in the fall of 2007. Their debut album Air received fantastic reviews worldwide and an endless series of gigs followed; several acclaimed Dutch festivals, MTV Brand New Festival and the band played shows in France, Finland and Romania as well as opening for Smashing Pumpkins.

January 30, 2009 a new album by the name of Pure Air will be released. In addition to acoustic versions of songs from her solo debut ‘Air’, the album will contain some visionary collaborations. Anneke states: ‘over the last years I have done many guest appearances with a wide range of artists, both live and on CD. This time I wanted to be the one to invite an outstanding lineup of musicians to contribute to my album’. Pure Air will host performances with Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Danny Cavanagh (Anathema), singer-songwriter Marike Jager, John Wetton (King Crimson / Asia), Niels Geusebroek (Silkstone) Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) and trumpet player Kyteman.

The first time the music world noticed van Giersbergen was when she joined The Gathering in the mid-nineties. Her crystal-clear melodies atop the band’s heavy sound created a unique style that would go on to inspire many bands around the globe.

After the formation of Agua de Annique, 2008 was the year that Anneke, for the first time as a solo-performer, became a strong presence in the music scene of her native country. Her duet ‘Als je ooit nog eens terug kan’, with Racoon-singer Bart van der Weide and Artists for Tibet, made it to #1 in the Dutch charts. Together with C-mon & Kypski she made a memorable television appearance during the 'Fifty Years of Dutch Pop Music Quiz'. Anneke also did an overwhelming version of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’ during the '90’s Request Week on Giel Beelen's morning show on National radio.

Also because of this Anneke has established herself as a scene-transcending singer. She will carry that out through two unique shows at the Melkweg, Amsterdam (February 12) and at the Oosterpoort, Groningen (February 13). During these intimate performances, Anneke will shed some light on her compositions through personal stories; Sharon den Adel, Niels Geusebroek, Kyteman and Marike Jager will join her on stage.

Later on in February Agua de Annique will perform in Greece. In March, a Latin-American tour will follow which will take the band to Brazil (São Paulo and Río de Janeiro), Chile, Argentina and Mexico.

Source: http://www.aguadeannique.com/bio