Dianne Van Giersbergen reveals details of Ann Metal Trilogy of Ex Libris and more.

Interview with Dianne Van Giersbergen, from the band Ex Libris.

Dianne Van Giersbergen is the voice that gives life for the Dutch band Ex Libris. Well known as the lead singer of the German symphonic metal band Xandria, where she toured various countries of the world. She is currently publicizing her latest work with Ex Libris – the Ann progressive metal trilogy.

We had the privilege of talking to Dianne about the details of this work and its creative process. You can check out the exclusive interview below. Be sure to check out this magnificent album on all platforms.

Playfonic: ANN features conceptual and classic cover art. Each EP brings the face of its protagonist. This visual identity and the fact that each face bears similarities to yours (with the exception of Anne Frank) draws our attention. Is it on purpose?

Dianne: Yes! When we started with our first artwork (which was for Chapter 1) we wanted my face to blend with the face of the woman in the tale (for chapter 1 that begin ‘Anne Boleyn’). But with it not being 100% sure that the portrait we now think to be Anne Boleyn is really her, we decided the balance could shift more towards my face. The cover of ‘Chapter 2: Anastasia Romanova’ is much more of a balanced blend between her and my face. The cover of ‘Chapter 3: Anne Frank’ is much more Anne Franks’ face, this is out of respect because this story is still much more recent.

Playfonic: Who is responsible for the arts of this trilogy? Tell us about this creative process.

Dianne: The artwork is created by Jelle Steenhuisen. To be able to paint a digital picture of the 2 blended faces he would ask me to pose for the portrait including the befitting hair and make up style as well as clothing and the correct angle of the light.

Playfonic: Why Anne Boleyn, Anastasia Romanova and Anne Frank? What do these three historical personalities represent to you?

Dianne: The characters where chosen during a brain storm with the band. After our album “Medea” we again wanted to portray a strong female character, but the idea of doing a trilogy also spoke to us. Thus we searched for a combining factor (which turned out to be the name all our characters share: “ANN”) and 3 women who’s stories are interesting to tell and learn from.

Playfonic: Who writes the lyrics? What is the process like? 

Dianne: The lyrics are all written by me (Dianne). I prepare myself by doing a lot of research on these characters stories, but also on their backdrop: their way of life in the time the story sets, customs they had, the way the language was spoken then, all that sorts of things. It helps paint a vivid picture of the character before I begin to ‘let her speak’ by giving her words.

Playfonic: You, besides being a singer of Ex Libris, already led the band Xandria. However, despite being one of the most beloved and respected bands in the genre, people know the band with the game of not preserving the great vocalists who have been there, such Lisa and Manuela. Tell us what your path has been like since then and what you have learned from this experience.

Dianne: I’ve learned how unhealthy being in a toxic relationship can be. Which is an experience a lot of people can relate to I’m sure as it does not only happen in the music world, but also in other occupations and in our day to day life. The most important but also most difficult thing is realizing this and taking action when no solution can be found. That is what I had to do and, after 2 years, I still feel that it has been the best decision I could have made: I am a happier singer and person, have much more artistic freedom, am not bound to third parties and get to make my own decisions.

Playfonic: Extremist governments have been gaining ground worldwide. Anne Frank suffered in a Nazi movement, and in the US a movement of white supremacists arises. There are also xenophobic, racist, sexist and disrespectful people with differences. How can music educate and help spread the message of good and prevent these things from recurring?

Dianne: World politics is a difficult matter and I know too little of it to form an opinion, but I am a firm believer that we can learn from our history and that in history lies the answer to not keep on repeating our mistakes. 😊

Playfonic: In each track you make a unique interpretation that thrills the listener. The lyrics and their sound remind us of great theater musicals (such as Broadway). Have you considered turning this trilogy into plays? Playing the songs in a theater like an opera.

Dianne: Well you can of course already see the trilogy as a ‘one woman opera’ (meaning that it only stars 1 vocalist), that is actually the way the stories of “ANN” are set-up ánd the way “Medea” was written as well.

It all has to do with my education as a classical singer and opera studies. I think those studies are the basis of writing the music and lyrics like we do.

Playfonic: How can we acquire collector-worthy physical material of Ex Libris living in Latin America and other countries?

Dianne: Ah that’s very simple! Our web shop ships worldwide so all you will have to do is surf to: exlibrismusic.com/shop/ ,  select your products, go through the process of purchasing and receive not only the product but also our gratitude for your support!

exlibrismusic.com

Playfonic: Ex libris always produces songs using elements inspired by short story books, such as Greek mythology. Is there a difference between writing fictional-themed music and historical songs?

Dianne: No, of course the lyrics are newly written and done in a way that they fit my voice and the music. But all events are non-fictional and directly taken from history.

Playfonic: So far we have talked about the trilogy in general, without focusing on music by song or specific songs. Because we feel unable to choose the best or most important, all are amazing and talking about all would take even longer. It would be a pleasure, but we know you don’t have that time. So please tell us something you would like to say about this work that we do not ask.

Dianne: Well it might be cool to know that we’ve hidden a lot of secrets in the music as well as in the lyrics! “ANN” is our third album and the digit ‘3’ has played a big role in finding rhythms, structures, sounds and so on.

The most obvious one might be spelling the album title with 3 letters instead of 4, so ‘ANN’ instead of ‘ANNE’. But there are much more Easter eggs! Take a close listen and see if you can find them!

Playfonic: We would like to thank you very much for your kindness and attention. Playfonic will always be open to you. Please leave a message for your Brazilian and Latino fans.

Dianne: Thank you so much for reading this interview and supporting Ex Libris and me, it truly means a lot! Without the support of our dear fans we would not be where we are today, I feel blessed to have you in my life. Thank you!!!

Thanks for reading the interview. Tell us in the comments what you think of it, and if you have listened this album yet. Kisses!

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Playfonic

Symphonic Metal Blog and all its universe. Lover of culture, art and music, and in the free time protector of nature.

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