In 2011 I heard Hartog’s music for the first time during a youtube night with an old friend of mine. After a few bars I was in love with his song. Suddenly my friend says to me: “By the way he teaches at ArtEZ. I got lessons from him last year, he’s a pretty alright teacher.” I couldn’t believe it, this was crazy … how often does that happen? You can’t just walk up to a person on youtube and ask them to give you lessons. Unless of course they’re teaching at the exact same conservatory you’re enrolled in. So for the next four years I received a bunch of pretty amazing lessons, but the toughest one I still have to master:
Listening to Hartog’s music means listening to his life. Every song feels like an autobiographical soundtrack and Hartog’s new album “Making Waves” is no exception. I asked Hartog about this amazing quality in his music and about the origin of his inspiration. He replied with this beautiful poem below:
I sing for my life.
I write lyrics when things get too intense and I have to let it out.
I make music to survive.
To turn bad things into positive things.
To go from darkness into light.
To fix what got broken in the past.
To heal my soul.
To keep from going mad sometimes.
I want to be heard, and seen. Accepted.
I want to share with my audience and say: you are not alone, and I am not alone.
I want to paint landscapes and atmospheres.
I have found that beauty, or poetry, can be a powerful thing.
To reach out to people with something positive.
To express my emotions – not to satisfy my own ego, but to exchange something fundamental with the audience who take time and listen to me.
This is why I do it.
Hartog – Let the day begin