Double interview with Pien Feith and Sam de Laat

At the top of the Mirror Room of the Civic Orphanage, sunlight shines in through large windows. Sam knows this space well. He and the others from Droom Dit — a “poetic Nederindiepop group” according to 3voor12 — eat here prior to performances in Burger. And there have been quite a few of them in the past few months. Although four of the six band members live in Enschede, including Sam, the Burgerweeshuis feels like home for Dream This. (Where did we hear that before?)

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Life after Burger

When Sam is home, Pien is visiting. She was on stage here in a past life, when she was still a singer. Between 2007 and 2013, she released three synth-pop records. Pien: 'The hall has a low ceiling, right? I remember Burger as a nice, intimate place. You can still find that old pop stage culture here. ' She now works as head of bookings at concert and event organizer Friendly Fire. In that role, she maintains warm contacts with Burger. So yes, she knows it here, but that's how she knows all the music venues.

'I hold the parties around us accountable for the good things that happen to us'

Pien joined Sam, because today we're going to talk about “life after Burger”. Less than a year ago, Droom Dit completed the Citizen Beurs Year and now... Well, everything is different now. Dream This has broken through. How did they do that? Sam: 'I hold the parties around us accountable for the good things that happen to us. That's what the past year has felt like: a lot of things happened to us. ' What he immediately adds: they've also worked hard, he and the other band members.

A dress around my skin

In addition to Burgerweeshuis, the Dream Dit team includes production house Brut, distributor Great News, marketing agency Boemklap Industries and booker Friendly Fire. The latter is particularly remarkable. What starting band can say they were signed by Friendly Fire, the main booking agency in the Netherlands together with Mojo. Is that luck? A twist of fate? Pien thinks for a moment — 'Hmm' — and then says: “Of course, it happens often enough that really good artists don't get the right opportunities. On the other hand: Dream This was immediately very good. The songs were good, it was good live. '

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'I saw right away that you have star power'

This video from the Overijssel Embassy put her on the trail. She 'scanned' it in the background while she was busy with other work. But when she heard Sam sing enthusiastically — 'I want a dress around my skin/I want to be a bride'— she quit her other work. Pien leaned back and sat down for a moment. About that moment, while looking at Sam, she now says: 'I immediately saw that you have starpower. ' Sam laughs and clenches his fists: “Yes!” Pien: “Many young artists move in ways they think they need to move. Not you, you're absorbed in your music. That's nice for the audience, they can then relax and be carried away. '

First, the Pop Round

About the lyrics to Dream This, she says: “They are open, almost painfully open. Sam was really talking. And not repeating things he's heard around him, like beginning artists often do. ' She thinks for a moment, only to conclude: “It felt inspired. There are many things you can develop, but something like inspiration and expressiveness: either there or not. When it comes to the arrangements, I saw room for improvement. That could be more professional and sophisticated, but that has already been fixed. ' Sam clenches his fist again. “Yes! Nice, nice. '

“We had left the best possible impression and she had seen it all”

Shortly after Pien saw the video, Sam and Pien spoke to each other for ten minutes. During the Booster Festival in Enschede, that was a kind of speed date. Sam: “Shit, I thought, this conversation is too early. We weren't ready for Friendly Fire yet. Pien said we had to do the Pop Round first, I got that. ' At the end of the conversation, Sam asked if she wanted to come and see Dream This perform that night. When the show started, Sam let his eyes glide through the audience. And sure enough, she was there. Sam: “And at the end, she was still there! We had left the best possible impression and she had seen it all. '

A moment of joy

After that, things went fast. Dream This was selected for the Pop Round and played at Oerol. On the last day of the festival — Sam and the other band members were already on the boat — they received an email from Pien. “Shall we just do it?” she wrote. Sam remembers it very well: “It was really a cheering moment, we immediately ordered champagne on the boat.” Pien laughs: “You didn't tell me this at all!” Sam, who is also laughing now: “Wouldn't that be a shame to say? Now it's possible. We were euphoric back then! It felt like another big step. '

“Look at Eefje de Visser. That wasn't an immediate hit either. '

After the Pop Round in autumn 2023, Noorderslag followed in early 2024. Dream Dit played in a small hall with a low ceiling. Sam, referring to Burger's audience: “So that felt familiar.” Afterwards, 3voor12 wrote: “What an overwhelming band!” The headline of the play: “Dream This deserves a dream breakthrough.” The festivals then lined up: Valkhof, Dauwpop, Best Kept Secret, Wilde Weide. “We played every week, often multiple times. The summer was awesome. '

A slow climb

Now — the conversation will take place at the end of November — Dream This is on the verge of a new phase. Their debut will be released early next year: The Heart Doesn't Exist And Neither Does The Rest. The future of Sam and his band is open. A decisive moment, now does it have to happen? Pien shakes her head. “No, no, there are several ways. Look at Eefje de Visser. That wasn't an immediate hit either. Until Bittersweet, then suddenly it went fast. It's only one percent who go from zero to one hundred at once. For the others, it's a slow climb. Take Wies or Personal Trainer, they really didn't start with Paradiso's main hall. '

'I don't mind living in an anti-squatter home for a while'

Sam listens attentively while he looks dreamily ahead. When Pien is ready, he says: “These kinds of statements give me peace of mind, because the artists Pien mentions are in a place where we want to go. I have to remember that I'm only 23 years old. I don't mind living in an anti-squatter home for a while. I just want to make music, as long as I can do that without too many compromises, it's been good for a long time. If it finally turns out that it took ten years, I'll still be in the main hall of Paradiso at thirty. ' Pien: “Earlier is my goal. “Twenty-five, twenty-six.” Sam: “Good!” He laughs again.

No plan B

And yet, Pien admits, there is a survival of the fittest-element. She gives her own music career as an example. She herself never grew up enough to make a living from music. By the time she was thirty, she had had enough. Pien: 'I had been playing and rehearsing for fifteen years at that time. I had seen and done a lot. The role of front person didn't always suit me. I didn't like being the center of things and didn't like interviews and photo shoots. I love backstage and behind the scenes. I can really enjoy that now. '

“There is no recipe for becoming a successful musician”

What does Dream This need to do to make sure they're still playing ten years from now? Sam sits up and turns his chair a quarter of a turn in the direction of Pien. She says: “It's different for everyone. There are artists who go on no matter what, sometimes with a side hustle. They don't have a plan B, they don't want that either. But there are also those like me who say after ten years: I told you what I wanted to say, now it's done. There is no recipe for becoming a successful musician. Except that you have to stay intrinsically motivated. The fire must keep burning.

Next step

Sam sits back again, he seems relieved. As if he wants to say: Oh, but then it will be fine. When asked, he nods: “Yes! Because for me, it's this and nothing else. ' What if it doesn't work out? “So I don't know!” Suddenly a lot more serious: “Over the past few months, I've been worried. In the summer we went so namely. ' He holds his flat hand up at an angle. “Now the festival season has ended and the line has flattened. The 3voor12 piece about our show at Noorderslag and the development projects are behind us. We have to take the next step ourselves and that is quite scary. But our new record deserves to end up with the right people. ' He bends to the recording device on the table. 'February 7! Dream This in the Citizen Orphanage. '