| Interview with Nikkie Van Lierop by Steve Denger 10-10-99 | |
| Steve Denger | Hello Nikkie! How are you and Danny? |
| Nikkie | We are fine, thank you. Still very much in love. |
| Steve Denger | Do you see your career differently now that you have been married for two years? How has marriage changed you? Has Danny changed you? |
| Nikkie | Marriage hasn't changed me at all - we actually never planned to get married! Danny relaxes me. I'm not as nervous as I used to be. He leaves me free to do what I want. In fact, he encourages me to stand up for myself more. Just what I needed... |
| Steve Denger | Have you thought about starting a family and the challenges it would present to your career and to touring? |
| Nikkie | In the last year I've had 2 miscarriages. I realize that babies change your life completely. I look at it this way: whatever will be, will be. If anything, my miscarriages brought Danny and me even closer together. We went through the whole thing together. I had a tough year; I was terribly depressed and felt nothing but dark pains that doctors didn't have a cure for...(I thought I had cancer, later I thought I'd get a heart attack...). Finally I followed a course "You can heal your life" (Louise L. Hay). Danny and other friends gave me a great deal of Reiki and I must say I'm feeling soooo much better!!! On top of my breakdown, I was in so much doubt about myself (and my music) that I didn't know where to turn. But all is well that ends well. So, chin up!! I could go on making music, since I have my studio at home, so that makes things easier. Everything would work out fine. Touring would be a tougher issue and I haven't figured that one out yet. |
| Steve Denger | Has being married affected your involvement with MNO? |
| Nikkie | I suppose so...but not because I didn't want to be involved anymore. |
| Steve Denger | Are you steering your career in any specific direction? Do you have any new sounds or styles that you want to explore? |
| Nikkie | Right now I have total creative freedom. My music and voice are quite different from before. The cd I'm working on has slower grooves; leaving space for words you can actually listen to when your mom visits! ;-) Basically I still use sounds from the dance/techno scene, but it's interesting to hear them in more laid-back songs. |
| Steve Denger | Do you have any desire to "conquer" the U.S. radio market? |
| Nikkie | That would be soooo cool! I know that if you make techno it is almost impossible, also if you have "dirty language" they won't play you. It's a good thing there is college radio in the US; no one would have heard of Lords of Acid if it weren't for those dj's. But now I think my music is much more radio friendly. |
| Steve Denger | You've been keeping a low profile lately; can you explain what you've been doing? |
| Nikkie | I've been working in my studio. Also, I do some guest appearances on techno tracks, but not much. I enjoy working with people I like and on songs that I like. |
| Steve Denger | Your solo album has been in the works for some time. Can you describe the project and the sounds we can expect to hear from it? |
| Nikkie | Like I said earlier on it is much more laid back. The subjects vary. They are proper songs made with love...slow grooves, dance-influenced sounds, fragile vocals...(one of them is an opera song!) I love it!!!! |
| Steve Denger | Are you producing it yourself? What label will it be on? |
| Nikkie | I'm producing it together with Danny (he turned out to be a great engineer!) I don't know what label it will be on yet. Also, there is another producer, called Fran Ashcroft, who comes over from US to add details and mix the songs. |
| Steve Denger | Can you tell us what your first single will be? |
| Nikkie | We've been talking about that for a while now. I have no idea yet. We might have to vote on that :) |
| Steve Denger | Will there be a video? |
| Nikkie | Absolutely! Even if I have to make one myself, with a second hand home video camera or something! Actually, Danny wants to do that anyway. |
| Steve Denger | Can you offer us a sneak peek at the album... can you give us a few song titles? |
| Nikkie | Some of the titles are "Flowers for Breakfast", "Immortal", "Teach Us", "Waitin' on you", "As the Water Flows". |
| Steve Denger | Did you isolate yourself from the influence of Praga and Oliver on this new album? Is that difficult to do at times considering the time that you three have spent together? |
| Nikkie | I isolated myself from any style of music; I didn't want to be influenced by anyone. It's not hard at all. I'm exploring new things for myself (maybe not new for others, but definitely for me). Yes, the three of us spent a lot of time together, but it's time to move on. I have to say that Praga and Oliver made great stuff lately and I wish them all the best. |
| Steve Denger | When you say, "it's time to move on", that's a very strong statement. Are you implying that the MNO production team is no more? |
| Nikkie | Not really, we still have a Lords of Acid album to make. |
| Steve Denger | Do you have plans to enter the US market with your album, or are you more concerned about your traditional market of Europe and Asia? |
| Nikkie | Of course it would be nice if everyone loved my album!!! If not, I will have made an album that I love. I don't aim for markets; I leave that up to the business people. I did get great reactions on the cd from Japan and the US, so I keep my fingers crossed. |
| Steve Denger | Do you have any plans to tour as Darling Nikkie? |
| Nikkie | Oh yes, for that is what I truly love doing. As soon as people get interested, I'll start putting a great band together and rehearse!! Danny would be the visual director. |
| Steve Denger | Do you think this is the best work you've put together yet? |
| Nikkie | I think so. I got to be creative with my own ideas. |
| Steve Denger | You have such a wide range of vocal styles, from a soft seductive singing style to a hard aggressive edge. Can you tell us what songs you have enjoyed singing the most? Would you rather sing Fantasia or Rubber Doll? |
| Nikkie | I just love singing. I know I'm not perfect but I can handle many styles. So Fantasia or Rubber Doll? Gee...Fantasia for the spacyness and Rubber Doll for the fun lyrics. Looking back I sang so many songs over the years that it would be hard to say. I think I worked on 250 songs - no wonder I can't memorize my lyrics when I'm on stage!!! |
| Steve Denger | Do you enjoy the "Sex Diva" image that the Lords of Acid have given you? |
| Nikkie | Absolutely. I got to play a part and I loved it. (I always wanted to be an actress!). Of course, it came quite naturally to me :). After all I co-created Lords of Acid about 10 years ago. |
| Steve Denger | Have you ever thought of pursuing acting? You have the looks; you have the personality, what's stopping you? |
| Nikkie | Yes!!! But I wouldn't know where to begin. It's hard enough out there for all the people that studied to be actors and have to wait tables in Hollywood...why would it be any easier for me? Music and film are two different worlds, it seems. Okay, sometimes they mix when a film company wants to use your music. But if ever I get the chance, I'll go for it! |
| Steve Denger | You were such a powerful force on the Praga Khan album Conquers Your Love, but we see less of you on the following albums. Was this a decision on your part or are we seeing MNO moving in different directions? |
| Nikkie | Praga is working on solo stuff as Praga Khan. Oliver as well. And so am I as Darling Nikkie. |
| Steve Denger | Nikkie, in your last interview, you told us that you have your 3rd degree Reiki. Can you tell us about that and how you became involved in it? |
| Nikkie | Reiki is a natural form of healing. I got interested after I read a book about it. Three weeks later I got my first degree. You get it by initiation, which makes you a channel for passing on energy. By simply placing your hands on somebody, you help them heal themselves. What you give them is Unconditional Love. It takes away pain, it relaxes and heals. In the first place, you use it on yourself. The initiation itself is very purifying and you will become more aware of everything and anything around you and inside you. It has changed my life. From then on I knew I would become a Reiki master so I could initiate others. All this happened quite a few years ago and I feel I've grown enormously. It's wonderful!!! |
| Steve Denger | Do you find Reiki techniques useful when touring, does it help to keep your energy level up? How do you prepare for a show? |
| Nikkie | It is very useful on tour. When 13 (!) people travel on one bus for a considerable amount of time it can come in handy. You tell everybody once that if they want Reiki, it's up to them to come and get it. Some loved it and some were scared of it. People tend to "recognize" something about you and come to you easily. There were quite a few deep conversations on tour. It was a great learning trip for me. Before a show I usually give myself Reiki on the throat. When I get on stage I send Reiki to my microphone and to everyone in the place. There really was so much positive energy. I get high on that! |
| Steve Denger | Have any of your past songs been directly influenced by your involvement with Reiki? |
| Nikkie | Oh yes. Just after I got my 1st degree I wrote a couple of songs about that. They were released in Japan. "Cruising on the wings of love" was one of them. My new cd has a few as well. I've started to think about stuff differently or it's easier to express how I feel. There are songs about other relationships as well as my own, but there are no judgments. I merely observe. There is this one particular song that Danny wrote for me (Immortal) and it is so beautiful! He described true love at a time when I couldn't. All I had to do was turn his declaration into a song. By the way, Danny has 2nd degree Reiki. |
| Steve Denger | What was the idea behind the snack binging scene in the "Injected with a Poison" video? |
| Nikkie | In that scene, I was hiding from the "bad guys" in the larder of this house and whilst waiting for them I got bored. Hence the mess I was making. |
| Steve Denger | Will you tour again when the next Lords of Acid cd comes out next year? |
| Nikkie | Gee, I don't even know what tomorrow brings... |
| Steve Denger | How do you feel about someone else singing your songs when LOA tours knowing that many concert goers will assume that is you on stage? |
| Nikkie | The real fans will know the difference. If it's a good show, it's a good show. It doesn't matter who sings it. |
| Steve Denger | Have you starting writing songs for the next Lords of Acid cd yet? |
| Nikkie | Nope. We hope to start soon though. I guess as soon as Praga comes back from his tour. |
| Steve Denger | What do you consider to be your creative input in Lords of Acid? Aside from the vocals, can you tell us some things that are uniquely your ideas? |
| Nikkie | Creativity was shared entirely by the three of us. We all did a bit of everything; programming music, writing lyrics, coming up with ideas. |
| Steve Denger | Has there ever been a song idea from Praga and Oliver that you refused to take on? Is there anything you won't do in a song? |
| Nikkie | I'm pretty much open to everything as long as it doesn't hurt anyone or encourage anyone to go on a killing spree or something. |
| Steve Denger | If you could make anything happen in the next year, what would you accomplish? Personal and musical. |
| Nikkie | I'd go touring with my own live band, doing my new album "Flowers for Breakfast", which would be a great hit, of course. :) I'm happy on stage! Personal: I'm already happy; I have a fantastic husband, good friends, two lovely dogs, and a great figure! Yeehaaa!!!! |
| Steve Denger | Thank you Nikkie! I wish you the best of luck with your new release. |
Last-updated Diary Biograhpy Discograhpy Pictures Interviews Mailing List