Sef is releasing his album Lieve Monsters today. Once again, the Moroccan-Dutch artist opts for a different style. Whether he loses fans in the process, he has let go of. “I prefer to make music in as free a way as possible,” he tells NU.nl.
Yousef Gnaoui, as Sef is really called, has been making music for over 25 years. He works solo and with other artists. For example, he was a member of the rap group Flinke Namen for years, which scored hits such as Wolken and Als zij langsloopt. He can also be heard on popular songs by artists such as The Opposites (Broodje Bakpao, Me Nikes) and Dio (Tijdmachine).
In 2011, Sef made his first solo album: De Leven. Especially the song of the same name did well. Since then, a new album has been released every few years. His previous album, Ik zou voor veel kunnen sterven maar niet voor een vlag, contains socially critical lyrics and a lot of rap. Lieve Monsters, on the other hand, is about being human and has a more electronic pop sound.
“I actually go in a different direction with each album,” says Sef. “I’m used to some people dropping out and some people joining.” The 41-year-old artist tries not to dwell too much on what people think of his new music. “Because that limits my creativity a lot. I’ll take that risk for granted.”
Sef also thinks that the variety of genres sometimes makes his career not always easy. “People can’t quite pin me down to one thing. But this is how I prefer to make music: in as free a way as possible.”
Making an album without the word ‘I’
Yet he imposed a few rules on himself with Lieve Monsters. “I wanted to write differently, so I gave myself the assignment not to use the word ‘I’,” he says. “To try not to reason only from myself, but also to think from other people.”
Yet it turned out to be difficult to maintain that for an entire album. “With the last songs, I ran into a ceiling and had to use the word again. That makes those songs personal again.”
The recording process also went differently than usual. “We recorded music and then consciously left it, without listening back. Only at the next session did we pick it up again. That created a fresh perspective and prevented us from becoming too attached to the first version.”
Lieve Monsters is not entirely solo. Wende (Voor alles bang) and Froukje (Oeps) can also be heard on the record. “The song with Froukje has had countless versions,” says Sef. “At one point I didn’t know what to do with it anymore. Then I asked her to think along. I thought: she is the only one who knows what this needs. And that was right.”
‘Electronic sound tastes like more’
The artist has not yet determined the direction for a possible next album. “But that electronic sound tastes like more,” he says. “My first two albums also had electronic elements. Lieve Monsters has rekindled that fire.”
His electronic pop songs are also very suitable for playing live, Sef explains. “There is a lot of energy in it. My music before that was quieter, and of course you get a very different show from that.”
His new music can be heard this summer at Lowlands. “But I’ll also play the classics anyway,” he promises. “Those have to be in there of course, but in my head I’m always busy with what’s to come and not with what I’ve already done.”