S!RENE INTERVIEW: Dutch-Nigerian DJ and Producer S!RENE is a familiar name in the tastemaker world, having played and earned praise from NTS Loft, Rinse FM and BBC 1XTRA. Beyond the studio and stage, he’s collaborated with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger’s streetwear sub-label Tommy Jeans, Rotterdam streetwear brandWOEI for their partnership with Jack Daniels and Europe’s leading sneaker brand Asphaltgold, the latter for which he played at the opening of their new Frankfurt store location.
What five words define your sound?
“Sounds with power to heal.”
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I have heavy ADHD, which sometimes hinders me in my creative process. For instance, I have a hard time concentrating on one thing at once. Something I realised that worked very well to counter this was putting on anime while creating. I’ll just turn on a show I’ve seen before so I can make music at the same time while it runs. I choose anime because the music in the series is usually super inspiring, so I’d rather have something on that can also help me in my creative process instead of scrolling on my phone.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
I’d have to go with ‘Tree’s Root’, the latest single from my new album ‘Silence Gives Life’. On this record I sampled Tony Allen’s ‘Jealousy’ into a four-minute Afrobeat jam. I feel like this track is the best at representing what being Nigerian means to me.
What inspired you to make that song?
My Australian tour in 2024. I was there for the first time and I really got inspired by the connections I made with the people, nature and the music I was listening to during that period. It was spring so I wanted to make something that both captured my heritage and the feelings I had at the time. I started working on the song during my tour and finished it when I got back to Amsterdam.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
While I was making ‘7th Rose’, I found myself crying while I was playing the chords on my keyboard back home. I’d never experienced anything like that before but I just let myself go in that moment. Maybe there were some memories that got triggered in that moment, I still can’t explain what happened. I felt very relieved afterwards though.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Funny enough these two moments were in the same set [laughs]. During my Boiler Room set in 2023 I was peaking in terms of performance. Everything just seemed to be working and I built the set up in the best way I could’ve ever dreamed of. I felt like I was on a cloud, I connected with the crowd in the best way I’d ever had and technically I wasn’t making any mistakes.
I guess the Gods were looking at me and decided I was reaching too high with the vibes because 40 minutes in, the power fell out completely. In that moment I wanted to cry, be angry, frustrated but I couldn’t do any of those things because the night had been so good. It took like 10 mins for the power to be fixed and luckily the crowd was so sweet and cheered me on. It’s definitely the most disappointed I’ve felt on stage, but once I started playing again it all faded away.
What is your favourite song to perform?
It has to be ‘Lusanya Riddim’. I made this track back in 2022 and it still hits when I play it in the club. It’s a fusion of Amapiano and Afrobeat but in such a way that it fits neither genre specifically. It had this amazing way of turning up a crowd at any time.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
I have so many answers to this question because I love so many types of music and I’m inspired by many artists. But if I date it back to when I actually started making my first beats it’d have to be Anderson .Paak’s album, ‘Oxnard’. I had been making edits already but there was just something about that album’s production that made me want to make my own beats as well.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
S!RENE stands for two things: ‘Serenity’ and an actual siren. If you combine those two words you get a combination of my personality. As a person I’m very calm, collected and passionate but also observant. So very serene, but a siren always demands attention, when you hear one it will always make your head move. That’s what I’ve always wanted to represent. Someone who is calm, level headed and stands for depth in music. But at the same time has the ability to grab your attention while playing.
If you weren’t making music, What would you be doing instead?
I would probably be a teacher. Probably a history teacher as that was my best subject in school. I’m also quite interested in politics so maybe I would’ve been a politician.
What’s success to you?
Success and happiness are very connected for me. If I am happy with what I’m doing and what I’m working towards, I already feel successful. To be very honest, I still struggle with not letting the result of my work determine my happiness so I’m not fully there yet. So for me, being able to be happy and joyful without regrets or focus on the result, but more so on the effort and love put in means I’m successful.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
Definitely Covid. I was always aiming to just play music, be a DJ and nothing else. But once I couldn’t do that anymore it shattered my world and I had to switch gears. I was already making things but that period in time forced me to channel my creativity into seriously making music as well and it’s helped me in my performances as well as getting to express my feelings through creating.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Instagram is the place I am active the most, so I’d have to go with that platform [laughs].
