Photo: Annemieke van der Togt
Interview: Paul Hofman
During the first edition of The Voice of Holland Shary-An broke through to the wider public. She now has three albums to her name and scored hits with the songs Never Played The Bass and Summer of My Life. “If you listen to my song Save You you’ll understand how I feel about this year’s theme! Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone put you down. That’s important and necessary.
Interview
“IT’S OKAY TO BE GAY…IN EVERY CULTURE”
Pride Amsterdam is proud of its new ambassadors. Among the names the lesbian singer Shary-An Nivillac immediately stands out. She recently finished her ‘Project Me’ tour. With all her heart she will work during Pride Amsterdam to increase visibility and emancipation for LGBTI people. “I’m all in. Because you are who you are, right?”
Originally of Antillean-Dutch descent, she talks enthusiastically about her background. “At thirteen I was already singing in a local church choir.” Her talent was noticed and she decided to take part in the hugely popular TV show The Voice of Holland. Shary-An was one of the youngest contestants ever. She reached the semi-finals, where she ultimately lost to her competitor. In the end the much-discussed Ben Saunders took the victory.
Her first steps on stage had been taken. She now has two studio albums to her name. Her latest, titled Project Me, was released recently. She scored hits with Never Played The Bass and Summer of My Life. “I’m currently busy making my dream come true. It’s incredibly hard work but I love it.” She’s certainly ambitious. “With my music I want to reach beyond borders. But for now my focus is on the Netherlands.” Then she laughs and adds: “And if everything goes well with my music career I might one day open my own coffee shop.” Singer Gordon did that before her. For Shary-An, the entertainment world holds few secrets anymore.
At the moment she not only performs regularly as a singer but also works in education during the day, coordinating projects in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in The Hague. She does this with great pleasure, she says.
When she was asked to become an ambassador she responded with immediate enthusiasm. “I thought it was fantastic. With my voice and performances I can contribute to this very important organisation.” Pride Amsterdam is close to her heart. “I’ll show up wherever I can. I’ll cheer on the celebration and celebrate freedom and love with everyone. That we have the freedom to organise Pride Amsterdam is already unique in the world. And we’ll make it great again this year. As a lesbian woman I fully identify with this year’s theme. I believe you should be who you want to be. Being gay is okay in any culture.”
She’s proud to be able to serve as a role model as an ambassador. “It sounds simple, but for some people it’s really hard to show who they are. But you shouldn’t have to be ashamed of who you are.”
Research shows that homosexuality can be difficult to accept in bicultural environments. “For LGBTI people raised in such settings it’s important to know there are others like them. I want to show they are not alone,” she says passionately. The thought of performing with her band on Amsterdam’s Pride stages and seeing the crowd sing and dance along gives her a big thrill. “That’s what it’s for. I get a lot of positive energy from it. It’s just super cool!”
She falls silent when asked about anti-gay violence. Incidents have increased, especially in recent months. The image of tolerant Netherlands is cracking. “It’s fucking sad. I have no other words. I really don’t understand how people can do this. It’s the ultimate proof that not everyone can be who they want to be yet. This must stop.” She herself has never experienced violence. “It would be terrible to go through. My motto is to be yourself and everything will be fine. But I have to adjust that a bit because sadly it’s not the case for everyone.” Through her ambassadorship she will be able to express the theme This is my Pride very strongly, her admirers say. “Because in the end we’re all the same.” The anthem means a lot to her, she says.
With her music the pop artist will no doubt light up the capital’s stages.
Shary-An can’t wait for the Pride parties to kick off.
Pride Ambassador since 2017
