Dutch Artist Luwten Reveals Second Album “Draft”
Dutch artist Luwten has revealed her latest album “Draft” a unique piece that is taking a turn in the other direction from her previous work. In the past Luwten’s music has revolved around and been made for introverts, embracing comfort in your own solitude and selfhood. Now with “Draft” Luwten is switching positions, a wallflower no more, this body of work is taking on the challenge of being the other person in the room, the outgoing and extroverted.
Luwten, the alias of Dutch artist Tessa Douwstra records, writes, performs, and produces cunning pop that incites both the head and the heart. In pattern with her past work, “Draft” incorporates quirky, digital inspired production alongside her soft, solemn voice.
“For this album I wanted to open the door a little and came up with the idea of Draft. Draft is about opening the door a little, let in some outside air and influences.” Said Luwten. “I also liked Draft as being the beginning of something. I don’t think we’re ever going to be finished and I like that idea of people as a never-ending draft. I noticed I’m writing a lot about thinking versus feeling and being alone versus being together with other people. I love the idea of music as self-exploration. For the maker as well as the listener."
Luwten takes its name from a Dutch word which simply means ‘place without wind’. Amsterdam-based Tessa Douwstra adopted it as the moniker for her solo abstract pop project - which fuses organic instrumentation with field recordings and sampling - so enamoured was she with the creative process of “working in a total vacuum”. Her EP of late 2020 Door bore the unambiguous title that reflected, in Tessa’s own words; “A study of a perfectionist who acknowledges that everything’s in a constant state of flux.”
The embrace and empathy in LUWTEN’s music lies in the process itself. She’s looking for new ways, without reading the manual first. Douwstra’s new material for 2021 marks a determined move towards opening up a little, allowing a little fresh air, some outside influence, to rush in underneath the door left ajar. Speaking about the ideas of agency, control and freedom - increasingly applicable to the global crises of 2020/2021 - which have preoccupied her recent creative processes, Tessa notes; “How much of being alone is because it’s helpful? How much of being alone is because you’re afraid? Does being alone help being authentic? Or is looking for authenticity something you could or even should look for with others?”
LUWTEN has fast built a profile throughout Europe, with spins on various radio stations throughout the Netherlands, and now BBC Radio 1 in the UK. The indie-pop star has also seen support across streaming, including spots on New Music Friday in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Deutschland and cracking the Netherlands Viral 50.
