“As lead drummer for Sister Sledge, I toured the world. Now I'm artist manager for various bands here and abroad and I've moved back to the countryside of the Netherlands. I've had a brilliant music journey over the years.
I started my adventures as a long-haired metalhead studying at the music conservatory. I was drumming eight hours a day and just couldn't get enough of it. When I got the chance to perform with Sister Sledge – from the song ‘We are family’ – I seized it with both hands. From Cannes to Las Vegas, we flew all around the world and I met the most incredible people. And yet, after a while, I felt it was time to go and do something else. I was starting to feel as if performing was something I had to do in order to be able to make a living from music.
Now, I run my own company as artist manager and our bands perform at the big festivals like Pinkpop, Lowlands, Glastonbury and Sziget. These really are the stages every artist dreams of. And of course, we've had rough times too. Like three years ago during the pandemic. One performance after another got cancelled. And so I decided to do something else on the side – which is how I ended up as a lecturer at NHL Stenden.
I'm enjoying the work so much, I'm now combining my two jobs. My working week is often 60 to 70 hours but that's not a problem for me. I'm doing what I enjoy the most: working with young people. Thanks to the students, I know exactly what's going on in the world. And of course, I try to pass things on to them too. I really believe in setting goals, even if they're vague. They act as a compass and create new opportunities.”
Andries van Wieren, lecturer in Music Management
