Stage Republic Q&A

Your name:

Raven, that’s a more user friendly version of the unpronounceable Corjan de Raaf.

Where are you from?

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Name of band:

Stage Republic.

Who else is in your band? 

No-one, I am a DIY musician. That includes the artwork, imaging, designs, photos, promotion - you name it. For the album I did work together though with some of the best musicians in the country to create the Stage Republic debut album ‘Firstage’. Special mention should go to my producer Itsbart. He’s very much co-responsible for my current sound. 

How would you describe yourself?

As a musician, determined to survive in an exciting new world of connected people. I like to innovate. I was the first artist in the world to release a single on a USB stick in September 2005. In 2010 I released Mystery Pop, an album with songs about bestselling mystery books, endorsed and plugged by their celebrity authors. For the current album I have put the business model upside down. First I have placed all songs with Hit Brokers in the US for film, TV etc. Now I can give away my album away for free to the world. Income is generated by synching and streaming services like Spotify. But don’t let all the bizz talk fool you. I am a musician first and foremost. My songs deal with ambitions and relations in a fast changing world. The desire to have what you can’t have. To do the unthinkable. Achieve the impossible. There is often a dark undertone or double meaning. Like life itself. 

Who are your main influences musically?

I am very much a product of the 80s. You will hear Duran Duran, A-ha, Adam Ant, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi. Since there’s such a variety of styles on the album I have been compared in the last two weeks to The Fray, Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran, U2 and even the Prodigy. The music of Stage Republic is a sort of blend of Pop-Rock-Dance-Euro. Hard to put in a box but with a distinct own sound (I have been told :) 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I honestly have no idea. I come from a modest background, I have raised the bar a number of times and made it against all odds. I will climb where I see a path. I love to connect to new people in new countries. If anything, I want to become a better musician and earn the recognition of the public and my peers. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

There have been many great things but if I need to name one it’s probably being requested to provide a quote for a biography of John Lennon that was presented to Yoko Ono on the 30th anniversary of his death in Madison Square gardens. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

None. Every experience counts. I regret some things in life but none have to do with my musical sort-of-a-career

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

All Out - because it’s everything I am - refuse to think it’s hard.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/stagerepublic/all-out

Where can we find out more about your music? 

You can download he entire album for free here:

http://www.stagerepublic.com/#!download/c1f2d

Links:

http://stagerepublic.com
http://reverbnation.com/stagerepublic
http://facebook.com/stagerepublic
http://twitter.com/stagerepub
http://soundcloud.com/stagerepublic
http://youtube.com/stagerepublic 

http://itunes.com/stagerepublic

http://open.spotify.com/artist/2HiFq4yQNNY7DiwicKFgvX

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

In 2010 I made my acting debut in the British horror movie the Stone. To everybody’s surprise the movie won Best Foreign Film award on the mountain film festival of California.
In recent years I released two albums and nine singles in two languages under my Dutch artist name "Corjan". My music was used in several films. Early 2013, I participated in a documentary alongside British Top of the Pops presenter and Heart FM DJ Jamie Theakston.