Typhoon is a Swede

Photo: Ferdy Damman

"It's nice that we get to end such an intense period together. I'm so happy that the lockdown is over and I can't wait to be on stage. Finally I can do what I was born to do: make music and perform for people. I'm incredibly looking forward to it. Performances in Zwolle are always special. I like to show the very best of myself to my city. My home expects the same. I think it's great that it puts you on edge, because you do have to show it. That also suits me. I want to prove it again and again. Certainly in Zwolle.

Performing for the king

I have experienced many special performances in Zwolle, but the one for King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima during King's Day 2014 will always stay with me. That was perhaps the most memorable performance. We played on the Broerenkerkplein. I'll never forget how Prince Maurice was dancing and laughing. It seemed like we were thrilling the whole city and the whole country with our music. It was really valuable that we could experience that in Zwolle.

Zwolle is home

My office is in Amsterdam and therefore I am still often in that city, but my home is Zwolle. Just before the corona crisis we moved to Herxen, not far from the city. The fact that we can live here is so valuable and essential. I grew up on the Veluwe and then you're used to trees and forests. They are my oxygen. So living in green was always a dream and I am extremely grateful that it has come true. If you are on the road so much, you need a place where you can guarantee peace and quiet. That's why this house is really priceless. The surroundings of Zwolle are also beautiful. I walk like to walk and then there are so many natural areas to choose from and discover. Especially along the IJssel River is always good.

The culture of the East

I love the culture of the East. It is also part of the feeling of home. I have many cultures in me, but the culture of the East feels very important to me. What that is in is hard to explain. Your chosen family is not always the family of your blood. That's how it is with Zwolle and the east. This is where I grew up with the guys from Opgezwolle, met a lot of musicians like Dries Bijlsma and we started the Fakkelbrigade. This is my cradle. The place where it all started.

Carried by the city

I am very grateful that Zwolle is my home. When I walk through the city or go shopping at the Jumbo in Zwolle-Zuid, people show me they are proud of me. That makes me feel really carried by Zwolle. I feel a very strong connection with the city and its inhabitants. In each district there are memories and you know people. I notice that every time I drive through Zwolle. That feeling also inspires me. I write about all aspects of my life and Zwolle plays an important role in that.

The rediscovery of Zwolle

My wife is from Amsterdam. She now also loves this area. Marie is discovering Zwolle and the nice thing is that it gives me a boost too. I look at my own city with new eyes. I also see new places every time. Zwolle has changed in any case over the past twenty years. The center looks more tidy, although I regret that it seems less green. As a thirty-something, you look at a city differently. Going out nowadays is eating out or having a drink. The youth makes the inner city and that's the way it should be. That's another reason why I'm glad the lockdown is over and Zwolle is bustling again."

The Top 3 of Typhoon

• "A friend of mine owns the Chocolate Company on the Oude Vismarkt. There you drink the best coffee and eat the best lunch sandwiches in Zwolle. Also on the Oude Vismarkt is restaurant Noïs. I think that's an enrichment of the Zwolle spectrum in terms of culinary matters."
• "Wine bar Oak on the Gasthuisplein I also find a cool place. That's a place I go to regularly with my wife and where we feel completely at home."
• "A favorite hiking spot is the area between Holtenbroek, Stadshagen and the Aa-Landen. You have the Westerveld Forest there and the dike along the Zwarte Water."