Anne Soldaat (1965) is a Dutch guitarist, singer and songwriter.

Hi… Read Full Bio ↴Anne Soldaat (1965) is a Dutch guitarist, singer and songwriter.

His career started around 1990 in the band Daryll-Ann, in which singer Jelle Paulusma and Soldaat wrote the music and lyrics. Having released six studio albums and one live-album, Daryll-Ann split up in 2004.

In 2005 Soldaat contributed songs to The Cat-A-Day Tales project: a book (story: Aletta Schreuders, drawings: Herwolt van Doornen), accompanied by a 'soundtrack CD'.

Soldaat re-emerged in 2007 with the self-titled album of a new band, Do The Undo (also spelled as Do-The-Undo). The album was, effectively, a solo album. Soldaat has, in later years, called Do-The-Undo a 'silly name'. In 2018 he decided to list the album under Anne Soldaat on Spotify, thereby turning Do-The Undo into an album title and making it, effectively, the first Anne Soldaat solo album.

April 2009 saw the release of In Another Life, Anne Soldaat's first album under his own name, to overwhelming critical acclaim. Soldaat recorded the album with American singer/songwriter - and in this case producer and studio musician - Jason Falkner.

Anne Soldaat tours with his own Anne Soldaat Band, but also as the guitarist in the band of singer/songwriter and labelmate Tim Knol. He wrote music for 'Zout' ('Salt'), a dance theatre show by Rotterdam's Conny Janssen Danst before releasing his second, self-titled album, Anne Soldaat (2012), which was once again recorded in Los Angeles with Jason Falkner.

After a lengthy and highly succesful Daryll-Ann reunion tour in 2014 Soldaat recorded his third solo album in Amsterdam. Talks Little, Kills Many saw the light of day in April 2015 and showcases Soldaat's acoustic, singer-songwriter side.

2018 and 2019 saw the release of two 'Unsung Heroes' covers albums by Anne Soldaat & Yorick van Norden. During the Covid-19 pandemic Soldaat finalized his fifth solo LP: Facts & Fears was released in 2021 to rave reviews in the Dutch music press.

Born to Perform
Anne Soldaat Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was born to perform in another life
I was born to die unknown
And the life that I choose
It won t make it to the news
Please let me die alone
I dreamed I was like Freddie Mercury
But sure he was one of a kind
I can t lie I can t fake

Guess I m more like Nick Drake
Not the worst you can find
Help me in time I don t need a home
Just a place I can write
Because it s all in my head you know
It's a place I can hide
Should art be about my inner self

I can t speak for a crowd
When the words they come out
And that s an art in itself
How many lives can a man uphold
How many dreams can he chase
Or is it all about letting go
And just keeping your face
I was born to be alive
And to die on a stage
I don t care about the gold
Let me sing 'till I m old
And let me learn about life
Because it s all in my head you know
It's a place I can hide

A place I can hide
A place I can hide

Overall Meaning

In Anne Soldaat's song "Born to Perform," the singer expounds on his desire to perform music even though he knows he may not be the next Freddie Mercury. He believes that he was born to perform music, but unfortunately, the life he chooses does not get him any news coverage. The singer doesn't want fame, he just wants a place where he can write and create his music, and he doesn't want anyone to interfere with this process. He also mentions that art is personal and should not always be about connecting with a crowd. The singer is just content with learning about life through the creation of his music, and he hopes to keep performing until he is old.

Line by Line Meaning

I was born to perform in another life
I feel like I was destined to be on a stage or perform, but maybe in a past life.

I was born to die unknown
My fate is to die without much recognition or fame.

And the life that I choose It won't make it to the news
Even if I pursue a career in music, it probably won't make national or international headlines.

Please let me die alone
I don't need a big funeral or attention around my death; I'd prefer to just pass away quietly.

I dreamed I was like Freddie Mercury But sure he was one of a kind
I may idolize performers like Freddie Mercury, but I know I can never truly be like them because they were unique in their own right.

I can't lie I can't fake Guess I'm more like Nick Drake Not the worst you can find
I can't pretend to be someone I'm not, and I may be more comparable to someone like Nick Drake (who also didn't achieve mainstream success) but that doesn't make me the worst musician out there.

Help me in time I don't need a home Just a place I can write
All I need is a space to write music - I don't require much else.

Because it's all in my head you know It's a place I can hide
The music I create comes from within me, and I use it as a way to hide from the outside world.

Should art be about my inner self I can't speak for a crowd
I'm unsure if music should be solely about my own emotions and experiences, and I'm not comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people to ask them for their opinion.

When the words they come out And that's an art in itself
Even if I struggle to vocalize my feelings or ideas, that can be seen as a unique aspect of my artistry.

How many lives can a man uphold How many dreams can he chase Or is it all about letting go And just keeping your face
I'm contemplating how many passions or goals one person can realistically pursue before having to give up on some, or if it's worth it to just focus on outward appearances.

I was born to be alive And to die on a stage
Performing is an essential part of who I am, and I can see myself dying while doing what I love.

I don't care about the gold Let me sing 'till I'm old And let me learn about life
I'm not concerned with becoming rich and famous - I just want to keep singing and growing my knowledge of the world.

A place I can hide A place I can hide A place I can hide
I reiterate that music is where I find solace and escape from the rest of the world.

Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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