about

In her recognizable, detail-driven language, Luwten (the musical project of singer, songwriter and producer Tessa Douwstra) moves between the electronic and the acoustic, the familiar and the unfamiliar. With a whispering intensity, she sings about what it feels like to be here. After a period of change, she stands on the threshold of new music.

First single o pen bro ken lingers in anticipation; tuning like an orchestra before its first note. With warmth, noise and voice, Luwten circles the moment of an inevitable decision in a world unmistakably hers.

In that world, sound and words are equal partners and curiosity takes the wheel continuously. The blueprint of Luwten is what she calls her personal trinity: the minimalism of composers such as Steve Reich, the experimental songwriting and arranging of artists like Solange and the groundbreaking productions of acts such as Floating Points.

Following her acclaimed self-titled debut in 2017, Luwten released her second album Draft in 2021, once again created in collaboration with longtime musical partner Binkbeats. First single Control premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1, she toured her home country as well as France, Belgium, Germany and the UK, the album appeared in OOR's year-end list as Best Dutch Album and received the 3voor12 Award for Best Dutch Album of the year.

Between albums, Douwstra often enters more exploratory phases, seeking collaborations and allowing new life and ideas to unfold. She collaborates on releases with Cero Ismael, De Staat, Klangstof, Pitou and Naaz, creates performances with Binkbeats, B.O.X. Baroque Ensemble and jazz saxophonist Kika Sprangers, composes for an installation at Centraal Museum and supports artists including Men I Trust and Sophie Hunger on tour.