Queen of Spades (The Netherlands)

Interview with Peggy Smits (vocals)

https://www.facebook.com/queenofspadesofficialmusic/

Queen of Spades (QOS) is a Dutch based powerhouse challenging the parameters of what defines Hard Rock music. By bridging the divide between multiple (sub)genres while exploring boundaries of femininity within the Hard Rock scene, they set out on the mission to shift the perspective surrounding the genre and target a wider and more inclusive audience. In 2021 the quartet from The Netherlands released their first album, Devil In Disguise. Nowadays they have a new single named “Impact” out. As soon as I was offered (by Mike from Hard Life Promotions) an interview shedule and a chance to talk with Peggy, the leadsinger of the band, I didn’t hesitate to say yes as I had many questions to ask. As you can read in the following, it was a pleasant chat with this, not only beautiful but extremely talented lady too.

Metal Revolution: Hi guys, as I have family in The Netherlands, I won’t ask you about the weather conditions nor the political situation in your country, but I would ask you to you introduce be kind your mighty band and current line-up?
Peggy: Hi! (Laughing) It’s so nice to meet you, thank you so much for this interview. Queen of Spades is a hardrock/metal band that is founded in 2019. In 2021, during the Corona pandemic, we released our first album. This album is full of classic rock influences. After that we started working on completing our sound and image. As you can hear in our latest single “Impact”. Emilio is our lead guitarist, Willemijn is our drummer, Bram is our bassplayer and I’m the singer. We are currently looking for a second (rhythm) guitarist.

MR: ‘The Queen of Spades’ is an opera by Tchaikovsky. Is it where your band’s specific name comes from or did you find inspiration at some other place?
Peggy: That is a nice reference, but actually we were thinking about a name and thought: what is really rock? We thought about the classic rock bands and thought of Mötorhead: the Ace of Spades. There is a lot of potential with using a spade. As I’m the singer we thought Queen of Spades is a nice rock name!

MR: I see… you’ve been described as ‘…a band challenging the parameters of what defines Hard Rock music’, but if I ask you how would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard of Queen of Spades? ‘Just’ a female fronted hardrock/metal band or…?
Peggy: We like to refer, to describe our sound, to bands like The Pretty Reckless, Halestorm and Spiritbox. These bands are very well known! We have a classic rock base, but the instrumentals of our new songs are more metal.

MR: Sorry for bringin’ it up again, but Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Queen of Spades’ is an opera that swerves between the apparently conventional and the obviously unsettling. Is it also the way you see you as a band?
Peggy: We like to make music to really connect with people and share feelings and thoughts. We think music can save people. Our latest single “Impact” is about having mental problems and about that you must never give up. But then in our music video we like to use a bit of darkness and act like the dark thoughts are taking over.

MR: Do you agree with me if I say that you started out as a hard rock band, but your latest release has a lot more metal influences?
Peggy: Yes! We are trying to experiment with sounds and with my voice too so we don’t always have the same sound and we attract different kinds of people to listen to our music. We have ballads for people who don’t like rock or metal, we have more classic rock and we have some heavier stuff.

MR: When and where was the band formed? Have you guys been involved in any other projects before Queen of Spades?
Peggy: The band was formed in 2019 with Emilio and me at the start. Before 2019 I was in this band too, but we did covers. In 2019 we started making our own music.

MR: In 2021 you released your first album entitled Devil In Disguise. What are your feelings when you look back at this record? Is there one thing in connection to Devil In Disguise you would have done differently today, what would it be?
Peggy: We are still very proud of our first album. We like the sound, we like the mix. But in four years you grow a lot. I have had a lot of singing lessons, we came together to create new sounds. We think music is always a process, never look back because if you do, you probably want to change everything. Our thought is: when it was recorded, it was at the right time at the right place, we learned a lot and let’s move on to create new music!

MR: Do you have any personal favorites from Devil In Disguise? Which song resonates with you personally the most and why?
Peggy: If we play a show we always play “High heels” as an opening song to start off strong and powerful. Together with fire to involve the crowd. And also “No Name” has a nice groove. We end our shows a lot with “Nightmare” to end our show with a BANG!

MR: Your newest single “Broken Satellite” is well received and I could notice many views and shares on social media. Are you pleased with the reception of it?
Peggy: Yes! We never expected that broken satellite was going to be placed on an Indonesian soap series playlist, (Laughing). We are happy we gained new fans from all over the world.

MR: What can you tell about this particular song (“Broken Satellite”) and its lyrical content? What inspired you to choose this title? Is it a metaphor for something else?
Peggy: It’s about living in 2024 and people are a lot on their phones and don’t really talk to each other anymore. /the connection is lost. “Broken Satellite” has the message: breaking this habit and connecting again.

MR: Utilized any new recording techniques when recording this new single, compared to the things you recorded earlier on Devil In Disguise?
Peggy: Yes! We experimented with more and different delays and with different and difficult timing.

MR: How does your creative process work? I mean, what’s the creative process like when you make a new song?
Peggy: Emilio always writes the first instrumental parts. Then he sends it over to everyone so everyone can do their thing. I write the lyrics and vocals. I start out by asking Emilio a few words and feelings to describe his instrumental part. Then I start writing a poem about it and turn that into a song.

MR: What obstacles or challenges, if any, do you encounter when it comes to getting your music out there and heard by potential new fans?
Peggy: You really have to stand out and work hard. We have had a lot of obstacles in our way in the last few years and I think the key to becoming a bigger band is to never give up.

MR: I know that Mike from ‘Hard Life Promotions’ is helping with your band name being heard by his promotion activities. Do you know each other in person and why did you decide to choose Hard Life Promotions to promote your work?
Peggy: We have had mailing contact and I heard a lot of good things about Mike from other people I know!

MR: What are some other hobbies and passions you guys have, regardless of music?
Peggy: We all really consider making music as our favorite hobby. But I love to ride my motorcycle in good weather (Laughing) and love spending time with my family. Emilio loves to listen to music, same as Bram. Bram goes to a lot of concerts and plays field hockey. Willemijn just really loves to make music.

MR: Can you think of a time that your music or credibility as a musician was discounted due to being a woman?
Peggy: Haters gonna hate. I think that every musician will get hate from somewhere.  Because I’m blonde, people assume I’m just an arrogant and dumb pretty girl. But if you take the time to talk with me you will see I am down to earth and I always try to be very nice and open to people.

MR: Now, would you tell us what’s the next step for QOS now? Plans for recording a sophomore full-length? Live performances in support of your new single? Any new projects in the pipeline that you can share with us?
Peggy: We have so many exciting things coming up!! We are the support act of Tremonti in the Netherlands. And we have a lot of new music ready to be released.

MR: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Would you like to add anything to the readers of our webzine?
Peggy: Thank you so much for this opportunity and please check us out and support us by listening to our music!

MR: Thanks again!