My Background

At twelve, I walked into my first percussion lesson in Hilversum and discovered a room filled with unfamiliar instruments. My teacher stood behind one I didn’t recognize. “That’s a vibraphone,” he said. “You’ll need to play piano to master it.” Piano lessons weren’t part of my plan that day.

Back home, I reached for my sketchbook—the place where I captured everything that inspired me. The vibraphone had captivated me, so I drew myself playing it onstage, bathed in lights, backed by a horn section and a full band. Years later, that childhood sketch has become my reality.