LAWIJT. is a one-man band in its purest, most unfiltered form. It exists to bring you back to a time when music was raw emotion and imperfectly human. If youโre looking for a quick fix of hot and tasty music: have some LAWIJT! For breakfast, dinner, or anywhere in between. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
LAWIJT.: I always had a โmusical familyโ and just seeing them play and have fun was very inspiring. But the process of seeing relatives go from not being able to play to getting genuinely good was eye-opening.
Later, when I actually started listening to music, it triggered me to really work on playing an instrument and getting good at it. Both elements taught me that if you care enough about something and youโre willing to put in the time, you can get a lot further than you might think.
2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
LAWIJT.: It was very much a personal exploration and while I had some formal training early on in my life (I used to play the violin!), I started (like most teenagers) playing guitar because I was listening to all these awesome rock bands and decided I wanted to be in a band as well. The learning curve was pretty steep without guidance but experimenting and just trying things out allowed me to freely play and create without the boundaries of music theory or any other rules. I moved from playing guitar to other instruments and everything clicked when I started plugging things into a computer and a DAW. Loved it ever since.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โLAWIJT.โ?
LAWIJT.: for me, every band of the 2000s, from obscure to commercially successful, bands were inspirational. Think Finch, Incubus, Soulwax, Deus, Deftones, Placebo, Linkin Park, Sum 41, Alien Ant Farm, โฆBut I was also a big fan of mathrock and indie rock like Pinback, Systems Officer and Syd Matters. It was actually a video of Rob Crow and Zach from Pinback playing Syracuse in their living room with just a drum computer and some loops that inspired me to do one-man projects. While I did other projects, LAWIJT. is an homage to that raw 2000 rock sound and a time where mixing and mastering was often unique for each band in comparison to how over polished and generalized music sounds today.
LAWIJT. is Dutch (Belgian) slang for โloud noiseโ and while my songs arenโt the loudest noise youโll ever hear, I think itโs very much appropriate for what I make.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
LAWIJT.: Music is subjective, and I lean into that by making music I personally connect with. What I think sets it apart is the subtle hint of imperfection and raw creativity. The mix contains some errors here and there both instrumental and vocal, imperfections that I thought sounded cool.
I also decided to mix and master it myself to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill over-polished sounds we often hear today. In the end the songs are about life, love, lust and the pull of dopamine hits of whichever kind but most importantly itโs raw, loud, human and imperfect.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
LAWIJT.: It is true that my first writing experiences were, in hindsight, not great. I had made rock music, produced for games, and did a production for a short film while learning every step of the way. Most of it sounded good at the time, but it was all part of a long learning curve.
LAWIJT. is the first project where I feel Iโm actually writing what Iโve always wanted to write. In comparison, my first real production: About Bread, was in many ways lovely, but more influenced by other artists than I cared to admit at the time.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
LAWIJT.: I think music always tells a story and that story is different for everyone. Iโm not the best at writing lyrics (I know my weaknesses) so my primary objective is to try and find words that sound cool and complement the instrumentals, but the words still end up carrying meaning depending on where I am in life.
So do they tell a story? Definitely! But I donโt necessarily try to write political or spiritual messages, even though those ideas linger in the background. For me, itโs more about personal perspective than preaching anything.
For example, ENJOY THE RIDE. is a good example, it tells a story about the pull towards a high, trying to not worry about tomorrow. The times we live in feel uncertain, yet we are so constrained in how we live our lives. Perhaps sometimes we should just turn our brain off and truly enjoy the ride, see what happens.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment youโre still seeking?
LAWIJT.: I just like making music so whenever I finish a track and I listen to it in my car, Iโm happy and creatively fulfilled.
That said, in 2026 itโs definitely harder to find listeners and fans. The idea of making music and just randomly breaking through no longer applies. Itโs all about social media and, with AI now in the mix, it sometimes feels like itโs less about the music or the creative process itself and more about how itโs presented.
There was a recent example of a marketing firm using TikTok trending sounds to help artists break through, which I think is a good example of where things are at. I donโt think itโs wrong (you have a product, you need to sell it) but it does change how commercially rewarding the purely creative process feels today.
In the end, since more people can now make high-quality music, the competition is huge, so finding commercial success is definitely harder. That said, the creative process itself is still enough for me.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, whatโs the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
LAWIJT.: I try to make the music all by myself. Itโs the one thing in life where Iโm not really a team player since I want this to be just โmeโ. I definitely take technical feedback but I try not to change the core of the song based on other peopleโs opinions, if I like it, itโs okay!
I plug in my guitar, play a riff, try to program drums around it, refine the riff (or change it entirely), then lay down a lead guitar track, add bass and vocals. I usually end up with either a verse or a chorus first. From there I quickly move on to writing the second part.
The hardest part is connecting those sections. Once youโve locked in both parts, the creativity is defined by the limitation of what youโve already written. That puzzle is actually the part I enjoy the most. I often end up writing the bridge or breakdown last, then taking my time to tie everything together, adding details, drum fills, backing vocals and whatever feels right, until Iโm happy with it or completely sick of tinkering with it, which also happens sometimes.
9. Whatโs been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
LAWIJT.: Iโll stick to my music career. One of the biggest hurdles for me has always been deciding when a track is actually ready, and overcoming the fear of letting other people hear it.
When you make music by yourself youโre listening to the same track a million times. It becomes very personal but you also get used to it. At that point, truly enhancing the track or changing things because itโs starting to feel stale are different things, that line is blurry. One actually makes the track better, the other just turns it into something new.
Thereโs also the moment where you have to let go of control. As soon as you share a track, all the time you invested gets judged in one single listen. For me, that step: deciding when itโs ready and putting it out there, is often harder than writing the track itself.
To deal with that, I use small checkpoints. Platforms, like Reddit in particular, are useful. You just dop something anonymously and get real and honest feedback. I also share tracks with a few people close to me who have similar taste. If those reactions line up, I know itโs ready. If not, I still have time to adjust things.
That whole process has really shaped how I work, and my workflow is built around it.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
LAWIJT.: My first project (About Bread) is one of my proudest moments, it had some local momentum and I was playing live before I even knew how to capture that momentum fast enough to turn it into something bigger. Still, it felt like an achievement at the time, and that was more than enough for me. But it also taught me that itโs not as simple as writing music, getting featured, playing live and hoping to get big.
LAWIJT. is a new chapter and I think Iโve grown in how to approach things. With an EP ready, Iโll be releasing tracks one by one, trying to find out how people react and if the project can reach a wider audience. Social media will be the main driver here, and Iโm already seeing some traction here and there. In the end Iโm fine if it doesnโt reach a larger audience. Iโm happy itโs out there and if it finds even a few listeners who love it, thatโs mission accomplished. If this release does grow into something bigger. Iโll be ready for it. Thereโs more coming up for LAWIJT. both digitally and on stage.
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
LAWIJT.: Iโve been lucky to receive way more positive feedback than negative feedback, especially on social media. Surprisingly, of the 30-something outlets Iโve contacted for reviews I had just a couple negative ones that were completely opposite in their opinions, even highlighting different parts as good versus bad.
The negative feedback does tend to stick with you longer. Itโs always harder to process. But I try to keep in mind that music is subjective, so I donโt let it affect me too much on an individual level.
If the same kind of feedback comes back more than once then I do take it to heart and start questioning some of my choices. Thatโs usually where I decide whether I want to rework a track or simply not release it. When I like something, Iโm fine with it, even if that means leaving a few songs unreleased.
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
LAWIJT.: Iโm more comfortable in a studio environment. Itโs where I am completely free to experiment and thereโs no pressure. Itโs just a huge playground and no one is listening. I can just focus on the creative process.
That said, I do like being on stage, and Iโm really looking forward to bringing this project live in the near future.
I think Iโm just addicted to the creative process itself. In a home studio, I have full control, but the moment you bring other people into the mix or step onto a stage, you are at their mercy and no longer fully in control. Youโre reacting in real time. That shift is both exhilarating and slightly terrifying, but in a good way.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
LAWIJT.: I definitely think people should listen and feel whatever they want to feel. I donโt believe in controlling how a song is interpretedโonce itโs out there, it becomes something personal to whoever hears it.
In fact, if I said otherwise, the whole idea behind ENJOY THE RIDE. would fall apart. For me, that track is exactly about letting go of control and just experiencing things as they are meant for you.
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