The IMC Magazine Issue 18 / August 2016 | Page 98

The beauty of having friends that are musicians is that through them you have the opportunity to expand your musical horizons and meet other artists.

At the 2015 IMEA awards I had the honor of watching four-time IMEA nominated Stage Republic perform their song ‘All Out’. Accompanied by Bart Janssen on guitar, front man Corjan De Raaf, known as Raven, quickly captured the audience’s attention with his insightful lyrics, unique voice and powerful stage presence. I was treated to a performance by artists whose passion for music was clearly evident.

In 2013 Dutch recording artist and actor Corjan de Raaf (Raven) founded Stage Republic in Amsterdam as a solo project. He was later joined by producer Bart Janssen whose signature guitar driven productions enhanced Ravens ’s instantly recognizable sound and distinctive voice. Together they formed a duo that has created songs crossing a multitude of musical genres.

Driven by the need to express himself through music, Raven finds the process of songwriting therapeutic.

His introspective lyrics are based on achieving the impossible, struggling to overcome situations, the desire to have what you can’t have or just the itch and hurt that can be love. As well, there is often a dark undertone or double meaning in his lyrics. While Raven takes an artistic approach to Stage Republic’s songs, Bart tends to focus on the mechanics of how to best produce their music. The end result is music that is gaining world-wide attention in press and radio airplay.

The band’s debut album “Firstage”, released in 2014, garnered praise from reviewers as a medley of songs, from disco, pop, rock, dance and country-folk.

Each song is a unique and different showcase for the diverse talent of Stage Republic and their ability to easily transition between a range of genres.

"Firstage", produced three singles that featured on the Dutch National Indie Chart, with their song ‘All Out’ topping the list at #1. Outside their home country of the Netherlands, "Firstage" was played on over 200 U.S. College Radio Stations and became a pop hit in South-Korea. Stage Republic also had the honor in 2014 of being nominated for two IMEA awards.

After the success of their first album, Stage Republic had to decide whether to continue on their existing musical path or change direction and take their music to the next level.

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