Downloaded from YTS.MX
[pensive music playing]
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
[waves crashing on beach]
[Freek] Contrast.
That we went from two years of corona standstill
suddenly to this.
[Suzan] Yeah.
[Freek] Which made it almost too much at times.
But now when I think back in retrospect, it really was crazy.
Beautiful, isn't it?
SANTA BARBARA UNITED STATES, SEPTEMBER 2022
To us, it feels short, but secretly, we've been playing for a long time.
The first ten years, we weren't really Suzan & Freek, but…
-It was there though. [laughs] -Yeah.
Suus studied in Delft.
I went to Delft a few times a week. I had my guitar with me and a camera.
That's where we started recording "The Minutes."
[pensive music continues]
When we'd play till five in the morning, we had to pack up ourselves.
I think the best way to keep going is to stay true to yourself
because it's easy to get dragged into all the fuss.
If a lot of people say you're fantastic,
you also believe you're fantastic.
Luckily, we have each other to share it a bit.
I want to maintain my boundaries and be okay with myself.
I still want to identify with my friends and those around me.
So that I don't…
I want to stay the same.
-And I'm grateful for you. -[Freek] Yeah?
-We did it well together, didn't we? -Yes, we did.
You often say, "I really like being Suzan from Suzan & Freek."
I say it a lot.
And I really like being Freek from Suzan & Freek.
That's what I'm most grateful for.
-That we could do it together. -Yes, me too.
I think it's great too.
[both laughing]
[printer whirring]
[dramatic music playing]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Suzan & Freek!
[crowd cheering]
Right now, I think Suzan & Freek are the biggest act in the Netherlands.
[Suzan] It seemed like all the special things
you can experience as an artist were all planned in one month.
[Freek] I just want what's private to remain private.
That's the last piece of us that still belongs to us.
[dramatic music continues]
[Suzan] We've become entertainers.
[woman] It's remarkable that they're two down-to-earth people from Achterhoek
who have gained national fame.
Proud.
Yes, I think we did dream of this.
[dramatic music intensifies]
[crowd cheering]
SUZAN & FREEK: BETWEEN YOU & ME
-[static crackles] -[VCR whirring]
[static crackles]
BERLIN JULY 2022
[Freek] We're in Berlin, and on this square,
I asked a very special question.
And what did she say?
[Freek] Yes!
-We're getting married. -Yes.
[Freek] Apart from our family, no one knows.
No.
[Freek] We'll tell everyone soon.
[both chuckle]
THE ACHTERHOEK ZWARTE CROSS PRE-PARTY WITH SUZAN & FREEK
[calm music playing]
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
-Hey, brother. All good? -Yo.
-Sure. -Yeah, good race?
I think the party is great, but I hope everyone likes it.
-Hey, Mother. -Did you finish?
-Yes, of course. Tomorrow-- -A hair.
[man 1] Rik and Rob weren't allowed to drive.
[man 2] Blood alcohol too high.
-We're watching it. -Isn't it crazy here?
Yes, it's crazy here, because I still feel like the old Suzan.
It's a bit stressful with all the people.
Then I have to get on that stage. I think it's more stressful here.
-Things converge here. -Yes.
[indistinct chattering]
-[woman] When did it happen? -[Suzan] In Berlin. Nice, right? [laughs]
I was totally surprised.
[all laughing]
[Suzan] We were in Berlin on Monday morning.
He said, "What a coincidence, Coldplay is playing."
"The first concert we went to together."
-That's our style of music. -[woman] I'm getting goosebumps.
[Suzan] He said, "Oh, what a shame. Or maybe it's not a coincidence."
"I've got great VIP tickets. The best seats."
"To celebrate love with you, we're going tonight." Sweet, right?
-Shall we start? -All good.
-Do it? -Yes, it's good.
-Do you dare? I don't. -Yeah.
-Will you do the directing? -No.
You have to say it. You have to talk loudly.
You can do it.
[whistling]
-Speech. -No.
Little speech.
Hello, everyone.
This is uncomfortable, but we're going to do it anyway.
At least say hi to everyone. [laughs]
Great that you're all here at our Zwarte Cross pre-party.
Um, since we probably won't see you at the festival later,
we thought we'd have a little party here.
And also a little pre-party for something else
because I got down on one knee in Berlin for Suus.
[all cheering]
[Suzan and Freek laughing]
How great.
[overlapping chatter]
Congratulations.
[overlapping chatter continues]
["Als Het Avond Is" by Suzan & Freek playing]
[Suzan] "Don't you get fed up with each other?"
"Which one wears the trousers?"
"Do you ever argue? Oh, what about?"
They always ask which characteristics
of Suus or mine the other doesn't like.
To which I still need to find the perfect answer,
but it always comes down to, "No, we really like it…"
It's always the same question.
SIX MONTHS EARLIER START OF THE CLUB TOUR
[Suzan] ♪ Then I miss the time When I could be angry with you ♪
♪ Now it's silent ♪
AT HOME SUZAN & FREEK
♪ Your hand in mine Or is this too little to carry on? ♪
♪ I just don't know how ♪
♪ With everything I do ♪
♪ I can't bear it when the evening comes ♪
♪ Oh, because in the evening I miss you often… ♪
[Suzan] I think it was very strange for everyone
because we'd just gone through corona.
We sat at home for two years, then suddenly we could restart.
We went from zero to a hundred. Suddenly our schedule was totally full.
So much happened that this…
I feel we have now come so much further.
[man] It all went fairly organically.
There was no great plan for what to do next.
And the popularity grew.
The shows became bigger.
And then came corona.
Suzan and Freek kept doing their own thing.
But what no one realized
was that once corona was over, uh,
they had gotten so big.
Actually we knew it, but we didn't feel it.
We didn't. They didn't either.
♪ I've already thought a hundred times ♪
♪ I'll call you tonight ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
♪ I'll tell you I still think of you ♪
♪ Waited a hundred times ♪
♪ But I'll call you tonight ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
[man 1 speaks indistinctly]
[Freek] Have you already played this?
-[man 1] No. -[Freek] Okay.
Just the intro as usual.
And then I say "okay" again.
Then you tap him in.
We'll have to see if that goes smoothly.
And then we play it all the way to…
From the bridge, from the sing-along bit.
And at some point we start counting out. Then we know it.
[Suzan] That's too complicated, Freek.
It's nice, though. It doesn't matter, does it?
[Suzan] You'd best get it right tomorrow. Keep it like it was.
Yes, Freek. It sounds better.
Try to do it one bar earlier. Give it a try.
But tomorrow we'll do it differently. Why are we doing this?
[man 1] One, two, one, two…
Yeah.
-Let's try it once. -Okay, one more time.
[man 2] I think Suzan has a keen eye for detail
and wants to be sure what their product is.
[man 3] They are both like that.
THE BAND
Freek too. But he's also a bit of a rocker, so to speak.
-[man 3] Yeah. -[man 2] He has done something.
He wants it to be really great and assert his own view.
[man 4] And it's funny that Suus will then say,
"We need to move on now. We've only got five more minutes."
And that really is the case.
But you can see Freek thinking…
[laughs] …"I don't want that. I just want to figure this out now."
So that's the conflict.
But I actually think they have a good balance.
[man 3] Yeah, me too.
They're the perfect couple you could follow all day on Instagram
without getting tired of them.
Because they're not acting. They're genuine.
[man 4] They don't act any differently from how we know them.
[Suzan] I like trying out the ideas, but at some point--
[Freek] That's what the sound check is for. As for the rest…
We don't have rehearsals with the band. We have nothing.
That's the time for it. Let's use it.
[Suzan] That's true too. But let's change it first.
Let's try again tomorrow. We have another show.
[Freek] I spent hours on it this morning.
[Suzan] We're doing it then?
[Freek] After five minutes, "Let's leave it."
-Yeah, then I'm going to look into it. -[Suzan] Doesn't have to be all at once.
-[Freek] Okay. -[Suzan] I'm not going to do it.
Let's not forget that we're a team.
[Freek] Yeah, of course.
Hey.
-Hello. -Hey. Hello.
[Freek] When you get bigger, a lot of things come into play.
It becomes more about other things and less about music.
[reporter] I have one more question about Farmer Wants a Wife.
And that's why I want to do things myself.
Because that only has to do with making music, so to speak.
And… I miss that sometimes because everything gets bigger,
and music becomes a smaller percentage of what you're doing.
-Yes. -[Suzan] Yeah, it's the last show.
-Who's got a yell? -[man 1] Who has a yell?
[man 2] Uh…
-[Suzan] Well, super, guys. -[band] Yeah. Hey!
[Freek] Maybe it's also a case of letting go.
But we used to do everything as a pair, so…
And that is a bit…
At some point, someone else has to do it.
But I try to hold on as long as possible
because for me, it's very much about making music,
and why I started making music and why I really like playing in a band
and being very much on top of everything that happens.
[crowd cheering]
The two of us always played covers, and we decided where it went.
It would be crazy to play with a band now and let all that go.
["Spiegelbeeld" by Suzan & Freek playing]
♪ Even more beautiful than I imagine ♪
♪ Even more beautiful Than your reflection… ♪
[Freek] As an artist, I'm not insecure
because I'm happy with what we do and I'm proud of what we do.
As a singer still, sometimes…
because I think Suus sings much better than me.
And I see myself… always saw myself more as a guitarist
who also sang a bit.
And now it's the opposite. I often don't have a guitar
but just stand and sing on stage.
I still often hear a little voice,
"I'm actually a guitarist who doesn't have his guitar with him."
[crowd cheering]
[Freek] Thank you.
[calm music playing]
[indistinct chattering]
[cheering]
When I move on stage wearing heels,
I do this. With my heels on.
So I don't move.
I'm much more masculine or tougher.
And then it doesn't fit together.
And Freek is just really handsome.
He just has the face of a model.
And I have a somewhat
more characteristic face.
I'm not totally dissatisfied at all but not super satisfied either.
If I look nice, I think, yes that's good.
But if it's a bad angle or something, I really think…
Then I can really… You can really detest yourself.
So…
Yeah, I do find it difficult sometimes.
I don't want to make a big issue out of it.
I'm rummaging in my purse with all my drugstore makeup.
[chuckles]
[sighs]
When streaming, it's with other women.
But now I'm alone with Freek, and I don't have a real comparison.
But when I'm with other women, I often have…
Then they have their own makeup artists,
and they sit for hours.
They look super. More and more beautiful.
Then I think a bit,
we have a half hour. I think I'll see the makeup artist.
Like with the men, I just sit down.
Then I think, should I do more?
Then you doubt yourself. Is this a good choice?
Because you stand alongside them.
But… yeah.
I'm still a bit lost.
Until now, I've just… always done it this way.
[video call chimes]
-Hi there. -[woman] Hello.
I'm covered in sequins. [chuckles]
I slept really poorly last night, maybe just a little… stress, I guess.
TAMAR NIAMUT SINGING COACH
I felt like it was my stomach, like you said.
And I ate fruit and had a good lunch today,
and now I haven't had dinner, just a banana.
I'll eat right after the show, to keep my stomach calm.
Because I've noticed I'm coughing much less now.
-[Tamar] Oh, yes. You see? That's good. -Yeah.
[Tamar continues speaking indistinctly]
[Suzan] When we were allowed to perform again,
I got sick after a few shows.
I got a kind of laryngitis, and… I got everything at once.
It really scared me. "What have I got? How long will it last?"
I was suffering so much that I even had to cancel some shows.
I found that terrible.
[Tamar] Try not to breathe in too much. Especially where your hand is.
That's it.
It does vibrate a bit, so you might feel a tickle
but not so bad that I actually have to cough.
[Freek] She's a real perfectionist. If she finds she can't do something well,
she works on it and makes sure that it's good.
But with your body, you can't take care of it yourself.
You need to take time to get better. But she's very hard on herself.
She already found it hard to sing at 80% for an evening
because she always gives 110%.
[Suzan] So that really caused me a lot of stress.
You suddenly think, wow, we're all here together,
but we're dependent on my voice and Freek's voice.
Because, however unpleasant, you can replace a band member,
but if Freek goes on stage with someone else,
I don't know if people would accept that.
-[laughing] -[indistinct chattering]
[Suzan] I felt some pressure.
♪ All my life… ♪
-It feels okay. -Good.
-Just precarious. -[Freek] It's all there, right?
I just feel a bit… It will be fine.
And just cast off the consonants quickly, as Tamara says.
-Or just hold out the mic. Your turn! -Now your turn.
And if you make it to a song where you think…
Got it.
It's tense when you've been sick, but… you've got it.
[man] Very precise.
If she was working on something, it had to be--
-[woman 1] Good. -[man] Good, yes.
She was busy a lot with music back then.
INEKE & HUUB SUZAN'S PARENTS
Small piano, large piano.
Always busy with music.
[calm music playing]
You got this, Suusje.
-Huh? Good luck. -Good luck.
It will be fine.
-It'll be fine, yeah? -Yeah.
[all laughing]
Keep in mind, the audience is up close.
-Yeah. -So you don't get a shock.
[woman 2] Whatever he did, everything had to be possible.
You could say in advance, "You can't do that."
BRIGIT FREEK'S MOTHER
Well, he thought it could be done and did it his own way.
He also didn't care what he used to make music.
A tiny guitar, ukulele,
even on a tennis racket, it didn't matter what.
He made the show himself.
[crowd cheering]
[Brigit] When I see him performing now,
I think, Freek, delightful. You're still that toddler at heart.
Just now you're on a different stage.
But really you're still just that kid from 15 years ago, so yeah.
♪ Asked for an opinion ♪
♪ I'm no longer myself And that already feels strange ♪
♪ Normally everything passes me by ♪
♪ But not today This one's for me ♪
♪ This one's for me ♪
Everyone in Arnhem, thank you!
[crowd cheering]
[drums soloing]
[Freek] Voilà. Whoo!
-Oh, man. -Hey.
Oh!
I'm glad I survived it.
-[woman 1] You did it. -So good, man.
-I'm happy with it. -[woman 1] Well done.
My voice is better too, thankfully.
It was good, man.
It went well. Good that you jumped in.
If I just stay quiet, I don't cough.
I'm so happy. Really well done.
It was good. If you haven't played for a week
and then it's suddenly full force…
-[Suzan] Yeah. -Well done. Are you happy?
-Very happy. -[Freek] Relieved?
Yes, it's a relief.
[woman 2] Freek was the first real
serious relationship where she was really in love.
I think Freek was 14 and Suzan 15…
ANNE SUZAN'S SISTER
…so they've been together for a long time.
[calm music playing]
She was always busy with him.
At our middle school, we always had school concerts,
and the years were a bit mixed.
[playing slow ballad]
[playing rock music]
And then things kind of developed between them.
[calm music playing]
[Brigit] That was a love of…
Then, one afternoon, he was at Suzan's, trampolining,
and he came home and said, "We broke up. We saw each other too much."
Well, then the courtship was over. [laughing]
[calm music continues]
Afterwards, Suus would always say, "I really miss Freek."
She was on MSN the whole time.
SANNE & PIEN SUZAN'S FRIENDS
-She was online the whole time. -Yeah. [laughs]
-So that Freek… Well, it worked. -Yeah.
It didn't take long, then Freek was like, "Hmm."
[calm music continues]
[man] Freek was a showman.
If I walked into a bar behind him, all the women's heads would turn…
JOSH FREEK'S FRIEND
…and you're there thinking, "They're all looking at Freek."
I think Freek is the party animal
and Suzan is more serious.
And it works well. That Freek is occasionally pulled along,
"You're not staying out until three, four. Come home with me."
And at one point, I came downstairs on Sunday evening.
Jesse was on the couch, and I said, "Freek's forgotten his sweater."
And Jesse said, "If he forgot his sweater,
he's forgotten his shoes too."
[laughs] Yeah.
And so my dad went straight upstairs, and they were lying there together.
In the bottom of the bunk bed, I think. [laughs]
For us, it was a sign that this is going… This is serious.
[calm music continues]
[birds chirping]
-[stove beeps] -[Freek whistling]
AT HOME SUZAN & FREEK
[Suzan] We spend a lot of time together.
People often ask if we drive each other crazy,
but I don't think so.
I can spend every day with Freek. It's all good.
I know him inside and out.
He knows when to keep his mouth shut or when he can chat with me.
-Almost 3,000 tickets already sold. -[Freek] Great.
In three hours?
-Pretty relaxed. -[Freek] "Pretty relaxed"? Totally insane.
If this sells out quickly, then there's that on top.
[Suzan] And if not?
-Then not. -Okay.
Then you have a theater tour of 47 shows.
[calm music playing]
[Suzan] I'm very organized, but I can only… My schedule is full.
This is it. I know exactly… we don't need to add more.
And Freek can take on three other jobs. He can handle that.
He never gets stressed, no.
[calm music continues]
I'm a very responsible person.
I need to sleep well, eat a bit well,
have a bit of structure in my life,
then I have self-confidence, then I feel good.
And with Freek there, I don't have to do anything alone.
Freek and I together, that's nice. [laughs]
[playing melody on guitar]
[Freek] I find that I need structure above all.
If I sit on the couch, it doesn't work out
because I get into a kind of miserable state.
I'm waiting until I can do something again.
I always think I'm quite relaxed,
but sometimes I realize, maybe if you just keep doing things,
it doesn't necessarily make you relaxed.
But for me, it is also a way
to keep a bit of space free in my head.
PREPARATION FOR ZIGGO DOME SHOWS AMSTERDAM, FEBRUARY 2022
-[Freek laughs] So sick. -[Suzan laughs] Yeah.
[Freek] Really funny.
-[Suzan] Fucking huge, hey? -[Freek] Yeah.
[camera clicks]
-Where do we go? -Here, I think.
I think here too. There's a door.
-[Freek] Hey. -[Suzan] Hello.
Should we ask? It looks like a loading dock?
-[Freek] No, here's the hall. -Oh, we're there!
[Freek and Suzan exclaim]
[Freek] Totally sick, right?
Jesus Christ.
The second section too, that's really…
-It's far away. -You don't want to be queasy.
You can't imagine that it will all be full soon.
-Well… -You can?
[video call chimes]
Hi, Mom.
-[Ineke] Hi. -Look where I am.
No amount of money could get me on that stage.
[Freek and Suzan laughing]
-[Suzan] I don't doubt it. -Won't you just die?
-[Suzan] And here's the stage. -[Ineke] Terrible.
[Suzan] And there's the center stage. That's funny too.
[Ineke] And where do we stand? Below?
[Suzan] Between the first and second sections.
There's the section where you can invite people along.
-And you'll be over there. -[Ineke] Where the lights are?
[Suzan] Yes, by the lights. By the round ones.
[Ineke] Really.
And that's the VIP section where we always were.
[Ineke] That's where you always performed, right?
Yes, that in-between bit back there.
[Ineke] That's your little tent.
That's our tent. Yes, right.
It got out of control.
[Ineke] Some people go cycling or sit in a bar.
-Freek and Suzan made music together. -[Huub] Yes.
And did a lot of performances. In bars too.
-Until late at night. -A side-job, at the same time.
-It was kind of-- -They worked hard.
-[playing "Three Little Birds"] -♪ Baby, don't worry 'bout a thing ♪
♪ This is our message to you ♪
[Brigit] Freek had a guitar, and Suzan had that keyboard,
and Wout helped with the sound.
Suzan herself once said,
"If I know Wout is there, I can perform well."
So Wout was very important in their lives. [laughs]
I much preferred being active behind the scenes.
WOUT FREEK'S BROTHER
Freek just enjoyed making music.
We'd often tinker together to make a pedalboard for a guitar,
or he would buy something online…
He didn't have a driver's license, so I had to go along
or drive him over to Suzan.
Yeah, that was a really good time.
Because everything we experienced together
he then used to further himself.
[calm music playing]
-I'm curious to see if it's the same. -[Freek] Yeah.
-[Suzan] The corner here. -[Freek] Yeah.
They've got new screens.
-Member lounge. -[Suzan] Oh, yeah.
This is where we were. These tables weren't there, and we stood here.
-Yeah. -And people sat here eating.
And that's where the food was served.
We would see it coming over.
That was always funny because usually you're timing it a bit.
You work toward the last song in the set.
To a kind of encore.
That never came.
And here you'd be playing, and someone would come in,
"The concert is starting." And everyone would get up.
And we were like, "Have fun!"
-Exactly. "The end." -Yeah. "Ta-da!"
Here are some more performances in the Ziggo Dome.
So we were here. That was over there.
-[Suzan] You always had a tie on. -[Freek] Always a white shirt with a tie.
If someone needed a waiter, I was always ready to help.
-[Suzan laughs] -Here, that was there.
-Yeah. -How funny.
2014. So that's… eight years ago.
Seven-and-a-half years ago.
♪ I know you're gone, I know you're gone ♪
♪ But I don't… ♪
[Wout] When they started recording "The Minutes" for Facebook,
and they brought out a new number every week,
they needed a name.
Then they set up a Facebook page as "Suzan & Freek." That's who they were.
So they didn't think of a real name.
Only when they started performing as Suzan & Freek
did the name really become their name because then we could no longer change it.
♪ Like you sang to me… ♪
[Brigit] I thought this time was really nice. Freek lived in Tilburg,
and Suzan lived in Delft.
They had their own lives, the two of them.
Then they had "The Minute," and on weekends they traveled
to Achterhoek together, if possible, or separately,
because "The Minute" had to be recorded.
Then it was released on Friday evening at 6:30.
That was the best time, Freek said, to put something on Facebook.
…positioned like that? It's a bit uneven.
[clattering]
That bungling around eventually helped them move forward.
-Ladies. -And gentlemen.
-Give yourself a clap. -Because we have…
Twenty thousand likes!
[horns blowing]
[confetti pops]
[crowd cheering]
[Suzan laughs]
[confetti pop echoes]
GRAVELAND STUDIO KORTENHOEF, JANUARY 2022
SUZAN & FREEK GOLD
[calm music playing]
Does it hang like that?
[man] The advantage is that you're also the artist.
Yes, great.
[Suzan vocalizing]
-A bit more there. -I agree. Okay.
I think the start and end are great, but that middle section… [vocalizes]
-[man] Yes, much less. -Do you feel as if…
-It's not connected. -[man] Just do…
It needs to be simpler. I'm hearing that now.
The first time I heard of Suzan & Freek,
we had sort of agreed to be in the studio
and get a cup of coffee.
Usually if I'm asked,
I would check, "What do they do?"
Or say, "Send me something."
Or what makes sense at the time.
"Do you have any videos online, so I can hear what you do?"
So I vaguely remember that there was a video.
ARNO KRABMAN MUSIC PRODUCER, SUZAN & FREEK
And it needs to grab me right away. So I think, I like what you're doing.
And I can add something for you.
♪ All my life ♪
♪ I've been meeting the same people ♪
♪ How can it suddenly be so simple? ♪
What if we make this a chorus?
I do feel the urge to--
[Arno] You want to do something with this?
Well…
If you feel it too.
-[Arno] It's nice. -It's a strong piece.
[Arno] We started putting other people's songs
into the "Suzan & Freek" wrapper.
Suus behind the piano, Freek on guitar.
It was instantly good together.
What we're doing sounds cool.
Not concerned about what the outside world thinks
or how big it could be.
That's not too important in the beginning.
But in time. Just so, right?
This feels totally left, and that feels totally right.
-[Arno] That's what we were looking for. -Exactly.
Let's give ourselves 15 minutes to get everything set down.
The first thing we ever did was a song that was a hit at the time.
That was six years ago.
That was The Chainsmokers with "Don't Let Me Down."
DON'T LET ME DOWN (COVER) MUSIC VIDEO, 2016
And we gave it a totally different feel
that is typically Suzan & Freek.
[playing "Don't Let Me Down"]
♪ I need you, I need you I need you right now ♪
♪ Yeah, I need you right now ♪
♪ So don't let me, don't let me Don't let me down ♪
♪ I think I'm losing my mind now ♪
♪ It's in my head Darling, I hope ♪
♪ That you'll be here When I need you the most… ♪
[Arno] Then we said, "This sounds super cool."
We brought it out.
Which means it was on Spotify, you know.
♪ Don't let me down ♪
[Brigit] I remember them standing here. "Shall we post it or not?"
I said, "Guys, I'm going to the supermarket."
I came back from shopping,
"You won't believe it. The artist has responded!"
"I told you that you should do it."
If I recall, they then did a club tour right away
with covers.
And it sold out.
[calm music playing]
-[Freek] Holy moly. -[Suzan] Really an intimate little hall.
The smallest of our…
[Freek] Arie?
[Suzan] Hi.
-[Freek] Jerry Mulder. Very nice. -Last time, it was the three of us here.
-The two of us. -Five-and-a-half years ago.
-Up there on the balcony. -[Freek] 150 people.
Ay-yi-yi.
-The three of us. -[Suzan] We were talking about that.
Five-and-a-half years ago, our first one.
-Crazy, right? As if it were yesterday. -[Freek] Yeah.
Cool, right.
[Freek] Nice too, that it's so small.
On October 21st 2017, we had our very first show here.
The very first club show of the group Suzan & Freek.
In the upper hall.
And we had one crew member,
and he's over there in the corner, Jerry Mulder, ladies and gentlemen.
He was backliner, lighting technician, front of house, and monitor man.
And security.
-[playing melody on guitar] -[Freek laughs]
Financial director.
He doesn't have to do anything now. He's earned it all.
[Jerry] The first time I heard of them,
I was working at the 4Days Marches in Nijmegen.
I was a freelancer, and I worked for the company
that arranged the light and sound for that stage.
I had no idea who Suzan & Freek were.
JERRY MULDER SOUND ENGINEER, SUZAN & FREEK
I had to google them.
I had to look online to see who they were.
So I knew who I had to look for, an image, so to say.
But they could just have been two people in town,
walking through the town.
-[indistinct chattering] -[Freek] Yeah, great.
-[Suzan] I might go very… -[Jerry] He stood here.
[Freek] Last chorus.
[Jerry] It was a relatively small stage.
There was no room for a band. It was full with two people.
Nice, guys.
I thought, where's everyone coming from?
It was suddenly so full.
We'll see who can sing loudest. Are we ready?
NIJMEGEN 4DAYS MARCHES NIJMEGEN, JULY 2017
We'll start with my side. Here it comes.
One, two, three.
[starts singing line]
[crowd singing loudly]
[Suzan] We can do it better. Let's go! One, two, three.
[starts singing line]
[crowd singing loudly]
We can be louder!
One, two three.
[starts singing line]
[crowd singing loudly]
[Jerry] Then I realized that they were more famous than I thought they were.
We were in Nijmegen tonight, and it went like this…
[crowd cheering loudly]
[Jerry] Then we stayed in touch.
That's why I'm sitting here now. [laughs]
[new song playing over monitors]
GRAVELAND STUDIO KORTENHOEF, JANUARY 2022
When I go back and forth, it gets so…
-So boring. -Here in the lows.
I want it to be even cooler. I find it too easy.
Can I say that?
It began to snowball and kept getting bigger.
[woman] At that time, I also had Bierpop.
I asked if they wanted to play as the opening act.
"Oh, yes. Very much. What an honor." And all saying "Wow!"
MISS MONTREAL ARTIST
It was really nice
because they sat there together
with her on the piano and Freek all dopey.
Sorry, Freek.
On the guitar, a bit like this.
And so nervous, boy.
But the hall sang along with everything, and then I realized,
this will last another month, then it's going to explode.
They did more shows.
They were the opening act for international shows.
Always doing covers.
Then we said, "Shall we write a song?"
"Yeah, that's good."
And I asked, "Have you ever written a song?"
"We've never written a song. We've tried, but it was nothing."
"Shall we write a song then?" "Okay."
Freek worked with us behind the scenes,
uh, and we did talk about those videos.
How they did it, why they did it.
And I increasingly came to understand
that we could learn from him. As a label.
How he has a very strong sense of what works for people.
What works for the public.
We always said, "If you have your own song,
we'll talk about it."
Until Freek came to my office one day,
"We've written our own song."
And I remember… It doesn't happen often, and I'll say it here…
I heard that song once, and I said, "Freek, that's a genuine hit."
I remember he replied, "You think so?"
♪ I can't bear it when the evening comes ♪
QMUSIC BELGIUM
♪ Oh, because in the evening I miss you often ♪
♪ You know I don't listen When you talk like that ♪
♪ And touch me like that And then leave ♪
♪ Tell me it will be fine ♪
♪ Give me pieces of future ♪
♪ Or should I just let you go? ♪
♪ I can't bear it when the evening comes ♪
♪ I have truly missed you often ♪
[Sanne] You'd be in the supermarket and suddenly hear "Als Het Avond Is."
Then you would think, guys!
All week, "This is her."
[both laugh]
I still get that today.
Recently at the hairdresser, it came on… every time.
She's only human but so special, and you're so proud. [laughs]
Thank you all for coming this evening.
Hopefully, you get home quickly.
-Safe journey. Thank you. -Thank you.
[crowd cheering]
[Freek] I like it best with the bun on her head.
This is also nice, but…
This is just for one night, you know. In the glam.
It's pretty, that dress.
-You think it's pretty? -Yeah.
[vocalizing]
Okay.
Armpits well-shaved?
Am I overdressed? I see understated dresses.
[Freek] No, look at her.
-I was just about to say. -Oh, no.
-Will it be okay? -[Freek laughs] Yeah.
No, but I still feel like…
[Freek] That's always true with things like this.
-Suzan, act like an artist. -[Freek] Yeah.
EDISON POP AWARDS 2022 LEUSDEN, APRIL 2022
[Suzan] I realize that I didn't start this to become famous.
That's the only thing I find difficult at times.
And that's maybe the reason
why we never do anything non-music-related on TV.
-Very good. -[Freek] Great.
[Suzan] I like music. I don't find being famous…
I would rather not be.
Great.
I don't know if people have a complete image of me
because I'm not a person who reveals my inner thoughts.
I also always tend to make a joke out of everything,
whether good or bad.
I had a kind of Star Wars robot outfit,
and when I turned up, Suus said, "We're not doing that." No, no…
On the other hand, that is who I am.
I'm still frequently discovering who I am,
and it's an ongoing quest.
-How are you? -Yeah, I'm good.
I've sometimes heard people talking about Suzan & Freek,
and I didn't think they were talking about me.
Suzan & Freek has become a separate thing in itself.
I think the challenge is
for us to clearly determine what we will and won't give away.
If you can dream it, you can do it.
Likeable and Dutch to the core.
The Edison in the "Album" category goes to Suzan & Freek.
[crowd cheering]
["Goud" by Suzan & Freek playing]
Wow. Um, thank you. An Edison.
Hey, thank you. Also nice. Um…
[camera clicking]
-Great. -Great.
-Together is good. -Yeah.
[Suzan] Freek was already working in the music industry
behind the scenes. Before we did this, before we were famous.
And I used to go along to the music festivals.
And nobody spoke to me, which I thought was great.
I'm a bit of an introvert. Just let me stand in a corner with a drink.
And now, suddenly, everyone comes over to me.
And sometimes I think, do these people really like me?
Or do they want to get something from me?
It feels that way at times.
You get the feeling that everyone wants something from you.
We have very good people around us. I'm looked after.
THE ACHTERHOEK FREEK'S MOTHER'S HOUSE, APRIL 2022
[Freek] Hi, hi.
Do you always leave keys in the door?
-All good? -Freekie.
-Yes. -Yeah. All right.
You've got a book by Robbie Williams?
Yes, you can have it. I got it this week.
-[Freek] Is it good? -[Brigit] I had…
I got to pick out all these books, and then I thought,
if Freek comes, I could surprise you with…
-Nice. -Take it with you.
-Freek, do you want tea or coffee? -[Freek] I'll have water.
[Brigit] The best song?
I still find "Hoofd In De Wolken" a really nice song.
And…
"Als Het Avond Is." I think that's a nice song, but
it's a painful song for me.
-I don't know myself. -[Brigit] You've got plenty of records.
Maybe also "Als Het Avond Is." Just because it was the first,
and looking back, it also related to you.
But Freek, that song was…
-You'd already finished it in July. -[Freek] Yeah.
And when the bolt from the blue came in August…
-[Freek] You separated, yeah. -We separated.
I mean, from one moment to the next…
So actually…
The story was tacked on afterward.
[Freek] Yes, while you--
-But when you hear the lyrics… -[Freek] Yeah.
-…that was exactly it. -[Freek] Yeah.
-Strange. -[Freek] Very much.
[calm music playing]
When we'd just broken through,
you separated from each other, and that was a moment
where I…
Everyone had enough on their plate.
In that situation, if things were not going so well for me,
I didn't want to pass that on to you.
The night that you first…
I'm telling it.
The night that you played it for the first time…
I think it was a Wednesday evening.
At eight o'clock, we, Vincent and I,
put our signatures on the divorce papers.
The same evening. I'll never forget that moment.
So that song has so much meaning for me.
But people around us all say,
"How can a song be made like that? It's your story."
-Yeah, exactly. -But it still touches me.
[calm music continues]
[Freek] In just one moment,
your entire family is turned upside down.
You always think that other parents get divorced.
You hear about so-and-so with divorced parents.
And my parents were both almost 60.
You think it won't ever happen.
But it did happen.
I hadn't been living at home for seven or eight years.
I would go home on the weekend,
but I didn't necessarily realize that it wasn't going so well for them.
So it really came as a blow.
And, in the beginning,
I didn't have much contact with my father.
He was with his new love.
I find it difficult because I don't really like to talk about it.
Suus in particular really helped me a lot.
It costs me a lot of energy to be angry with people.
I find I handle it best by saying,
"Let's try and look at the good things."
And let's see what we can take from that.
Suus really helped me with that.
Today is a bit of a special day for us.
[Freek] We already mentioned, it's my birthday.
It's your birthday too, Freek.
But also because it's three years to the day
since "Als Het Avond Is" reached number one.
-[crowd cheering] -[Suzan chuckles]
And I think it's a funny story because we both had regular jobs,
and we didn't really have that much to do with music.
We just did it as a hobby.
And we thought, let's write our own song.
And we'll see.
And we brought it out, and it kept growing until suddenly
it was at number one. On that Sunday evening, we decided,
"We're going to resign and go for it."
-["Als Het Avond Is" playing] -Well, look at us now.
I'm so proud when I see all this.
[crowd cheering]
[Suzan] Thank you for coming.
♪ Sometimes I feel bad ♪
♪ That you don't want To talk so much anymore ♪
♪ Then I miss the time When I could be angry with you ♪
♪ Now it's silent ♪
♪ As night falls ♪
♪ I whisper softly ♪
♪ Do you hear me maybe? ♪
♪ I just don't know how ♪
♪ With everything I do ♪
♪ I can't bear it when the evening comes ♪
♪ Oh, because in the evening I miss you often ♪
♪ Tell me it will be fine ♪
♪ Give me pieces of future ♪
♪ Or should I just let you go? ♪
♪ I can't bear it when the evening comes ♪
♪ I have truly missed you often ♪
Hey, Suzan & Freek.
[all laughing]
…that no one's following us, no security.
-He's in shot. -Yes, exactly.
-Wait, no. That's right. -Yeah.
It's usually like that. I go that way. I stand here.
-[man] The other way round to usual. -Yeah.
Am I walking all alone? Or is there a security guard?
[man] There's someone in the background.
-No. -Maybe on this step or that one?
-One of the steps. -Use that step?
[Toon] When I first heard the plans for the Ziggo Dome, I have to admit that…
If you think about it rationally
from an industry perspective, you think, "Steady now, guys."
But Suzan & Freek… the rules don't apply to them.
[Freek] Wow.
Bizarre to think this will be totally full of people tonight.
[Wout] Freek is truly the brains behind Suzan & Freek
who is busy planning well in advance.
I think Freek already dreamed of the Ziggo Dome at an early stage
while Suzan was still focused on the neighborhood bar.
[Freek humming]
-Hi, honey. How are things? -[Suzan] Hi.
-[Freek] Pretty heavy, huh? -[Suzan] This one was very heavy.
It bothered me that so much still needs doing.
-[Freek] But it's a lot for everyone. -[Suzan] I think that too.
-I don't blame anyone. -[Freek] No.
-[Suzan] It was just chaos. -[Freek] Exactly.
But that's… how can it be? So crazy.
[both chuckle]
Sick.
[Ineke] Suzan & Freek. Ziggo Dome 2022.
Just look.
I have no idea where it is.
I find it quite exciting, you know.
Just think, the preprogram starts at 7:30,
but they're not going to make it.
-I find that difficult. I'll forget it. -Anyone have some white tape?
-Can I have a bit of tape? -[Suzan] Hey. Hello!
Stress. So much stress. Freek too, you could tell from afar.
Because there's so much to run through, and things keep going wrong.
That makes Freek and me nervous.
We're both people who want everything perfectly under control.
[Freek] You hear five men on top of each other in your earphones.
-Just all mixed up. -[Suzan] Yeah.
[Freek] And you go somewhere,
and the stands that should be there are missing.
-I hope that this evening… -[Suzan] Yes, you need them here.
Everyone is under pressure, but then we get nervous.
Actually, it's a bit too much pressure.
Some people might get used to it.
I think the pressure is inhuman today.
[laughs]
I just have to laugh at how stressed I am.
[indistinct chatter]
[cheering]
Wait for me.
-[panting] -[shouting]
-Cool, man. -Yeah.
[ethereal music playing]
[Suzan] I really find this to be something I never thought of.
And this is the pinnacle of what you can do in the Netherlands.
[Freek chuckles]
-Great. It's happening. -Yeah.
♪ Do you feel the light? ♪
[ethereal music building]
[crowd cheering]
[Freek laughs]
Totally rock style.
Sick.
[kisses]
Ah! So great, this.
-Enjoy it, huh? -This is totally rock style. [laughs]
-[whistling] -[crowd continues cheering]
["Dromen In Kleur" by Suzan & Freek playing]
[crowd continues cheering]
♪ I look around me ♪
♪ And see the same street ♪
♪ But it suddenly feels as if ♪
♪ There is a new light here ♪
♪ Because we dream in color ♪
[crowd cheering loudly]
I have to say that Freek and I,
over the past two years,
have dreamed of a moment like this so often.
"How long will it take? When can we finally do it?"
[Brigit] When you think that everyone there came for you.
All singing at the top of their lungs. That tank of energy.
I think that's great. It touches me.
[dramatic music playing]
[Freek] Then you see all those people standing there.
The madness. That's when I did shed a tear.
[band member] It's always fun to play.
[shouting]
The energy that's released, it draws you in.
[Arno] The way their performances have evolved
was very clear at the Ziggo Dome.
You suddenly realize it's become a really big show.
[Freek] Ziggo Dome!
[Ineke] There are so many people with talent,
and not everyone gets to live it.
Astonishment.
Pride.
[crowd cheering]
[Suzan] You don't always have to have much experience
but just trust in yourself and go for it.
[dramatic music continues]
Whoa!
Whoa.
Great! [laughs]
[kisses, chuckles]
-Oh, it went well, right? -[Freek] Yeah.
-It was great, right? [laughs] -Oh!
-Are you happy? -It was crazy.
-Are you happy? -Yes, really happy. And you?
-[Freek] Hundred percent. -Yeah.
[Freek] Hey, Suus. There she is.
[chuckles]
[Suzan] Hi, Mom.
Hey.
How cool, right? [laughs]
[Freek laughing]
-Hey, Mom. -Hi. Ah!
-[Freek] What did you think? -[Brigit] Oh, man.
-I just sat and cried. -Yeah? [laughs]
How wonderful.
Hey.
Totally crazy, man.
-Bye. -Bye.
[calm music playing]
What a strange feeling.
-Look at this photo. -[Freek] Yeah, I forwarded it.
-Vera with your mom. -[Freek] Nice. During "Lichtje Branden."
[Suzan] How sweet.
Just a couple more chips.
[continues speaking indistinctly]
I could really crave the feeling of what just happened.
-The feeling of happiness is so strong. -[Freek] Yeah.
It's a strange feeling.
I'm kind of tired but not tired at all.
[Suzan] I thought it was great, wasn't it?
Yeah, right?
Like you've come to the top of the mountain.
"Here we are. The top." And then, for the rest of the vacation,
you don't have to worry about climbing the mountain.
-[Suzan] Is my alarm already off? -Yeah, it's off.
[Suzan grunts]
[Freek] What do you want?
-What? Uh… -[Freek] What do you want? Soda?
[Suzan] No, I'll have a water or something.
[water running]
-[Freek] Great, right? -Oh, yes.
-I feel really tired now. -[Freek] Yeah?
Whoa, what the fuck? This is sick.
Check it out. It looks so cool.
You don't see that sitting there, with the mirror balls.
[Freek] Fuck.
-Cool. -[Suzan] Cool, yeah?
The outfits are good too. I'm happy with our outfits.
-[Freek] It all went well. -Yeah.
[Freek] Arie.
Yeah. Great, man.
My legs are tired. Are yours?
[Freek] Eh, I still have some
of the adrenaline, you know?
-Yeah. -[Freek] I need to come down.
[calm music playing]
SANTA BARBARA VACATION, SEPTEMBER 2022
[card reader beeps]
[Freek humming melody]
[Suzan] Freek?
-Can you get some water? -Of course.
-And some… -[Freek] Sure.
-Maybe something tasty, some chocolate. -Of course.
[Suzan] Great.
[calm music continues]
Sometimes, when I look at old pictures,
when I see us playing to three people somewhere,
I think, that's how it was back then.
[Freek] Yeah.
[Suzan] When I look at photos of us in a caravan, playing on the street.
[Freek] Now, I think--
-[Suzan] What an effort. -[Freek] What a lot of effort we put in.
-We really persevered. -We kept going.
We are Suzan & Freek. Thank you for a lovely evening.
And I was just as happy doing it for far fewer people.
-I liked it too. -Now it's even more fun.
That wasn't our motivation for doing it.
-Otherwise, we might never have begun. -No.
You get more and more used to it.
I have…
Slowly, it's starting to be the case
that we see ourselves on that list.
To my mind, I don't think we have changed. Just the world around us has changed.
More people come to see us, and people respond differently to us.
But I'm really happy that things between us feel the same,
and also between us and our family and friends,
it still really feels like before, and I think that is--
-[Suzan] Good that it never went away. -[Freek] No.
You often say, if I wasn't here, you would have led a different life.
We've been lucky that we've had each other.
It keeps us grounded.
But I can imagine, with everything going on around you…
It's so intense sometimes, and it's nice to have a filter in between.
For some people, that filter is drink or something else.
And I can very well imagine that that's enjoyable.
But luckily, we have each other to share it a bit.
Yeah.
[Freek] What I personally really like, is when I think
that it's actually,
I don't want to say "much more fun,"
but it's still loads of fun together, and that's the most important thing.
I think it's important too.
I think it would be really nice to combine it with a family at some point.
-That would really be… -Mm-hmm.
I would like that very much.
♪ Even though the sun sets ten times ♪
♪ Even though the tide is turning again ♪
♪ Let me lose myself for a while ♪
♪ In a dream ♪
♪ And then you stand before me again ♪
♪ Even though I may be dreaming ♪
♪ But there is nothing… ♪
-Warm weather now? -Yeah.
[Freek] Look.
[Suzan] Gosh, what an animal!
[Freek] More exercise than we've had for the past two weeks.
[Suzan] Speak for yourself, fatty.
-Bitch. -[exclaims indistinctly]
♪ Just use this song as an anchor ♪
-[Freek] Suus, you start. -Can I go on that side?
-[Freek laughs] -Then I can see better.
[Freek] This is mental.
[Suzan laughs]
I can see much better from here. Yes, that's better.
[Freek] Loser does the dishes.
-Oh. -[Suzan] Not even close.
I'd like to provide a commentary on your throws.
Well, pretty close.
[Freek] Oh!
I think I feel the pride more than usual when I'm on vacation.
I suddenly think, so, that was really cool, right?
Yeah.
Or when we tell someone or show a video of something we're involved in…
-Then I suddenly think it's really cool. -Yeah.
Stupid. Then I think, it's nice to enjoy it for once.
Always so modest. We should also be proud.
[calm music playing]
Wow. This is really cool, right?
Yeah?
It's really cool.
[Suzan] You were sorry that I couldn't enjoy it as much
in the beginning.
[Freek] Because I really did enjoy it,
and now and then you didn't really enjoy it so much.
On the way home, you would sit in the car
crying at the thought of doing it again tomorrow.
Because I didn't know if my voice would hold up.
I found it hard.
-Oh my God. -[Freek laughs] Yeah, I know. Great.
And then I was worried because I saw you weren't enjoying it as much as I was.
And I thought, oh…
Is this speed and intensity…
Is this what Suzan wants?
[Suzan] Sometimes I'm a quitter. I think, I'm not going to do that.
You're afraid of the unknown.
Then you say, "I'd rather keep doing what I…"
With every concert hall, you said, "We're doing this one?"
"No, I'm happy to keep doing the old one."
-[laughs] -And that was after Ziggo--
-I find it more stressful. -Yeah.
That's also an internal safety mechanism, which is good.
-Yeah. -Which I sometimes have less.
"The fun is in the fear," but it's still difficult sometimes.
But you're good at that, and with you, I'm good at it too.
[Freek] I really want to fly a kite in this weather.
[Suzan] Beautiful, isn't it? I love it by the beach. Nice breeze.
[Freek] Yeah, man.
The Netherlands is really small. And Belgium. That you…
Which is good, because if it sometimes gets too much,
you can simply come here,
but actually I find it much too nice to want to leave.
[helicopter blades whirring]
LIBERATION DAY FESTIVAL 4 SHOWS ON 1 DAY, MAY 2022
[Suzan] It seemed like all the special things
you can experience as an artist
were all scheduled in one month.
[crowd cheering]
[Freek] Good evening, Leeuwarden.
You look good from up here.
Goddamn.
We're at the halfway point today.
We had Ziggo,
and then it all started.
-Sleep at home, as much as possible. -[Freek] Yeah.
It is a bit too busy.
-[Suzan] Ziggo Dome. -[Freek] The Ziggo.
Then came the first show, Vrienden van Amstel, then 538 Koningsdag.
Thank you.
Six or seven shows, Vrienden van Amstel.
MAY 2022
Four Liberation Day shows.
LIBERATION DAY FESTIVAL LEEUWARDEN, MAY 2022
Four shows, Vrienden van Amstel.
And so we had 18 in two weeks.
Plus all the rehearsals related to it all.
You sometimes forget that.
Can you make sure we hear Dirk's mic in our ears?
But after "Mag Ik," we go straight here.
-Receive the applause. -[Freek] Yes, exactly.
-Then Dirk sets the groove, and we join. -[man] That's good. Okay.
[Suzan] You have rehearsals for anything new,
and we rehearsed a lot before the Ziggo Dome.
And you sing a lot in private too.
So, pretty grueling. [chuckles]
♪ It's quiet here on the other side ♪
♪ But I come from here ♪
That was Snelle.
[crowd cheers]
[Snelle] I don't know where they get the energy.
They're the two hardest-working people that I know.
My colleagues and I sometimes want to have a day when we think
we'll just skip that set of photos…
SNELLE ARTIST
…or we'll walk around behind the red carpet, that sort of thing.
But they always have energy
and are always "on" and can do everything.
I see them working, then afterwards, just the two of them in a corner
being themselves, and I think…
I admire how they can always turn it on,
to always be Suzan & Freek.
I'm happy that was the last show and that we persevered through it all.
[Freek] Yeah, yeah.
-And that I had a good time. -And then you're right there again.
[Suzan] I'd rather skip an after-party and do an extra show
because I find after-parties so…
I'll do them in a few years when I'm no longer enjoying it,
then I'll celebrate all my parties. [laughs]
Now, I think, we've got all the cool festivals.
-Surely you can't miss that? -[Freek] Yeah.
No.
I think, how things are now,
just being very respectable
with no drugs, no rock 'n' roll, you know?
Thank God they don't have that.
Sometimes a bit, which is too bad, but fine.
But it's just really nice, you know?
They are so steady but not boring.
And I think,
if you can keep that up over the long term,
you can take on the whole world.
[Suzan] If I go to bed late, I can't manage.
We have to push on a bit.
I think it's important to do it well.
That you don't think, uh,
"If I'd just done my best and gone to fewer after-parties,
because it didn't sound good." I'd find that annoying.
I wouldn't want that.
It has to be good. And fun and good.
I'm always a bit scared and think, "As long as it goes well."
We can still walk.
LIBERATION DAY FESTIVAL ASSEN, MAY 2022
-Hello. -[man] Hi. Time for a quick photo?
[Suzan] We have to perform, sorry.
You can't have photos with everyone at a show anymore.
I used to do it all the time earlier this year.
We'd spend an hour and a half after the show taking photos with people,
and then I realized
it was starting to take more energy than the show itself.
[crowd singing along to "Blauwe Dag"]
[Suzan] Now that one, now we have to finish the row.
Half an hour, grimacing…
But if you do that every night, you realize it can't continue.
"Suzan & Freek, don't do it!"
Then I think, how bad. We really shouldn't do that.
I find it pathetic. So that's tricky at times, yes.
[song ending]
[Freek groans]
[crowd cheering]
[Freek groans]
-Nice. -[Suzan] Great, guys.
[woman] We'll get you straight on the bus.
-[Freek] What? -We'll put you straight on the bus.
[Freek] Yeah, great.
[Freek laughs]
[Suzan laughs, kisses]
[Freek laughs] Holy shit.
-[Suzan] The show was cool, right? -[Freek] It was.
[Suzan] I'm gonna sit on the floor. Then they won't see me.
-[grunts] My abs. -[Freek] Exactly.
This is nice.
[Freek] Oh my God.
[Suzan exhales]
Funny, I thought they wouldn't see me now.
I look up, and everyone is watching me sitting on the floor.
All waving.
[Suzan] Can you pull that curtain shut?
I'll sit for a moment.
Otherwise, I always feel so…
[Freek speaks indistinctly]
Thank you.
[Freek] I think we're very approachable, which is what we want to be, and we are.
But that sometimes, uh,
has the disadvantage that everyone comes up to you.
Which is sometimes really nice, but sometimes not so much.
When I go to a restaurant with Freek and my parents,
and we sit next to a table with a young girl,
and she begins to cry out of panic at seeing us,
and I find it intense to have that effect,
that everything around us has changed.
Everyone is waiting here. [laughs]
-Can you see? -Hello.
-Oh, how bad. I feel so bad. -No, that's not bad.
They're waiting. They want a photo, and we're in the bus.
[laughing]
I wish there were some blinds.
-[woman laughs] -[Freek sighs]
-Shouldn't we go for a photo? -You'll be there for over an hour.
-There are so many people. -Okay, that's fine.
With some things, I feel it's getting more difficult.
When I walk by an elementary school, and the entire yard shouts my name,
I think, shit, maybe I shouldn't walk past a schoolyard anymore.
Then never walk past a schoolyard again? That's crazy.
[camera clicking]
[Suzan] Can you turn the camera off? Thanks.
[Freek] On stage, it's okay. It's more the stuff around it.
[Suzan] Yes. Everyone just runs around taking photos all the time.
You think, just leave me alone for a second.
[Freek] Keep walking.
-[Suzan] Nice it's just the two of us. -[Freek] Yeah, great.
[pensive music playing]
I'm happiest when it's the two of us in the car heading home.
Because then everyone around us is gone, and it's just the two of us for a while.
Isn't it crazy, what we're experiencing, you know?
That's what makes me happiest.
[laughing]
[Suzan speaks indistinctly, laughs]
-[Freek] Right? -Yes, honey. I like it too.
[Freek] It's on here, the busiest period of the year.
-We made it. Until the end. -[Freek] Yeah, right?
It was a lot, but it was great.
Nineteen shows in seventeen days,
and each show for more than 15,000 people.
-[Freek chuckles] -I think that's pretty intense.
And we were thinking, can we do this? Will it work?
Can the crew handle all these shows? Will it work technically?
-[Freek] Will your voice hold out? -Will it hold out?
But it all went great, so now the rest of the year…
Surely now it will be fine.
BUMA AWARDS BUSSUM, MAY 2022
[indistinct chattering]
Important day.
Hey, hello.
[cameras clicking]
[laughing]
-Hey, hello. -Journalist from the Weekend.
What a life you're living. Compared to a couple of years ago.
-You have to think, what happened? -Yeah.
-Do you experience it the same way? -Yeah. The last month in particular was…
-The guy just came right up to me. -Yes, but you mustn't do that.
That's the Weekend. We don't talk to them.
Can you just check? Whether he…
Say that they should let us see it.
Or just get rid. We didn't actually want to talk with him.
We once had an interview where someone was taunting us with questions
in the hopes we would snap. I can't remember what it was,
but it's always about something very personal.
While I'm there thinking, we've written a new song.
Maybe you should ask about that.
-I should have walked away. -[Suzan] I was looking for you.
I was there thinking, "Should I, yes, no?"
That was in the course of the questions.
Suzan, hello.
[Freek] I think there is always a certain line between,
uh, who we are as artists and what is truly private, for us alone.
And I think that's something
we have to think hard about to keep things chill for us.
[host] This might be a heavy question to ask right at the start…
MARCH 2022
…but do you guys have a type of wild card?
In case you want to dance with someone else or…
-[both laugh] -[host] Separately.
-What a strange question. -A wild card.
We have an open relationship… no.
-No, we don't have a wild card. [laughs] -No. No.
In my head, I'm kind of thinking
that I want to tell 100% Nederland,
"Cut out that bit about the wild card." Because I…
What's private needs to remain private.
That's the last piece of us that we still own.
Here, your pass.
-Thank you. -Great.
MARCH 2022
I think we're saying that the story about the wild card--
That can be taken out. Then he'll understand.
-Is that okay? -Yes, I want…
[Suzan] We've become entertainers. And we're also still just people.
Sometimes you notice… You wouldn't ask your friends that.
It's not very respectful, actually.
What do you think? You find the question awkward.
-Maybe you shouldn't ask it then. -[Freek] Exactly.
[Ineke] It goes far, I think.
What they do with people, they…
But that applies to everyone. Everyone is under the microscope.
If anything happens here in the village,
then everyone talks about it for a week.
And the following week, they talk about something else.
But in the world of fame, it's really hard right now, I think.
And sometimes it's nothing, but it gets so widely reported.
That doesn't make you happy. But it's independent of them.
It's the case for everyone. I don't like it.
I hear some people ask,
"Isn't it hard working with your partner all day
and seeing them in private?"
Well, we had a farm, so…
It isn't hard.
If you're with someone you like being around
and who you work well with,
it's not annoying at all.
We've never found it annoying, and we don't see that in them either.
It's crazy that people are interested in the first place.
[calm music playing]
LOOSDRECHT LAKES AUGUST 2022
I'll have an Aperol. Bang!
[chuckles]
[man] But we have…
-[chuckles] -[woman] I have four glasses.
I wanted to bring truffle. Suus said no.
-There's beer. But no… -[woman] Here's another one.
[overlapping indistinct chatter]
[all laughing]
[woman] No, that can't be.
-[Freek] There's cork in it. -Cork.
[Freek] Cork. [babbles]
[woman] Well…
-Hey, cheers. -[all] Cheers.
[all cheering]
[Suzan] At the beginning of this busy period, I found it hard
because we saw each other less.
And I found that difficult.
But I've noticed that
a certain small club of people formed around me
that has become smaller over time
and that I want to see more.
[calm music continues]
I'm really very conventional. Yes. That's true. Yes.
AT HOME SUZAN & FREEK
But it strikes me that a lot of people are.
Then I think,
how nice that we found each other, because we get along well.
I'm not one for full-on parties. I don't stay up late often.
I don't drink, don't do drugs. I'm really quite boring.
But I do like doing nice things with my friends
and having a good time with people I care about.
[speaking indistinctly]
But, on the other hand, conventional…
I do really great shows. So what exactly is… cool?
Getting blind drunk on the weekend
or playing a concert for 40,000 people? So, yeah…
Yes, maybe I am a bit conventional,
but I find myself to be pretty cool with what we do. [laughs]
[melody playing on piano]
[Freek] I've noticed that spending time together
doesn't consume any energy.
We're good at being together,
sometimes without having to say anything.
It lets us both recharge.
And it isn't the case that we view it as an activity,
"Let's do something together now."
We just enjoy being together and that… yeah.
I don't really think about it. I just find…
If I want to go cycling, I'll say, "Want to come for a ride?"
Then we'll go cycling together. I prefer that to being alone.
We could fill up our entire week. Requests for TV things
and interview for this, we could appear in Belgium for this…
But I said to Freek, "I don't want to be so busy."
I just don't want that. I also want to have a nice life.
♪ Maybe kissed ♪
♪ Fathers and mothers ♪
♪ A little laughter too at everyone ♪
♪ Now it feels exactly as it used to ♪
♪ You and I The world at my feet ♪
♪ When I looked at you ♪
♪ I suddenly became ♪
♪ Someone from the past again ♪
-[woman 1] See you. -[woman 2] Bye.
-See you later. -Have fun.
-Bye. -Later.
-An hour… -Yes, just that.
-Accordion. -[laughs] Accordion.
[melody on piano continues]
-Funny going to a show like this. -[Freek] Yeah, right?
[Suzan] When do we do this now?
I remember well that we…
Just before corona, we were in the meadow.
Kraantje Pappie was on the main stage.
-We said, "Great show." -[Freek] Yeah.
Big stage, with the big "Daddy" at the back.
[Freek] Yeah.
-I thought, that guy's made it. -[Freek laughs] Yeah.
Well, let's go then.
I think I'm still very keen to make people happy.
And I want people to like me
and like what I do.
So, maybe I,
above all,
should try a little harder to accept that there is a large group that like it.
I should be happy with that. We're successful in what we do.
People come to our shows.
And I try very much to look at what we do have
and the people who like it, instead of the people who maybe don't like it
and feel the need to say that or… Yeah.
-Have fun. [laughs] -I still find it quite exciting.
-Exciting, right? -Suus.
-I find it horribly scary. -Exciting, huh?
-Nice to have you here. -Super cool.
-Horribly scary. -It will be all right.
You can tell by looking at you, you really are all…
Just breathe calmly.
-The first song, then you'll be okay. -Yeah, that's right.
Then I'll be back.
Ah!
It will be fine.
You're wearing a gorgeous outfit.
I'm glad you guys are here.
-Good that you're all here. -[Suzan] Good you're here, man.
[Wout] The Zwarte Cross is the festival of The Achterhoek.
Freek is never afraid to think big,
although I don't think he ever dared dream
that they would play the main stage at Zwarte Cross.
Get yourself together.
[laughing]
Holy shit, man.
[Wout] Suus was literally 200 meters from the main stage cooking fries.
She never dared dream that she would ever stand up there.
[Miss Montreal] They haven't been so big for long,
but if I know them
and they keep doing what they want,
I think they'll keep going a long time.
Until they're 80 or something.
[Freek] This is it, guys.
[all cheering]
[announcer] Zwarte Cross, here…
Suzan & Freek!
[crowd cheering loudly]
["Dromen In Kleur" by Suzan & Freek playing]
Zwarte Cross. Good afternoon!
♪ But weren't we gold? ♪
♪ Tell me What if I can never forget you? ♪
♪ Now suddenly you're gone ♪
♪ But it doesn't yet really feel ♪
♪ As if I can do this ♪
♪ Do you think it's easy, perhaps? ♪
♪ You're haunting my thoughts ♪
♪ Because I still believe in us ♪
♪ But weren't we gold? ♪
♪ Tell me What if I can never forget you? ♪
♪ What if I can never forget you? ♪
[Brigit] How great it is, as someone from Achterhoek,
to stand in front of so many people.
You want to share this with the people you hold dear.
[crowd cheering]
[Brigit] To see Suzan and Freek and all those people…
[Freek] Where are all my people from The Achterhoek?
[crowd cheers]
Great, yeah? Nice.
We also try
to involve family and friends a bit more.
That's maybe because we found it more challenging before,
and then you don't let other people in
because you think, I'm busy enough with making sure it's all good.
Now we have the space and the control
to let friends and family literally stand next to us on stage
and watch along.
And I'm very happy with that.
Then the two worlds blend together more.
Zwarte Cross, may I have your loudest applause
for none other than Snelle!
[shouts]
This is such a moment of realization for all three of us
that we're up here in front of you today at the Zwarte Cross.
The best festival of the year.
[Snelle] The fields are packed full everywhere.
It's a 60-minute set,
and there's only one song where you might not know a few lines.
For the rest, everyone sings along, because they're the biggest right now.
-[crowd singing along] -♪ It's quiet here on the other side ♪
♪ But I come from here ♪
♪ Where your bike can be left ♪
♪ By the roadside unlocked ♪
♪ It's quiet here on the other side… ♪
You can be louder. As out of tune as you can.
♪ It's quiet here on the other side… ♪
-[Snelle] More off-key and louder. -[Freek] Come on.
♪ It's quiet here on the other side… ♪
-[Snelle] We're almost there. -[Freek] Yeah!
♪ It's quiet here on the other side… ♪
[Snelle] Zwarte Cross, let me hear you!
♪ It's quiet here on the other side ♪
♪ But I come from here ♪
♪ Where your bike can be left ♪
♪ By the roadside unlocked ♪
[all clapping along to beat]
[crowd cheering]
[calm music playing]
[Suzan] I think that we did dream of it, yes.
I never thought that we would do this.
I always thought I had to do something really special.
And I'm simply doing the same as always,
and suddenly I can live from the music alone.
[Freek] Yes, I'm happy with where we are now and who we are.
We belong there now.
Before, I thought we were simply visitors, you know?
As if everyone had made a mistake.
They didn't realize that we were standing among them.
Now, after corona, I feel more like we belong there.
That it suddenly got so big, I had never… thought about it.
And I think it's really great.
[Freek] Zwarte Crossers!
We love you!
[loud whooshing]
["Dromen In Kleur" by Suzan & Freek playing]
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO SUZAN & FREEK
♪ I look around me ♪
♪ And see the same street ♪
♪ But it suddenly feels as if ♪
♪ There is a new light here ♪
♪ For all my life ♪
♪ I passed it by ♪
♪ But what I never saw ♪
♪ You now release in me ♪
♪ That it can be so beautiful here ♪
♪ Do you feel the light… ♪
And it has become our work, but in this room, it feels
as if we're still doing it for fun, which is true.
[Freek] I've never told Suzan that we earn money from it.
-Keep it that way. -Yeah. [laughing]
Last week you were wearing a body warmer. What was that?
Was that a statement or something? What was it?
I thought, that can't be true.
Why did you do that? Now you mention it.
-What was that? -[Freek] You can do that. It's hip.
-Is it really hip? -[Freek] Yes, it's hip.
I sometimes lag behind, but I thought, Freek!
-Is it really hip? -Yes, it's really hip.
[Brigit] Yes?
[both laughing]
[Brigit] Also, the shoes with those narrow trousers
and that large jacket. I thought, why? [laughing]
Why is everyone wearing such a large jacket?
-[Freek] If you like it, you should do it. -No, but yes. Okay.
[crowd cheering]
[Freek sighs]
-A little tent, or not? -[all laughing]
-Cheers, guys. -Yeah, guys.
There's a fly near you all the time.
-Did you wash? -[laughs] Wash?
Dung fly.
♪ But it is real ♪
♪ Since you are here ♪
♪ I see everything differently To how I know it ♪
♪ Hope that it never goes ♪
♪ Because we dream in color ♪
♪ Everything seems ♪
♪ More beautiful, now I'm looking ♪
♪ With you ♪
♪ Can you feel the light? ♪
♪ Can you taste the mist? ♪
♪ Easy to say that it's unreal ♪
-♪ Can you feel the light? ♪ -♪ Can you feel the light? ♪
-♪ Can you taste the mist? ♪ -♪ Can you taste the mist? ♪
-♪ Since you are here ♪ -♪ Since you are here ♪
♪ Hope that it never goes ♪
♪ Because we dream in color ♪
Subtitle translation by: Adam Dean