Pitou's debut album is out March 24th

Pitou shares ‘Greed’, a song about the inexorable march of time. It’s the last song Pitou shares before the release of her debut album ‘Big Tear’, out March 24th. Pre-save the album here. Previous released songs are Big Tear, Angel, Dancer and Devote. After a Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop show this summer, Pitou is ready for her upcoming European tour:

• 21/01/2023 Eurosonic Noorderslag, Groningen (NL)
• 14/04/2023 Bitterzoet, Amsterdam (NL)
• 15/04/2023 MOMO, Rotterdam (NL)
• 18/04/2023 Paper Dress Vintage, London (UK)
• 23/04/2023 Artheater, Cologne (DE)
• 24/04/2023 Nochtwache, Hamburg (DE)
• 25/04/2023 Privatclub, Berlin (DE)
• 27/04/2023 Le Pop Up, Paris (FR)
• 28/04/2023 Botanique, Brussels (BE)
• 29/04/2023 Merleyn, Nijmegen (NL)

Pitou will also support The Colorist Orchestra and Emiliana Torrini on their tour:

• 09/03/2023 Reflektor, Liège
• 10/03/2023 Wilde Westen, Kortrijk
• 11/03/2023 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
• 25/03/2023 Maastricht, Muziekgieterij (NL)
• 27/03/2023 Trabendo, Paris (FR)
• 28/03/2023 Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
• 29/03/2023 De Roma, Antwerp
• 30/03/2023 Handelsbeurs, Ghent
• 31/03/2023 Union Chapel, London (UK)

Pitou's long-awaited debut is a rich, fearlessly creative collection of alternative pop that draws from her classical background; unexpected harmonies and song structures, vocal layering, loops, wistful melodies, and classical instruments all swirled together in stylish, clever ways.

From a very young age, Pitou developed an unexplainable interest in classical music – her father would often find her crouched down by the radio, scrolling through stadions in search of the sound of orchestras and choirs. From the age of 9, Pitou started singing in a children’s choir, and she soon found herself performing at the baptism of Catharina Amalia, the Princess of the Netherlands, and in renowned music halls throughout Europe, such as The Berliner Philharmoniker and Het Concertgebouw. “Singing together with other singers, making harmonies together, made me feel like nothing had ever done before,” she says of that moment.

Informed by her love for classical music and years spent singing in that choir, the record also marks her own development, both as a performer and a songwriter. “For my debut album, I knew I wanted to move away from the guitar being self-evidently always there,” she says. “I also wanted to find out what it felt like to tell the stories of my songs on stage with just my body and voice, without the physical restriction of the guitar.” Eager to move into other sonic worlds, she embraced the creative possibilities of different instruments – piano, harp, synths – and using computer programs to build and refine her music; some tracks were written entirely on piano or using software.

Pitou then took these ideas to drummer Mischa Porte and percussion player Frank Wienk of Binkbeats, the trio laying down the rhythmical spines of the songs. Self-produced, Pitou also enlisted a variety of musicians to add various parts, enriching the songs “in a way I couldn’t have predicted beforehand”. Band members Marc Alberto (saxophone), Lieke Heusinkveld (keys), and Jasja Offermans (bass) also “added so much”; having done a series of concerts with baroque ensemble Baroque Orchestra X, Pitou wanted them involved too. Producer PJ Maertens - who co-produced - helped out with recording the baroque instruments and the strings, played by the SunSunSun String Orkestra, while the vocal harmonies – “Nothing makes me as happy as voices blending together, forming chords,” she says – were recorded in her home in Antwerp, giving the record an in)mate, guarded feel.