Sharon den Adel doesn’t want to change Within Temptation’s political stance despite criticism.
“Well, 30 years ago when we started, we didn’t want to be that political or not that outspoken although we’ve always been very much inspired by politics and it’s always been in our music but more through metaphors,” the singer said when asked by Heavy’s Angela Croudace why it is important for them as a band to speak about political issues.
She continued, “And we didn’t talk about that much during interviews but it has always been something that inspired us because it affects so many people’s lives of course, especially the last few years what’s been happening in the world, it’s been to my opinion beyond crazy.”
“So many things at the same time but it’s not like it’s the first time that this is happening in the world of course. We had the Second World War and the First World War and many other things happening in different parts of the world but what’s happening now is like there’s such instability and the world feels so unstable that we felt like more and more when we grew older eventually and at the point that we are now felt like you need to speak up as a band,” Sharon added.
The musician concluded, “You have a platform and we stand for certain values and our fans know that. It’s important to talk about these things and to point out what where your point is or what your stand is in all of this craziness.”
In a 2023 interview with Summa Inferno, den Adel again talked about receiving criticism for voicing their political views. She explained, “Well, I believe in democracy. And I think also we have a voice, and I believe in debating. What I hope to do with this — we’re not lashing out or criticizing anything. It’s more like we try to keep the subject alive because just by talking about it, we can bring other people to new ideas or get a little bit deeper into the subject or start being interested in the subject and thinking about what is the right thing to do.”
Last year, Within Temptation lost some followers after posting about Pride. Sharon later said she didn’t regret supporting Pride. She was surprised by how many people were upset by the message of equality. However, the singer was happy it happened because it helped remove people who didn’t support equality.
