Antje Duvekot has a deep, warm, expressive voice that adds intimacy to her songs and draws listeners in. Her new single, “Virginia, Unhinged,” showcases that vocal depth and a mature-rebellion message any woman can relate to.
Rooted in folk with touches of soul, the track flows as naturally as a quiet river, creating an almost introspective atmosphere in which the German-born, US-based singer delivers a message of resistance against the stereotypes women have had to fight for centuries.
“‘Virginia, Unhinged’ is about a woman who reaches her limits and stops caring what anyone thinks. It captures the midlife awakening of a lifelong people pleaser who discovers her own raw power, along with a well of latent anger over the roles she was taught to inhabit as a woman,” she shared.
Despite tackling difficult subjects such as frustration and reaching one's breaking point, the song feels calm and at peace, like a release that brings a sense of relief along with it. There is enough room for each line to settle without giving way to overwhelming anger.
The track's story has a personal starting point. Around the age of 50, while going through perimenopause and dealing with a uterine fibroid, Antje began to recognize the frustration she had accumulated over the years by avoiding conflict and consistently putting herself last.
That experience gave rise to “No,” the album produced by Seth Glier that features the single. Elsewhere on the album, Antje uses the figure of Godzilla to imagine what happens when a woman stops conforming to the role assigned to her and discovers how much space she can take up. She also revisits the fairy-tale promise that someone will eventually come along and set things right.
Long before writing these songs, Antje had started playing guitar in high school, after moving from Germany to the United States in her early teens. Listening to the confessional folk of Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco gave her the confidence to write about what she observed and felt, no matter how personal it was. Over time, Williams also contributed to her recordings, as did Anaïs Mitchell and Rose Cousins.
Her songwriting approach earned her the Grand Prize at the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and the Best New Folk award in Kerrville. She also received a Boston Music Award in the Outstanding Folk Act category, and her tours have taken her to headline the Celtic Connections Festival in Scotland and the Tønder Festival in Denmark. Her creative work also extends into the visual arts. As an animator, she has created music videos for Dar Williams, Lori McKenna, and Toad The Wet Sprocket, among others.
With “No,” Antje Duvekot hopes to surprise longtime listeners and perhaps make some of them uncomfortable with intense confessions and deeply personal subject matter. In “Virginia, Unhinged,” that intention comes through in a voice that retains all its warmth while addressing the struggles shared by countless women around the world. These experiences can now be laid bare without holding back, brought together by a common thread of sisterhood.
Listen to “Virginia, Unhinged” and connect with Antje Duvekot on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, and her Website.
