Journalism student and music enthusiast Roy Blokzijl is an intern at the lunch program of Gijs 2.0 at Radio 2.
Radio connects. “The top 2000” is the most prominent example of it, according to Roy. He makes sure that he is not missing a single tv broadcasting of “the Top 2000 café.” “The music creates a feeling of solidarity. Up to a few years ago, this was also the case with “Serious Request from radio station 3FM.” It is a good thing that we have the radio, I also think that an increasing amount of people are listening to the radio again because they are working from home.”
It started at his parents` house: “ Music was always playing. I can’t stand it when I am visiting someone and it is quiet in the living room. There must be something playing in the background. I do not care what kind of music. My music taste depends on my mood and I am not bound to a particular genre of music. I am a huge fan of “new” music. I like to search for new music and to discover new sounds. How, you may ask? A good tip is to try Spotify, especially the play-list “New Music Friday. Every Friday there will be added new music to the list. However, you can also search for the latest albums of artists. Also, you could follow the latest music news, of course.”
Whilst working at his internship, Roy is scouting every day to find guests to come on the show and he also invites them. He is also in charge of preparing the interviews for the host of the show Gijs Staverman. After the broadcast, Roy will make a montage which he can put online on the Social Media channels. On average the show has more than half a million listeners. During “The Top 2000” that average skyrockets up. “The show is dynamic with a good balance between music, actualities and entertainment. Including Gijs we have four people working on the program, so my contribution is substantial. I am so thrilled that we are reaching such a large audience.”
It is important for Roy to research a lot of artists and changing trends during his internship. “ I have noticed that there is a new sound in 2020. That Funky-catchy sound from artists like “The Weeknd”, that is very on-trend! I also noticed that a lot of old songs from the 90s are covered in a totally different way. Which is also hip. Roy is confident to predict what type of music will be popular in the new year: “We are closing in on 2021 and ballads seem to become slowly more popular. I think that people are done with real dance music.”
The best song that describes the mood of 2020 from “The top 2000” is the song “Rollercoaster” by Danny Vera, according to Roy. “The song beautifully captures the first and second wave of Covid-19 which we had to deal with. Yet it also depicts the deep feelings we have experienced and how we have had to deal with our emotions during it all. This year was a real rollercoaster.”
Texts: Reinhilde van Aalderen
Photos: Gerben Rink
Roy`s Upcoming Five
- Nona – Forever Yours
We are going to hear a lot more from Nona. With her new sounds, she fits in perfectly with others such as Mell& Vintage Future, Nick Klyne and Joe Buck. - Nick- Klyne – How do you feel
With his debut hit, he has already reached a million streams on Spotify. The follow up song: How do you feel, is much more sensitive, a real 2021 sound. - Savine – Never compare
The still unknown Savine has a dash of Amy Whinehouse. That raw sound combined with the sound of the present. We will hear a lot more from her. - Netsky & Hybrid Minds- Let me hold you
Netsky is a Flemish producer who already has a lot of hits. Now he is trying again with his new song Hybrid Minds. You instantly recognize the” Netsky sound.” It is a top song! - Remme – Ghosts
The Dutch Remme is already famous abroad, but in our own country he still is not very known. But I am sure he will hit the Dutch charts in 2021 with his high head voice.
