Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. She became internationally known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the progressive and atmospheric rock band The Gathering, of which she was a member from 1994 to 2007. During this period she recorded seminal albums such as Mandylion (1995) and Nighttime Birds (1997), which defined the band's sound and established her name on the international scene.
After leaving the group, she developed a successful solo career — initially under the project Agua de Annique and, from 2012 onwards, under her own name — and also formed the bands The Gentle Storm (2015) and VUUR (2017). She is recognised for her wide vocal range and stylistic versatility, having moved naturally between atmospheric rock, progressive metal, folk and acoustic pop over more than three decades.
A frequent collaborator of Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Devin Townsend, Anneke has also worked with artists such as Within Temptation, Anathema, Amorphis, Napalm Death, Moonspell, Novembers Doom, Globus, Lawn, Farmer Boys and Giant Squid, among many others. In 2019, she received the Buma ROCKS! Export Award, given annually by the Dutch copyright organisation Buma Cultuur to the Dutch artist with the greatest international presence in heavy music.
In 2025, The Gathering's classic Mandylion line-up reunited for a series of shows commemorating the album's 30th anniversary. The overwhelming response to the sold-out shows in the Netherlands led the band to an extensive world tour in 2026, with dates at festivals and venues across Europe, North America and South America.
Biography
Early life Anneke was born in the small town of Sint-Michielsgestel in the Netherlands. She began singing at age 7, when she took part in a music contest. By 12 she was singing in her school choir, which toured France. She later took singing lessons and joined her first band. After that first experience, Anneke went on to join several bands. In 1992, she co-founded the duo "Bad Breath" with guitarist and singer Deniz Cagdas (Spencer Edgards), a project rooted in blues, jazz, folk and funk.Som13 – Biography – Anneke van Giersbergen (2010)
The Gathering In 1994 she was invited to join The Gathering through a mutual friend. Her musical sensibility fitted perfectly with the changes the band intended to make, and the result was very successful.
Anneke's debut with the band, Mandylion, The Gathering's third album, was released on 22 August 1995. From her first album with the band, Anneke took on responsibility for the great majority of the lyrics, revealing not only her distinctive vocal style but also her skill in writing deep and intimate texts. The evolution at the helm of The Gathering was gradual and fascinating, leading the band to grow both in fan base and live activity. In 1996 she was a guest vocalist for the German band Farmer Boys on the song Never Let Me Down Again (a Depeche Mode cover).
On 6 June 1997, The Gathering released their second album with Anneke, Nighttime Birds. The album sold more than 90,000 copies and led to an extensive European tour. The band gradually made its mark on the scene, driven in large part by its then-unknown but talented vocalist. On How to Measure a Planet?, released on 26 January 1998, further evolution was evident, with Anneke exploring intense and varied vocalisations. That same year she was invited by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen to take part in his Ayreon project, recording vocals for Into the Electric Castle, a concept album about an alien entity kidnapping eight human souls from different eras. Anneke portrayed an Egyptian woman from the age of the pharaohs.
With if_then_else, released on 25 July 2000, Anneke was going through a difficult period in her personal life, during which she again experimented with changes in her singing and songwriting. At the time the end of her engagement was reflected in several lyrics, with the singer working up to 15 hours a day in the studio. The effort resulted in a deeply personal record that is nonetheless considered of the highest quality.
On 12 February 2003 the band released the acclaimed album Souvenirs. That same year, on 22 August 2003, The Gathering made their first live recording, the semi-acoustic Sleepy Buildings, recorded at The LUX Theatre in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Over time, Anneke consolidated her position as one of the finest vocalists in the genre.
On the personal side, Anneke's life was changing for the better. On 11 February 2003 she married drummer, manager and musician Rob Snijders.IMDb – Anneke van Giersbergen (2013)
In 2004, she was invited by the Dutch indie rock band Lawn to participate in their album Backspace on the song Fix.
In 2006, The Gathering released Home, showcasing a more refined Anneke whose voice at times hovered on a whisper. A maturity gained through years of practice was clearly perceptible. The band toured Europe, North America and South America; after a brief pause for Anneke to treat a bout of laryngitis, they resumed their schedule of shows with European dates and music festivals throughout 2006. In parallel, Anneke contributed vocals to the Drive By Wire project and to John Wetton's album ICON II. Still in 2006, she participated in the album Epicon by the British band Globus, where she sang and co-wrote the lyrics for Mighty Rivers Run, dueted with Christine Navarro on Diem Ex Dei and sang backing vocals on Orchard of Mine. The latter was used in 2007 in one of the trailers for Marvel Studios' film Spider-Man 3, with Anneke's voice featured prominently. She also participated in two songs by the British band Napalm Death.
In 2007, The Gathering toured North America and Canada again, this time alongside the Italian heavy metal band Lacuna Coil. The band was at its peak, internationally known and a reference point for many artists and bands. However, on 5 June 2007, Anneke announced her departure from The Gathering to pursue other projects and spend more time with her family.Blabbermouth.net – Former The Gathering Singer Launches Agua de Annique (2007) Her departure took place in August of that year, when she began her new project, Agua de Annique. Despite the announcement, Anneke and The Gathering still released a DVD, A Noise Severe, recorded at Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, Chile, on 24 March 2007 and released on 31 October of that year.
Solo career
Agua de Annique The first Agua de Annique album was Air, released on 30 October 2007. The band was founded alongside Anneke's husband and drummer Rob Snijders, guitarist Joris Dirks and bassist Jacques de Haard. The album was marked by a more intimate and melancholic atmosphere.
In 2008 she contributed to the album Night Eternal by Portuguese band Moonspell, singing alongside Fernando Ribeiro on Scorpion Flower and appearing in the song's official music video. Also in February 2008, she performed Somewhere alongside Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation at the concert that would become the album and DVD/Blu-ray Black Symphony.Blabbermouth.net – Within Temptation Record Show in Eindhoven for Future DVD The show took place at Ahoy, Netherlands, on 22–24 September 2008.
That same year, Anneke participated in the Ticket for Tibet project, which brought together several of the leading Dutch musicians. The project included a special performance, called Night of Tibet, for the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.Whiplash – Anneke comments on meeting with the Dalai Lama Also in 2008, Anneke participated again in the Ayreon project, on the album 01011001. The character she portrays is one of the Forever, an alien being of the same race that kidnapped her character from Into the Electric Castle.
On 30 January 2009, Anneke released her second solo album, Pure Air. From this release onwards, Anneke began adding her own name to the band name, presenting herself as "Anneke van Giersbergen with Agua de Annique". Following an acoustic direction, the album featured contributions from Sharon den Adel, Danny Cavanagh, Marike Jager, John Wetton, Niels Geusebroek, Arjen Lucassen and Kyteman. Pure Air contains songs from Air in acoustic form and some covers, including Ironic by Alanis Morissette and The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice. Anneke also released, on 10 September, a live acoustic album entitled In Parallel, in partnership with Danny Cavanagh, guitarist and vocalist of the British band Anathema. The show, which contains songs from The Gathering, Anneke's solo career, Anathema and some covers, was recorded at the Little Devil venue in Tilburg, Netherlands. She was invited by the American post-metal band Giant Squid to participate in their album The Ichthyologist on the song Sevengill. In June, Anneke founded her own studio in the south of the Netherlands, which was named Aguarium through a competition held on her official website.Anneke van Giersbergen – Official Site – And the winner is... (2009)
Later that year, on 6 October, Anneke released another studio album of original material, In Your Room. This time, Anneke adopted the name "Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique" and for the first time revealed a more pop rock sensibility that would become a tendency in her future recordings. The album's closing track, Just Fine, was co-written with Canadian vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend,Whiplash – Review – In Your Room (Anneke van Giersbergen & Agua de Annique) (2009) marking the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership. Even before recording In Your Room, Anneke had participated in Devin Townsend's album Addicted!, following a remarkable coincidence.
Also in 2009, on 30 October, Anneke participated in Within Temptation's live acoustic album An Acoustic Night at the Theatre, singing Somewhere as a duet with Sharon den Adel. The show was recorded at the Muziekcentrum Frits Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and released in audio format only.
In 2010, the singer continued to make guest appearances. At the invitation of Dutch-Canadian singer, songwriter, producer and photographer Shane Shu, she recorded an acoustic version of the song Push Me to the Ground. She also participated in the Maiden uniteD project, which presents acoustic versions of songs by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Anneke sang on To Tame a Land (a duet with Damian Wilson) and Sun and Steel.
That same year, Anneke released the album Live in Europe, containing recordings of her own songs and songs from The Gathering in several European countries. This was the last release under the Agua de Annique name.
Anneke van Giersbergen In 2012, Anneke released the acclaimed album Everything Is Changing,Discogs – Everything Is Changing produced by Portuguese musician Daniel Cardoso (Anathema), with whom she also co-wrote some of the compositions. This is the first work in which the singer chose to use only her own name, Anneke van Giersbergen. The influence of her collaborations with Devin Townsend is perceptible, with the songs becoming more progressive and featuring electronic arrangements. In 2011, Anneke had participated in the children's project De Beer Die Geen Beer Was, in partnership with drummer, actor, singer, producer and presenter Martijn Bosman, which tells the story of a bear in various adventures. Anneke not only sang some of the songs and recited poems on the album, but also participated in some of the performances during the Dutch tour that same year. She also recorded the song Mighty Rivers for the album Raised in Captivity by British vocalist, bassist and guitarist John Wetton. Also in 2011, she participated in the song What Could Have Been from the album Aphotic by American doom metal band Novembers Doom,Novembers Doom – Official Site – Biography (2013) and on the album Days to Come by Dutch musician Marcel Verbeek, singing Little Man.