Complete bio of Renée
Until 1976
As a toddler Anja Exterkate (Renée) sang along with every tune that was played on the radio. By the age of twelve she was convinced she had the most unpleasant voice anyone could imagine. She had come to this conclusion because of the nasty remarks her family members made. They would have liked to wring her neck as there wasn’t a moment they could listen to the radio without her singing along. As an adolescent she started to realize that it must have been highly irritating not to be able to listen to your favourite song without your baby sister screaming along!
After ridiculing herself as a singer in a cabaret performance, she was invited to join a jazz band in 1975.
1976
Anja joined the band Toby Collar. She was studying Dutch and English, living in lodgings and had to get by on a grant. Singing seemed to her an enjoyable way to earn some additional income. All would turn out quite differently from what she expected.From the moment René Nodelijk (the bandleader) and Anja met, they got along great. René had been composing songs for years and Anja had been writing poems from when she was 15. That’s how they ended up writing songs together.