Award-winning singer-songwriter Antje Duvekot has released “No,” a new single and music video. It is the title song from her upcoming album. The song is about learning to say no: no to making herself smaller, pleasing everyone, always being agreeable, or believing a woman’s worth depends on keeping other people happy.
Duvekot was born in Germany and moved to the United States as a young teenager. After taking up guitar in high school, she began viewing life through both German and American cultural lenses. Years later, she turned her unique perspective into songs.
Her new record, No, is her sixth studio album and was produced by Seth Glier. Her five earlier albums were produced by Mark Erelli, Seamus Egan of SOLAS, Richard Shindell, and Scott Petito.
The idea for No grew from a major change in Duvekot’s life during her 50th year. A uterine fibroid and perimenopause caused physical and emotional strain, allowing years of hidden anger and frustration to surface.
Growing up, Duvekot was taught to be pleasant, flexible, helpful, and “nice.” Over time, she saw how completely she had succumbed to the role of pleasing others. She often avoided conflict, adjusted instead of objecting, and put other people’s ease ahead of her own voice.
No marks a break from that pattern. The album is direct, raw, funny, profane, and emotionally honest. Rather than hiding anger, Duvekot treats it as a force that can help a person speak up and take control.
Her career includes appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, Mountain Stage, Philadelphia Folk Festival, and Kerrville Folk Festival. Outside the United States, she has headlined Scotland’s Celtic Connections Festival and Denmark’s Tønder Festival. Her honors include the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, Kerrville’s Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act. She has also been featured on several NPR programs.
Duvekot also works in animation. She has made music videos for Toad The Wet Sprocket, Dar Williams, Eliza Gilkyson, Martyn Joseph, Eliot Bronson, and Lori McKenna.
For some reason, “No” conjures up suggestions of Judy Collins because of its soft SoCal country-folk-pop flavors. And there’s a bit of Collins’ tonal inflections and phrasing in Duvekot’s charming voice – tinted with a slight rasp and a kind of potent delicacy. It’s a haunting voice, brimming with authenticity and insight. Light, crunching percussion and glistening guitars imbue the melody with a tasty, swaying motion.
Fully herself, the singer-songwriter sounds unchained on “No,” a song at once intimate, frank, and emotionally revelatory.
