Embrace the unknown. That is exactly what singer Robby Valentine from Hoogkarspel does. Although the rock star has been virtually blind for some time, his new album is visible Embrace the unknown the light of day. “Before I have connected two cables, it will take me fifteen minutes.”
His room, which has been converted into a music studio, is his domain. There, Robert Kempe (54) from Hoogkarspel transforms into rock star Robby Valentine. The man who scored a world hit in the early 90s with Over and Over Again. Visible upon entering: his impressive collection of more than thirty years of albums and singles.
He writes the songs himself, plays the instruments himself and sings both the lyrics and the choirs. Until it is completely to his taste. “This album took about three years to complete.”
The results are impressive. And that is extra impressive, after a very drastic period. A few years ago, Robert lost the sight in his right eye due to an eye infection. But something is also wrong with his left eye. As a result, he only sees about two percent, which means he goes through life virtually blind. “You step into an unknown life, without knowing exactly what it is. You actually have to embrace that unknown. That is also what the title track is about.”
Frustrating
He explains: “I see through a very small tunnel and that is actually one blur. I see no details. If the contrast is good, I see a little bit. For example, a silhouette of someone, but no face. That is very intense. It remains frustrating, but you shouldn’t get too stuck in the way things were.”
I should have been a father
Like my father was to me
A driver and a roadie
Who fulfilled my every need
These are the first sentences of the song Embrace the Unknown, for which a video clip is also being recorded. They literally refer to Valentine’s difficult situation. “I have an 11-year-old daughter. I have always had a wonderful father who always accompanied me. He was my roadie, my driver. I also wanted to do all kinds of things with her. I think you have to give that up. I find it the most difficult. And that you are dependent on others. That is terrible.”
Sliders and buttons
“Where is the choir now? I’ve lost the choir!”, is heard in the beautiful space that is filled with various instruments. Now that his vision is very limited, Valentine spends even more time in ‘his’ space. His fingers find the right sliders and buttons on the impressive mixing console, which to a layman already feels like one big maze. The choir’s singing parts have been found again. “Everything takes ten times longer now,” sighs the singer. “Before I have connected two cables, it will take me fifteen minutes.”
But he continues: Valentine will not be stopped. Last Saturday was the album presentation in Zoetermeer. The next shows are already planned. He likes to be inspired by the story of the drummer of rock band Def Leppard, who lost an arm in a car accident. “But he went for it and was later able to play the drums again. I did that too. If you had said beforehand: ‘You are going blind’, you might have said: then I don’t have to. But now I see it more as a challenge And I am lucky that I have been able to see for a long time. The power that this brings is cool. But of course it is not fun.”