Internally, the decision had been made for some time. “The fact that it is in the newspaper is the last push,” says Van der Lubbe in an interview. “Then it really is. We could have left at the end of the year, but we have chosen this: to be transparent. Clearly also say that it is purely my decision. Because the boys don’t like it at all, they would rather have continued for years.”
De Dijk has been around since 1981. The band, named after the Amsterdam Zeedijk, scored hits such as Bloedend Hart, Mag het licht uit (May the light out) and If she is not there. The group has won various prizes such as the Zilveren Harp in 1987, the Gouden Harp in 1993, the Edison Oeuvre Prize in 2005 and the Pop Prize in 2008.
“Life with De Dijk, however wonderful: I know it,” says 69-year-old Van der Lubbe. “It no longer offers the surprise for which I once went into music. And I don’t feel like repeating myself.”