INTERVIEW: JEN, the musician you've already seen on some of Belgium's biggest stages, now stepping forward with her own album
Updated: 3 hours ago
Debut album 'Any Questions?' out on 16 October
JEN is the solo project of Jente Neels, a 25-year-old musician from Bruges, now based/listed in Ghent. She is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist whose own music sits between pop and alternative rock, combining prominent guitars, pop hooks and more introspective songwriting.
Before putting herself fully at the centre of JEN, Jente built considerable experience as a live/session musician. Her route into Pommelien Thijs' band is particularly interesting. JEN had supported Pommelien at Ancienne Belgique; Jente then began filling in as guitarist at some shows, eventually becoming her regular guitarist. By June she had already played five sold-out AFAS Dome shows with Pommelien.
At the same time, she's been developing JEN as her solo project and supported artists like Pommelien Thijs, Compact Disk Dummies, Sylvie Kreusch and Lola Young, played festivals including Suikerrock, Crammerock and others, and received airplay from Studio Brussel, Radio Willy and Radio 1.
Jente has described being in that mid-twenties period where people around her are buying houses, getting married and having children, while she finds herself asking whether she's doing life “correctly.” The record turns those uncertainties into a broader exploration of identity, self-image, individualism, social media, expectations and the pressure to prove yourself.
Q: You've spent years standing beside other artists on stage. What changes mentally when you step from guitarist to front-woman and suddenly the audience is there for you?
A: I think the biggest thing is that I have to entertain the audience now. As a guitarist and backing vocalist, it’s easy to hide. As a frontwoman I have to be honest, real and there all the time. I have to connect with people and make it clear why they would want to keep on connecting with me. You can not take your mind of the show or your eyes off the crowd.
Q: You've played some enormous shows with Pommelien Thijs. What have you learned from watching an artist operate at that scale that you've brought into JEN?
A: I think the answer is kind of the same as the one above. I learned that it’s sooo important to be real. To show yourself and be proud of who you are and what you stand for. Working hard and being proud of yourself when it turns out great.
Q: When did JEN stop feeling like a side project and start feeling like the project? (even if you still combine your work for other artists)
A: I always knew that making my own music was the thing I wanted to do the most. I think it really ‘clicked’ when I started playing shows and told my story to the world. I always give everything when I’m on stage as JEN and I could never not give it my all. You feel so free and honest at the same time when you're telling your story on stage. It really feels like THE project for me, because it feels like I'm showing what's going on in my brain to the world.
Q: You've said 'Any Questions?' comes partly from watching people your age buy houses, get married and have children while you're following a very different path. What's the biggest question you found yourself asking while making this album?
A: I think the biggest question was ‘who am I’. In the years that I wrote this record I was really insecure about myself and the world I was in. As an artist, you get a lot of rejection and opinions about you and it’s not always that easy to let things go. I started asking myself the question ‘Who Am I and what do I really want to do for the rest of my life?’ Still haven’t figured it out, but at least I know now that I’m so so happy with what my life is right now. The rest, we’ll see. Maybe I'll start a bakery in five years, who knows.
Q: The record deals with growing up in the social-media era. Do you think our generation has more freedom to define who we are—or more pressure to prove who we are?
A: I think both statements are true. It’s so easy to post and say whatever the fuck you want online, but it’s even easier to get lost in what you should or should not say, feel, post and do. It’s amazing that everyone can say whatever he wants, but maybe I don’t want to read what 57 year old Rudy has to say about me and my short skirt. Maybe I don’t wanna see how amazing Amber’s vacation in the Bahama’s is while I’m in my pyjamas on the couch. Maybe I don’t want to see a podcast from a bunch of dudes talking about how lame the women’s hockey game was.
Q: Your music moves between alternative rock and pop rather than choosing one side. Was refusing to fit neatly into one genre a conscious decision?
A: It wasn't a conscious decision. It's just that I love so much music and genres and I've been in alternative underground, indie-pop and mainstream pop bands. I take all these influences and mix them together into my own songs. That's a conscious decision, but the outcome isn't.
Q: Your father introduced you to music, you busked together in Bruges, and now he plays on your debut album. What has that musical relationship meant to you?
A: At first, I was this moody teenager and said to my dad that I NEVER wanted to go to music school. He never pushed me, so I kinda grew out of being a rebel and started to see that singing and playing the guitar was actually a cool thing to do. I started trying at home, and my dad said that I was really good at it. Then I actually went to music school and we had our first busking session together on the streets of Bruges. After that, my dad took me with him to concerts on receptions and in jazz cafés and I could sing a couple of songs with the band. I started to become more confident and I became better, and before I knew I could play the whole set with them. It gave me a lot of confidence and I don't have a lot of stage fright right now because of these first steps with my dad, and I'm very very grateful for that.
Q: The album actually opens with part of a composition your father wrote when you were born. Why did that feel like the right way to begin your first record?
A: I love both my parents. They've always been there for me and supported me in what I wanted and still want to do. It's funny, cause my dad didn't actually play on the recordings of the album: When I was a newborn, my dad wrote a song for me that was called 'Jente'. It was a jazz guitar ballad and I rediscovered it when I visited him to have dinner together. That was at the time the album was almost finished and we decided to make an Intro out of this song. So we sampled the song and put it into the jazz bar intro. It's funny, because my whole family actually worked on the album. My mom helped making the curtains on the album cover (and recycled them afterwards to use on stage), my dad played on the record and my sister edited the videoclip for the last single 'I'll Do It Myself'. It's really heartwarming to see that they all care so much. As I am talking in the album about growing up, it only felt right to use the first steps in music with my family on the record.
Q: Your latest single, 'I'll Do It Myself' sounds empowering, but there's also criticism of extreme individualism behind it. Where's the line between independence and feeling like you have to do everything alone?
A: I have always been a girl who really wanted to do the things myself. I’ve learned a lot that way and learned to be independent very fast. My mom always taught me and my sister that we are strong women who can do it by ourselves, and I really love how she gave us this confidence. But the thing is, sometimes you need people. Sometimes you need a shoulder to cry on and sometimes you just need a hug. And that’s more than okay. I think that in this song, I was mostly laughing at my younger self. Thinking that I could do it all by myself without anybody is a bit cocky, and I loved to make a satire out of it.
Q: We already know a few singles off the album, what else will your listeners find in 'Any Questions?'.
A: They will find a couple of songs that are really close to my heart. 'Stevie' is one of them. It took me a long time to finish this one and I think that’s because it gives meaning to the rest of the album. The lyrics are about a girl named Stevie who's growing up and wants to leave to a place where everything is always good and in balance. I think this song is very empowering and gives a lot of hope.
Q: You played AB many times as guitar player, how does it feel now having your own show in such an iconic venue in November?
A: IT FEELS SO AMAZING AND SO SCARY AT THE SAME TIME. I've played a lot of shows in my life, but I've never been so scared to do a show. It feels like it's the beginning of something new and real and I really want to make it the best show we've ever played.
JEN is playing on 15 November at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, get your tickets ASAP here!
Upcoming dates:
15/10/2026 Ghent Music Mania Instore Session. More info
17/10/2026 Meerman, Oostende (acoustic morning session)
17/10/2026 Cherry Picker, Brugge (acoustic Instore)
26/10/2026 Sabam, Brussels (acoustic session)
26/10/2026 Depot Café & Studio Brussel, Leuven
29/10/2026 3FM 3voor12 session, Hilversum (live radio)
03/11/2026 L'olympia, Parijs (support The Fray)
04/11/2026 013, Tilburg (support WIES)
09/11/2026 La Madeleine, Brussels (support The Fray). Tickets
10/11/2026 013, Tilburg (support The Fray)
14/11/2026 Nieuwe Nor, Heerlen (support WIES)
15/11/2026 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels. Tickets
19/11/2026 Nobel, Leiden (support WIES)
20/11/2026 Fluor, Amersfoort (support WIES)
21/11/2026 Patronaat, Haarlem (support WIES)
26/11/2026 Hedon, Zwolle (support WIES)
13/12/2026 Tivolivredenburg, Utrecht (aftershow Hiqpy)
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