Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen, a multifaceted Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist, was born on March 8, 1973, and rose to international fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band The Gathering from 1994 to 2007.
In addition to her work with The Gathering, van Giersbergen has a successful solo career, which initially began under the moniker Agua de Annique, but is now carried out under her own name.
Throughout her career, van Giersbergen has frequently collaborated with renowned artists, including Arjen Anthony Lucassen, with whom she has worked on several projects, including the albums Into the Electric Castle, 01011001, and The Theater Equation for his project Ayreon.
In 2014, van Giersbergen joined forces with Lucassen once again, this time to form The Gentle Storm, which resulted in the album The Diary, released in 2015.
Since 2016, van Giersbergen has focused on the heavier side of her music with the formation of the band VUUR, comprising members from The Gentle Storm's live band and her own solo band. Their debut album, In This Moment We Are Free – Cities, was released in October 2017.
Van Giersbergen has also been a prominent collaborator with other notable artists, including Devin Townsend, Within Temptation, Anathema, Lawn, Farmer Boys, Napalm Death, Moonspell, Novembers Doom, Globus, Giant Squid, and many others.
