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The Creative Mind of Esmee van Sinderen

Edward Schooley
Posted: July 22, 2026

Finding Inspiration Between the Notes

Photo provided by Esmee Van Sinderen

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EDITOR IN CHEIF | GEAR TECH | GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE TAMPA, FL

Edward Schooley
Founded in 2021. GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE of Tampa, FL Guitar Thrills Magazine of Tampa, FL U.S.A. The GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE is excited to bring you some of the music industries finest talent. Including the world of entertainment. Our focus includes the long term goals and aspirations of artists of all sorts. We are an unbiased reporting platform. You are getting insight into the world of music. No, we are not your fathers website for music news. We have grown into our own, and rely upon decades of music experience and knowledge. Guitar Thrills Magazine is a hard act to follow.

The greatest guitarists don't simply play memorable notes—they create memorable moments. Esmee Van Sinderen is building a career defined by imagination, authenticity, and the courage to let creativity lead the way." — Guitar Thrills Magazine

There are musicians who learn songs, and there are musicians who create worlds. Esmee van Sinderen belongs firmly in the latter category. Every stage she has stepped onto, every riff she has written, and every project she has embraced reveals an artist who is constantly searching for the next creative horizon. For Esmee, the guitar has never been just an instrument—it has become the voice through which ideas, emotions, and ambition all find their place.

Creativity is rarely a straight line. It twists through influences, experiments, failures, and moments of unexpected brilliance. Esmee's journey reflects exactly that. Beginning her career immersed in the unmistakable twin-guitar harmonies of Thin Lizzy, she developed an appreciation for melody and storytelling long before stepping into the heavier world of modern metal. Those early years didn't simply teach technique—they taught musical identity.

Joining Cobra Spell opened an entirely new chapter. Touring alongside established acts placed her in front of audiences hungry for authentic heavy metal while exposing her to life on the road. Every performance became another lesson in stage presence, discipline, and connecting with thousands of fans who expected nothing less than complete commitment.

Yet creative people are rarely satisfied standing still.

Rather than waiting for opportunities to arrive, Esmee began creating her own. Gramophone wasn't simply another band—it became an outlet where she could shape songs from the ground up. Collaborating with Mattis Karlsson allowed ideas to move freely across borders, proving that today's musicians can build records from home studios while still capturing the spirit of classic rock. Writing became just as rewarding as performing.

That desire to build rather than simply perform continues to define where Esmee is today.

Session work has allowed her to become a musical chameleon, adapting to different artists, different styles, and different audiences. Few experiences compare to walking onto an arena stage and performing before 10,000 people, opening for Bryan Adams. Those moments don't simply build confidence—they expand perspective. They remind an artist that music is as much about serving the song as it is showcasing individual ability.

Perhaps the most exciting chapter, however, is still unfolding.

Esmee is currently channeling years of experience into writing her very first solo album. For many musicians, a solo record represents more than a collection of songs. It becomes a personal statement. There are no expectations to fit into another band's identity, no creative boundaries established by someone else. Every note, every arrangement, every lyrical idea reflects the artist standing behind it.

That freedom can be both exhilarating and intimidating.

What stories does she want to tell? Which influences remain? Which new directions deserve exploration? Those are the questions every creative artist wrestles with before the first track is even completed. The audience eventually hears the finished record, but they rarely witness the countless hours of experimentation that happen beforehand—the rewrites, discarded ideas, late-night inspiration, and quiet moments where creativity finally reveals itself.

Adding another dimension to her career is her partnership with Thomann as their first Dutch content creator. Today's musicians wear many hats, and Esmee embraces that evolution naturally. Content creation has become another creative outlet where education, entertainment, and authenticity intersect. Whether demonstrating gear, discussing techniques, or simply sharing her musical journey, she continues building genuine relationships with musicians around the world.

The modern guitarist is no longer confined to the stage. Today's artists inspire through performance, songwriting, education, and digital storytelling alike.

For Esmee van Sinderen, creativity isn't measured by how many notes can be played or how fast fingers move across the fretboard. It's measured by curiosity. It's the willingness to keep exploring, to keep writing, and to continue finding new ways to connect with listeners. That's what separates a guitarist from an artist.

As her solo material continues to take shape, one thing is certain—the next chapter won't simply showcase where Esmee has been. It will reveal exactly where her imagination is leading her.

About Esmee van Sinderen

Esmee van Sinderen has built an impressive career by combining technical ability with an unmistakable passion for classic and modern rock. Inspired early by the legendary sounds of Thin Lizzy, she spent nearly five years performing in a tribute band dedicated to one of her greatest influences, developing the melodic approach that continues to shape her playing today.

She later joined the heavy metal band Cobra Spell, touring internationally alongside acclaimed acts including Ross The Boss, Enforcer, and Evil Invaders. During her time with the band, she contributed to the recording of the Anthems of the Night EP at PKO Studios in Madrid, further establishing herself as one of Europe's emerging guitar talents.

Driven by a desire to write original music, Esmee founded the classic heavy rock project Gramophone in 2022 alongside Swedish guitarist Mattis Karlsson. Together they independently wrote and recorded the band's debut EP, Time To Strike, showcasing her abilities not only as a guitarist but also as a songwriter and creative collaborator.

Today, Esmee continues to thrive as a sought-after session musician, performing on stages of every size—including an arena performance opening for Bryan Adams before more than 10,000 fans. At the same time, she is writing her highly anticipated first solo album, allowing listeners to experience her most personal and creative work to date. Beyond performing, she also serves as Thomann's first Dutch content creator, sharing her passion for music, gear, and creativity with a growing international audience.

INTERVIEW WITH ESMEE VAN SINDEREN AND GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE

Guitar Thrills: Your career has taken you from tribute bands to international touring, session work, and now your own solo material. How has your definition of creativity evolved over the years?

Esmee: Well, in a lot of bands or projects, I couldn’t write music myself. Actually, only in Gramophone. Mattis and I just planned to do one EP during the pandemic, and after that I continued touring as a session musician. Now I’m home from touring for a while, and I declined quite some bands to join or tour with. I just wanna write my own, tell my own story. It’s what I enjoy most about music.

Guitar Thrills: When you're writing new music, what usually comes first—the riff, the melody, or the emotion you're trying to capture?

Esmee: This is different for every song, but most of the time I write the lyrics aside from the music. I know this is maybe not that common, but when music and lyrics are finished, I later combine them together. I see what lyrics fit to what music, and I can always adjust both after. The lyrics are just important to me.

Guitar Thrills: Your upcoming solo album gives you complete creative freedom. What excites you most about building something that is entirely your own?

Esmee: The total image at the end. Because I’m doing everything myself, I can choose which singer I would like for each song, I can choose what music video would fit to that, what the single or album cover would look like, the merch, the pictures etc. Making music is not just writing the lyrics and a riff, not for me. I really enjoy creating the whole image around it as well. It’s some extra creativity I can use.

Guitar Thrills: You've performed for intimate crowds as well as thousands of people in arenas. Does the size of the audience change how you approach a performance?

Esmee: Hell no, every stage is a stage. Playing in front of 10.000 people was a dream, and I enjoyed every second of it. But I also had the same amount of fun at smaller stages. You can also connect more with people on a smaller stage to be honest. Playing in a big arena was amazing, but the spotlights that are shining into your eyes, makes it very hard to see even a crowd at all. I could see half of the people that were out there. So, playing on big or small stages, it doesn’t matter for me.

Guitar Thrills: What inspires you outside of music that eventually finds its way into your songwriting?

Esmee: I use writing music more as a therapy to be honest. And it really helps me with a lot of things. Songs I write are stories that have happened to me, stories that I somehow, had to go through. And writing songs about this, is for me the best way to process these things. A real therapy.

Guitar Thrills: Session work requires versatility. How has performing for different artists influenced your own musical identity?

Esmee: If a band doesn’t fit me at all, I wouldn’t say yes to it. There are many bands I have declined that were not my thing. Some bands that are asking me to play for them, are like 65% my thing, but then I would still do it for example. I can always add a little of my identity into my performance, and if that is not possible, then I would say no to the project.

Guitar Thrills: Looking back at your time with Gramophone, what lessons did writing and producing music independently teach you?

Esmee: That it was way more work than expected haha. Gramophone was just a project to not get bored during the pandemic, and writing the music together with Mattis was a lot of fun! But bringing it to the market all by myself was just a lot of work… Luckily, I know this now, so I know way better what to do for Van Sinderen.

Guitar Thrills: As Thomann's first Dutch content creator, how do you balance educating fellow musicians while still expressing your own personality?

Esmee: I tried a few different formats for making these Thomann videos. But my favorite so far is just to stand there with your guitar, and to play songs how I would perform them on stage, with indeed, a lot of headbanging. This comes the closest to who I really am.

Guitar Thrills: When listeners hear your solo album for the very first time, what do you hope they discover about you that they haven't heard before?

Esmee: I hope that people would see that my lyrics aren’t just lyrics, but that they’re poems.

Everything in my lyrics must make sense, must rhyme. And I spend a lot of time making them 100% perfect. Other than that, I hope that people would see the connections of all the songs together.

Guitar Thrills: Five years from now, what would success look like for Esmee van Sinderen—not just as a guitarist, but as a creative artist?

Esmee: I hope that I’ve created a lot of awesome music with Van Sinderen, worked together with a lot of awesome artists, made a lot of stunning music videos, and maybe the ability to live from music itself. That would be a dream.  

Esmee van Sinderen represents a new generation of guitarists who understand that musicianship extends far beyond technical ability. Whether she's commanding a festival stage, crafting songs in a home studio, collaborating with fellow musicians, or creating content that inspires others to pick up a guitar, her passion for creativity remains the common thread.

With a solo album on the horizon and an ever-expanding artistic vision, Esmee continues to prove that growth comes from embracing every opportunity to create. The next chapter of her career promises not only exceptional guitar playing but an even deeper glimpse into the imagination of an artist determined to leave her own unmistakable mark on modern rock.

PRS Standard 24 Review from Guitar Thrills Magazine Tampa, FL The World of Rock and Blues Magazine.

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