Dana Fuchs on Music, Motherhood and a Possible Move to the Netherlands<\/h2>\n
April 5, 2026 \u2013 Dorint Hotel lobby, Dortmund, Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n At the end of March and beginning of April, American singer-songwriter and actress Dana Fuchs finally returned to Germany for an eight-date tour, including one stop in Switzerland. Roughly two hours after her show in Dortmund, Blues Magazine sat down with Dana in the hotel lobby for an open and heartfelt conversation about music, family, loss, and her future plans.<\/p>\n Interview by:<\/strong> Harry Pater Your last full European tour before the pandemic was in 2018, with dates in Germany and the Netherlands, followed by France in early 2019. Then Europe went quiet for years. How did you experience that period?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen the pandemic started, live performances came to a complete stop \u2014 not just in Europe, but in the United States as well. That lasted nearly three years. Toward the end, venues reopened under strict distancing rules and mask mandates, but financially it was almost impossible. Whether you play for a full room or a half-empty one, your expenses stay almost the same, but the income drops significantly. For venue owners and promoters, it simply didn\u2019t add up, so many shows were canceled. That left us with little to no income.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I decided to go back to school and train as a teacher, which I successfully completed. I\u2019m now a certified teacher and have been working with children, mainly from underprivileged neighborhoods. In America, education can be incredibly expensive, especially for families with multiple children. Beyond regular lessons, I also try to introduce them to things like theater, zoos, the circus, sports, and creative activities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI also teach my two sons. The inspiration for that came from a Dutch friend who invited me to visit a project she had started in Rotterdam for young people facing personal challenges. It was an incredible experience. Later, I saw many of those kids again at a free show in Enschede in 2015, and afterward they gave me handmade gifts. That stayed with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the pandemic, we also did several livestream performances from home on Facebook, which we later shared on YouTube. That was a lot of fun, especially because of all the positive reactions we got online. We also managed to play a few festivals in Norway and twice at the Brezoi Festival in Romania. That was special too \u2014 there were Dutch fans there, and I got to perform with Kaz Hawkins.\u201d<\/p>\n How did this German tour feel for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cReally good. The audiences were incredibly warm and enthusiastic, even though we played a lot of songs that were probably unfamiliar to them. We deliberately changed the setlist because we wanted to show that we haven\u2019t stood still since 2018. Most of the material came from Borrowed Time<\/em>, and we left out songs from my earlier albums.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome people may have missed the older songs, but honestly, the response to the newer material has been fantastic. I\u2019ve heard nothing but positive feedback. And yes, I know you probably wanted to hear Moment Away<\/em> tonight,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n That\u2019s true, but after hearing it so many times before, I can live without it. Besides, the setlist was packed with beautiful songs.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGood! And hopefully we\u2019ll be back in both the Netherlands and Germany many more times.\u201d<\/p>\n Dutch fans specifically asked me to ask you about that.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYou know, the Netherlands was the first country outside the U.S. where I really gained a foothold. A big part of that was thanks to Ed Leunisse from Bepop Agency. He took care of me and the band in those early years and helped connect us with incredible Dutch musicians, including my dear friend Walter Latupeirissa, who played bass with me from 2008 until 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Walter told me he completely understands why Kevin is now playing bass and said it was the right decision \u2014 because it\u2019s really about family.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWalter is a wonderful man, an incredible bass player, and one of my closest friends. It means a lot to hear that he said that. And yes, Kevin brings more of a rock bass approach, which makes the band sound heavier now \u2014 especially because we\u2019re touring without keyboards these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Your latest studio album Borrowed Time<\/em> came out in 2022, right at the end of the pandemic. Promoting it on the road must have been difficult.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt was. We recorded the album in 2021, expecting to do what we always do: release it and spend the next year touring. But because of the pandemic, that just wasn\u2019t possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we started doing a few European shows again, we had to find a replacement drummer because Piero wasn\u2019t vaccinated and couldn\u2019t get a visa. Thankfully, our old friend Kjell from Sweden was vaccinated and available. But touring across Europe was still complicated because every country had different restrictions. Since 2020, we haven\u2019t been able to tour Europe the way we were used to doing since 2010.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the States, we\u2019ve been playing again regularly since 2022, but mostly one-off shows, not full tours. Usually in venues near New York, where we live.\u201d<\/p>\n I noticed the song Blue Mist Road<\/em> has two additional songwriters listed alongside you, Jon and Kevin. Who are they?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Mark Narmore and Sandy Carroll. I worked with them on writing material for Borrowed Time<\/em>. Kevin had some lyrical ideas, I expanded on them, and then Jon and I finished the song together before recording it.\u201d<\/p>\n Your Swedish drummer Kjell Gustavsson, who toured with you in Norway and Sweden two years ago, recently passed away. Was that expected?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe knew he was sick, which is why we asked our regular European drummer, Piero Perelli, to step in. He\u2019s the drummer you hear on Live In Denmark<\/em>. Kjell seemed to be doing better after several surgeries and treatments, and he remained incredibly positive through it all. So even though we knew about his illness, his passing still came as a shock.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re heartbroken. Not just because he was a fantastic drummer, but because he was such a kind, loving, and deeply caring person. We miss him every day, and we\u2019ll never forget him.\u201d<\/p>\n Why did you choose Denmark for the new live album?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted a real live recording \u2014 just the four of us, no extra musicians, no backing singers, no studio tricks. The idea came from my agent, Flemming Christensen. Kevin then discussed it with Thomas Ruf from Ruf Records, and he loved the idea immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t take long before we agreed to record it at Godset in Kolding, Denmark, a venue we\u2019ve played before. It\u2019s our favorite place in Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019re touring with your two sons, Aidan (10) and August (6). How does that work?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re touring as a band and as a family now, but only during school holidays, so it takes serious planning. At most shows, there\u2019s a nanny to help out, which makes life much easier. Dortmund was the exception because it was Easter, so I spent part of the day taking the kids to playgrounds and keeping them busy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey need time to play and just be kids, and thankfully that\u2019s going well. Funny enough, they\u2019re still living on New York time, so here in Europe they don\u2019t go to bed until after midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n You mentioned last year that you wanted to move to the Netherlands \u2014 and I heard you tell Dutch fans the same thing this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true. Honestly, I haven\u2019t felt at home in the U.S. for years. First during Trump\u2019s first presidency, and now even more so. Education in America is becoming something only the wealthy can afford. Social support systems are weak, and healthcare is a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want my children to grow up in a stable and healthy environment. I don\u2019t feel America can offer that anymore, but I believe the Netherlands can. I\u2019ve been coming there regularly since 2008, and I\u2019ve seen how things can be done differently \u2014 and better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd of course, it helps that people in the Netherlands speak excellent English. We don\u2019t know exactly when we\u2019ll make the move, but Kevin and I would like it to happen sooner rather than later.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you already know when fans in the Netherlands and Germany can expect to see you again?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNot yet. The reality is that playing only in the Netherlands is simply too expensive. Five plane tickets, hotels, crew \u2014 it all adds up. That\u2019s why we usually combine Dutch dates with German shows and sometimes other countries as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur original Dutch booker stopped, and the one after that didn\u2019t have enough strong connections with venues and festivals. But we\u2019re working on a new tour, with support from Ruf Records. We haven\u2019t forgotten our Dutch fans \u2014 and we hope to be back as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Photos by:<\/strong> Louise van Uum<\/p>\nLooking Back at the Pandemic Years<\/h2>\n
![\"Dana](\"https:\/\/www.thebluesmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0196-683x1024.jpg\" "\\"Dana")
<\/p>\nThe German Tour<\/h2>\n
Walter Latupeirissa and Kevin Mackall<\/h2>\n
Borrowed Time<\/em> and the Pandemic Aftermath<\/h2>\n
The Loss of Kjell Gustavsson<\/h2>\n
![\"Dana](\"https:\/\/www.bluesmagazine.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0132.jpg\" "\\"Dana")
<\/p>\nLive In Denmark<\/em><\/h2>\n
Touring as a Band and a Family<\/h2>\n
Why Dana Fuchs Wants to Move to the Netherlands<\/h2>\n
Will Dana Fuchs Return to the Netherlands?<\/h2>\n