ZLDR release new bilingual album 'Broederlijk Helen'

Out 6 March

Half-Belgian, half-French, and musically impactful, ZLDR offer unforgettable concerts and upbeat songs. Discover brothers Thomas and Julien Jacquemain and their producer Lennert Declercq. With their curly hair, their unique and personal story, and their strong influence from the Brussels and French hip-hop scene—think Le 77, ISHA & Stikstof—they push boundaries. Their concerts? Raw, fiery, and always in direct connection with the audience, their greatest source of energy. With electrifying Franco-Belgian tracks, they sweep every spectator along in their wake. On stage, climbing on scaffolding, or in the middle of the crowd, ZLDR always goes all the way.

Winners of Sound Track and Lotto Wild Talent, and having performed alongside Brihang, Ploegendienst, 't Hof van Commerce, Doodseskader, Bob Vylan and Low G, among others, ZLDR is rapidly becoming a unique hip-hop group you can no longer ignore.

This week they release the album 'Broederlijk Helen' ("Brotherly healing"). We spoke Thomas, Julien and Lennert about it.

Q: The album title 'Broederlijk Helen' suggests themes of brotherhood and healing. What inspired this title, and how does it reflect the overall message of the album?

Thomas: The album was given that name because both Julien and I went through a difficult period. Healing from it was not easy for us, yet it was an important step. We found support in each other and in music. Nowhere do I feel as free in my choice of words as on a sheet of paper. It quickly became clear to me that this was how I needed to express myself — without a filter, without judgment, and without taboo.

While processing that period, I often leaned on my big brother. He was there during my most intense moments and truly felt like a mainstay. That’s why it seemed more than logical to call the album 'Broedelijk Helen'.

Julien: It’s an album about the healing process of 2 brothers. Not all songs are necessarily about healing or deep emotions but you feel it throughout the whole album. The process of making the album was the healing itself. The freedom you feel when you express yourself on a beat and that you make a song out of that is what feels liberating. You can put words on thoughts you would otherwise never share.

Q: You’re known for blending Dutch and French in your lyrics. How does this bilingual approach influence the composition of the songs and the album's cohesion?

Thomas: For 'Broederlijk Helen', I deliberately chose to write more in Dutch than in French, because almost all of our listeners so far are Dutch-speaking. For this album, it was very important to me that the listener understands what I’m saying, since it’s extremely personal.

For the slightly harder, more rap-driven and high-energy parts, I was able to fully express myself in French. Strangely enough, I often adopt a different intonation when I rap in French. That makes it all the more fascinating. Sometimes it almost feels as if I discover a second rapper within myself, depending on the language I use.

Julien: First, I try to get a feel for the song; its energy often determines which language comes out first. I can often go deeper in French because I like working with that language. The language does determine a large part of the energy. There is also something nice about being able to play with these two languages. When I rap in French, I feel like I'm wearing a mask, that my audience might not understand me right away. I sometimes like that feeling; it lowers the threshold for me to express myself. Even though I can also do it in Dutch, for example on a track from our previous EP, 'Rouw'. 

"I try to get a feel for the song; its energy often determines which language comes out first. I can often go deeper in French because I like working with that language. The language does determine a large part of the energy."

Q: How did the creative process for this album differ from your past productions like the 2024 EP 'Jacquemain'. Are there new artistic approaches or sounds we’ll hear?

Thomas: There were quite a few changes compared to the previous EP — both in the way we worked and in the creative process itself. For this album, I took much more distance from my lyrics. I would sometimes leave a text untouched for months, only to return to it later, analyse it again, and rewrite it with a fresh perspective.

Our working method also differed from earlier projects. We met up in person much more often, whereas before we did many things online. We actually started during the COVID period, so working remotely was unavoidable at the time. Still, we discovered that important elements really came to the surface when we were physically together. The synergy was stronger, and it was easier to challenge each other critically. In my opinion, that’s what makes the final result so much more compelling.

Julien: The big difference is that all of this was largely predetermined. We had already held a meeting two years in advance to discuss this album: When it would be released, what the content would be, where we would release it, how many singles, and thoughts about artwork. Of course, this is constantly shifting, but the core of the album was there, which makes it easy to draw a common thread. We collaborated much more with people like Lennert mentioned below. We also let go of mixing the album and left it to the trained ears of Paulo “Astrofisiks” Rietjens. In terms of mastering, we also went to Equus Audio to ensure that our vision was reflected in the final step. We already had a lot more experience with lyrics, but personally, I struggled with a cannabis addiction that made me very sluggish and lazy. Since I quit, I have a lot more energy. I was able to write a lot more, take on a lot more tasks, and thus leave my mark on this album. Of course, it remains difficult to keep up with a writing machine like Thomas, but I have come to terms with this and have more confidence in my lyrics. From Thomas's side, I also feel that he is more patient with me when writing lyrics takes a little longer. We also spend much more time together writing and bringing out the best in each other. 

Lennert: We aimed for a more collaborative approach in both rapping and music creation. We worked together with some great artists like Corneel Wuyts, Low G, Krapuul and Nuna to add more musical diversity to the album. We still stayed true to our hard, yet pop-structured approach when composing the music. You’ll hear more piano, horns and acoustic drum sounds in this album.

Q: How does your identity, both as individuals and as a band shape your approach to storytelling through music?

Thomas: I’m one of those people who constantly questions themselves. It often feels like I never have a clear sense of my own identity. That can be very difficult at times, because it’s as if I’m stuck in a permanent adolescence. Who am I? What do I want? Where am I going? What truly makes me feel good? These are questions that occupy my mind all the time.

At the same time, this questioning aspect of my personality ensures that I never run out of things to say — there is always something new to explore or express. My critical mindset also tends to assert itself. Within ZLDR, I believe we place a strong emphasis on being critical, both toward ourselves and toward each other.

Julien: The sound and theme of ZLDR was already straight in your face. From the beginning, we had this attitude of: let's not have any taboos and just talk about everything we want, let’s also get loose of the typical hip-hop codes. Sometimes these are dark, quiet sides, but also very energetic or explosive sides. That matches my character because it's natural to me, a little bit offbeat. Music and performing are really THE outlet for me to express all my creativity, energy, and passion.

Lennert: I’m always eager to learn new things, the same is true when it comes to music. I love getting inspiration from different genres, styles and compositions. When I hear a link with ZLDR I try to incorporate it in our music. Rare Generatie for example was really inspired by ambient music. The first draft was with trap drums, but we quickly came to the conclusion that we had to stay true to its inspiration and take it back to a stripped-down song with focus on the message.

Q: Can you walk us through the journey from writing your first song on 'Broederlijk Helen' to final production? 

Thomas:  Some of the songs were first started five years ago. After that, it was mainly a matter of refining them until we were all satisfied with the result. Other tracks, on the other hand, were created at the very last minute.

I remember that the song 'Andere Bocht' was finished just in time to make it onto the album. Some tracks came together very smoothly and were completed in no time, while others took us a full year of work — and even then, we still didn’t feel that we had fully captured the right feeling.

Julien: We had been working on certain tracks for a long time but never finished them. Until the idea for the album came up and they fit in. For example, we had already played some tracks at the release party for the 'JACQUEMAIN' EP, but they weren't finished yet. This allowed us to tweak them and perfect them. When we had 4-5 finished tracks, the direction of 'Broederlijk Helen' was clear. We started to have ideas for the artwork and got started on it. We teamed up with photographer Milo Debal and graphic designer Dora Monbailleu to create it. I remember that everything went smoothly, but we really needed an outro. We had a demo that we had had for a long time that could have been the perfect outro, but it needed some work. We called Corneel Wuyts to spend a day in the studio with us, and from then on, 'Andere Bocht' became the outro of our album. Also, despite its atypical nature, it's my favorite track on the album. It was the perfect track to end the album. This gave ZLDR a new direction that will probably set the tone for our next project. 

Lennert: There are tracks on here that came from ideas/drafts that are 5 years old. When we see potential in a track, we really believe in it and don’t give up when the initial ideas don’t work. We put it aside for a moment, and when a moment of inspiration arises, we might dig it back up. This was the case for a couple of songs on the album.

The band has plenty of shows coming up including Brussels' RICTS Cafe on 18 March. Check the dates below.

Pre-order the vinyl (pressedby PRESS FORWARD) here and discover and support Belgian artists with our playlist!

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