Lincoln’s Andrea von Kampen signs with Fantasy Records

Take Back Thy Gift cover — The cover of Andrea von Kampen’s first Fantasy Records single “Take Back Thy Gift.”

Fantasy Records

“Take Back Thy Gift” is out now: https://found.ee/AVKTakeBackThyGift

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I read poems frequently to find inspiration for my songs. Sometimes it’s just to expand my vocabulary and use of language and other times, like in this song, I take the whole thing and run with it. Take Back Thy Gift is inspired by the poem, “Tithonus” by Tennyson which dates back to 1849. It’s a story from Greek mythology about life and death and the incredible burden of living forever. I read this poem in April during lockdown and felt inspired by the way it reminded me of spring. We were all clinging to outdoor activities at that time and this poem felt like a walk in the woods which is what I aimed for the song to sound like.

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Lyrics:

(Written by Andrea von Kampen)

Take Back Thy gift

Take back thy gift

Restore me to the ground

Take back thy gift

Lay me deeply in the earth

Oh the woods decay

So do they

Plow the fields then

Lie beneath

I remember wild and sweet melodies

In April, hear those lips that kiss so sweet

Ooooo

Woman of the dawn

She rises in the east

I beg her each morn

Release me please

Oh the woods decay

So do they

Plow the fields then

Lie beneath

I remember wild and sweet melodies

In April, hear those lips that kiss so sweet

#AndreavonKampen #LyricVideo #TakeBackThyGift

Lincoln singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen has signed with Fantasy Records, the longtime independent label that is home to James Taylor, Valerie June, Natalie Hemby, Nathaniel Rateliff, Paul Simon and others.

Von Kampen, whose work has generated more than 17 million Spotify music streams and broke through to a national audience by finishing in the top 10 of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest, has been working as an independent artist since making her first EP in 2016.

Two EPs, a live album, a studio album and dozens of shows across the country later, von Kampen signed with Fantasy.

Andrea von Kampen press photo — Lincoln singer-songwriter Andrea von Kampen has signed with Fantasy Records.

Mark Kluney/Fantasy Records

“It definitely feels like the right next step,” von Kampen said. “I’ve been doing everything independently for the last five years. While that might have been a path that could have been taken, having a team to work with, to be behind me, is seeming more necessary every day.”

Von Kampen got her songs to Concord Recorded Music, a group made up of six labels, including Fantasy, last fall, via her new manager.

“We had this idea — let’s reach out to some folks and see what they say about the music,” she said. “Fantasy was excited about the music early on.”

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Mark Williams, who works for Concord, was instantly taken with von Kampen’s music.

“As I dug deeper, it was something special,” he said.

Impressed by the songs from her 2019 album “Old Country” and new recordings she did last summer, Williams set up a Zoom call with von Kampen to discuss her music, where she’s going as an artist and what Fantasy could do for her — talks that resulted in her signing with the label.

“It’s funny,” von Kampen said. “I’ve never signed to a label, so I don’t know any other way than a bunch of Zoom calls. I’ve never met any of these people.”

Williams said he signed von Kampen based on her recordings, her potential and the kind of music she makes.

“I’m confident she’s going to grow,” he said.

“The other thing I believe in is, culturally, people are looking for an emotional connection to music and art. The folk kind of music she’s doing exemplifies that.”