Dutch Music Journalist
Unmasking the Man Behind the Music Interviews
FaceCulture has been operating since 2002. Founded in Amsterdam by Martin Kuiper, it initially launched as one of the first online video platforms dedicated entirely to music journalism. Over two decades later, it boasts an archive of more than 14,000 videos and a reputation built on one simple idea: talk to the person, not the persona.
The platform covers everyone, ranging from emerging indie acts to global superstars like Billie Eilish and The 1975. Because the approach remains consistent across every stage of an artist’s career, the results are unique. There is no press junket banter or recycled promotional talking points. Instead, FaceCulture pursues the real substance — the creative process, personal history, and the specific events that actually shaped the music.
Beyond the interviews, the platform produces live sessions, documentaries, and music news. For example, the “Behind the Music” live concept is a two-hour interactive talk show where fans engage with artists in real time. Meanwhile, the FaceCulture Podcast extends these conversations even further, making the long-form format accessible wherever the audience happens to be. Twenty-plus years in, it remains one of the most respected music media platforms in Europe. Since artists keep coming back, the quality of the work speaks for itself.
Interview
Name: Robin Hignell – Occupation: Video-Journalist
Location: FaceCulture Amsterdam – Nationality: Netherlands
Robin Hignell is a Dutch video journalist and one of the key faces behind FaceCulture. Although he has interviewed hundreds of artists — from major names to underground acts — the dynamic flips in this episode. Robin steps in front of the camera to share his own story.
What makes a great interview? According to Robin, the answer is preparation and empathy in equal measure. Because the standard press junket format often produces nothing worth watching, Robin’s approach is intentionally different. He enters every room knowing the artist’s work deeply, finding the angle that nobody else is taking. Consequently, he creates enough trust that the conversation can go somewhere real.
“It’s the people behind the music that fascinate me,” he says. Indeed, that line captures the entire philosophy of the platform. While the song and the album certainly matter, the person who made it — and what it cost them — is the story worth telling.
However, preparation is only half of the equation. The other half is listening. Robin talks about the specific moments when an interview shifts — when the scripted answers fall away and something genuine emerges. These moments don’t happen by accident; rather, they happen because the interviewer created the right conditions for them.
For anyone working in media or journalism, this episode is as practical as it is inspiring. Robin is specific about what works, what doesn’t, and how the craft has evolved over two decades of doing it at a high level.
