The band’s stance is entirely laudable, though being an act with a genuinely global following it does in one sense put them in an awkward position. Asked how she feels they might now be received by Russian fans, the singer speaks without hesitation, but her sorrow is clear.
“I don’t think we will ever play in Russia again,” she states. “It’d be naive of us to think that. In the past we’ve had a great time when we played there and we met some lovely people. This is what Wireless is about – ordinary people being used as marionettes in someone else’s game. In Russia there is only one real information platform, the government.
“They started this war by saying they were liberating Ukraine," she continues. "There are people who think they’re doing that, maybe like their grandparents did in World War Two, but in fact they’re not being told the truth. I don’t believe that everyone in Russia wants this war. The majority is oppressed, though there is of course a strong minority that believes what Putin is saying.”
The boldness to confront these issues is the mark of a renewed, revived and more confident Within Temptation. Even their earliest material, like the classic Mother Earth from 2000, had a message, but it came enfolded in metaphor. Today’s output is amplified sevenfold in both studio sonics and the directness of that message. And it’s not one way traffic – on the subject of the title-track, which addresses women’s struggle for rights in Iran, Sharon recalls her own childhood in the Middle East and says she can still smell the herbs, see the people and the colours. She talks of the great beauty of things, and of love and empathy for the region’s culture, but especially for “those women who have been so brave in standing up against elitist regimes”.
Again, it’s the currency of the matter that truly motivates her. “Writing a song about it might seem like a small thing in comparison to what some people have been through, but we are just trying to keep those subjects alive, so those struggles – which are still ongoing even if people aren’t talking about them – are not overlooked.”
Part of the reason for this confidence is the way that Within Temptation have managed their career. Sharon, for example, is among the Netherlands’ most famous and instantly recognisable singers, but with the support of her partner and bandmates, she’s been able to live a relatively ‘normal’ life.
“People got to know us gradually, so we’ve grown with that," she says. "A lot of bands that experience instant fame have a more difficult time. Everybody quite suddenly wants something from them, and there’s a lot of pressure.
“As for everything else in life, I don’t participate in any television programmes that are not related to music. I really hate that kind of thing. In fact, I only grew to love being onstage because I love making music.”