Jan Smit

When his first hit, "Ik Zing Dit Lied Vorr Jou Alleen," came out in 1997, he was known as Jantje Smit (or ‘Little Jan Smit,' if you're keeping up in English), because Jan Smit (born December 31, 1985 — real name: Johannes Hendricus Maria Smit) was a mere 12 years of age. His remaining work in the 1990s showed a decreasing rate of sales, except in Germany, where Jan maintained a strong following. As with many fading stars, Jan was ‘rescued' to a certain degree by reality television, when Dutch station TROS created a series based on his life. The show was a hit, and an album released in the midst of it, Vrienden Voor Het Leven, was a number one hit. By 2007, Smit was once again a repeat performer at the top of the charts in both the Netherlands and Germany.