Anouk

Dutch rock singer Anouk has become not only one of the most successful performers in her native The Netherlands, but has also managed to duplicate her success in much of Europe. Born on April 8, 1975 in The Hague, Anouk's mother was a singer in a blues band. By the time she was 18, Anouk had joined a local R&B band, but it was a short-lived union as she left soon after, having been accepted and subsequently attending the Rotterdam Music Academy. In 1995, Anouk started her own band, but it is at a music festival that same year that she gets her big break. She joins Barry Hay of Golden Earring on stage, singing several songs, and impresses the lead singer of the legendary Dutch band. With Golden Earring guitarist George Kooyans, Hay writes "Mood Indigo for the young singer and it is released in the fall of 1996 through Dino Records. It is a year later, though, that Anouk's career truly takes off with the release of the single "Nobody's Wife." The song is a lead-up to her debut, full-length record Together Alone, which is released in late '97. Driven by the impact of "Nobody's Wife." the album tops the charts, quickly reaching platinum status in The Netherlands. The album spawns two more hits with "It's So Hard" and the Top Ten "Sacrifice," and earns Anouk three Edison Awards, including Best Dutch Female Vocalist, in 1998. The follow-up release, issued in 1999, found Anouk incorporating ska into the first single, "R U Kiddin' Me," as well as exploring hip-hop and funk on tracks like "The Dark" and "Don't." It too is hugely successful and, in addition to strong sales, garners the singer two more Edison Awards. In 2001, Anouk released Lost Tracks, a collection of unreleased material that had been culled together. It proved to keep Anouk as one of the highest-profile musicians in The Netherlands, giving her yet another chart-topping album.