Caro Emerald
Encyclopedia
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981 in Amsterdam
), better known by her stagename Caro Emerald, is a Dutch
jazz
singer. She debuted on 6 July 2009 with her single "Back It Up
". Her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
set an all time chart record on 20 August 2010 by spending its 30th week at number one on the Dutch album chart, beating the previous record set by Michael Jackson
's Thriller
by one week. The album has become the biggest selling album of 2010 in the Netherlands, selling over 270,000 copies so far. On 3 October 2010, Van der Leeuw was awarded the Dutch Music Prize "Edison Award" for Best Female Artist.
On 15 January 2011, she won the Popprijs 2010 for best Dutch pop act of 2010.
Van der Leeuw is one of the six singers in Les Elles, a close-harmony vocal group from Amsterdam, and sings in the Philharmonic Funk Foundation, a Funk orchestra of 44 people. She also regularly performs background vocals on the Kinderen voor Kinderen
(Children for Children) song festival. Caro teaches singing at the singing school
of Babette Labeij, one of the vocal coaches on X-Factor
and vocal conductor for Kinderen voor Kinderen.
", had been written by Schreurs together with Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio, and was based on a hip-hop beat created by Jan and Robin Veldman. Recorded in just one take, van der Leeuw's sultry, jazzy vocal style proved to be a perfect match for the new song.
The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but although the reaction was positive they struggled to imagine it suiting any particular artist and didn't believe it had strong chart potential. In the meantime the song started to receive enthusiastic public attention from around the world. Radio stations began playing it, it was posted on YouTube and Caro Emerald started performing it as part of her own set, even singing it live on local Amsterdam TV channel AT5.
When Degiorgio, Schreurs, van Wieringen and van der Leeuw realised they had hit upon "something special" they set about working on a full album with Caro Emerald as the star in the summer of 2008 and used "Back It Up"'s mix of 40s-50s jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, combined with infectious beats as a model.
"Back It Up" was officially released by Grandmono Records on 6 July 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Top 40
for 12 weeks and reached the 12th position in the charts. Kraak & Smaak
made a remix of the song. "Back It Up" was the most played song by radiostation 3FM in 2009 and Caro received the 'Schaal van Rigter' award for this achievement.
On 23 October 2011 Caro starred as the guest singer on the UK show Strictly Come Dancing
results show as the weekly headliner guest singer to great applause. The following week her album went back up the UK charts.
was released on 29 January 2010 and immediately occupied the number 1 position of the Dutch Album Top 100 charts. The album has been at number one in the Dutch Album Top 100 almost continuously since (except for two weeks when it went down to number two to make way for a new number one). On 20 August 2010, the album grabbed another record by spending its 27th (non-consecutive) week at number 1. The previous record was held by Michael Jackson's album Thriller, which spent 26 weeks at number one in 1983 (although that album still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number 1, with 23 weeks).
The album reached double platinum status in the Netherlands on 5 July 2010. In August 2010 it reached triple platinum. and in November 2010 it reached four times platinum, which means over 200,000 copies sold.
The first new song from the album was "A Night like This
". The song was listed in the Dutch Top 40 for 26 weeks and peaked on the number 2 position. The song was selected as the official song of a 2009–2010 Martini ad campaign.
In May 2010 Caro announced she was going on a promotion tour to France. In an interview on the Dutch TV show "X de Leeuw" she announced that her debut album will be released in October in France. After having released her singles and album in France she will try to release it in other European countries.
In August 2010, it was announced that the album would be released in the UK by Dramatico
Records, home of Katie Melua
. Caro was supposed to support Melua on her upcoming UK tour in October, but the tour was cancelled, because Melua is suffering from exhaustion.
In December 2010, a second single, Riviera Life, was released in the UK. "A Night like This
" was released as the third UK single early in 2011. A small number of UK concert appearances are planned for 2011.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
), better known by her stagename Caro Emerald, is a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer. She debuted on 6 July 2009 with her single "Back It Up
Back It Up (song)
"Back It Up" is the debut single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 6 July 2009.- Music video :...
". Her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor is the debut album by Dutch singer Caro Emerald. It was released in the Netherlands on January 29, 2010....
set an all time chart record on 20 August 2010 by spending its 30th week at number one on the Dutch album chart, beating the previous record set by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
by one week. The album has become the biggest selling album of 2010 in the Netherlands, selling over 270,000 copies so far. On 3 October 2010, Van der Leeuw was awarded the Dutch Music Prize "Edison Award" for Best Female Artist.
On 15 January 2011, she won the Popprijs 2010 for best Dutch pop act of 2010.
Biography
Caroline van der Leeuw was born 26 April 1981 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She studied as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam conservatory of music and earned her degree in 2005.Van der Leeuw is one of the six singers in Les Elles, a close-harmony vocal group from Amsterdam, and sings in the Philharmonic Funk Foundation, a Funk orchestra of 44 people. She also regularly performs background vocals on the Kinderen voor Kinderen
Kinderen voor Kinderen
Kinderen voor Kinderen is a Dutch children's choir maintained by public broadcaster VARA. The name translates as "children for children".Since 1980 the choir has released one album of new children's songs each year, and is probably the only act from the 1980s with consecutive albums in the top 40...
(Children for Children) song festival. Caro teaches singing at the singing school
Singing school
Historically, singing schools have been strongly affiliated with Protestant Christianity. Some are held under the auspices of particular Protestant denominations that maintain a tradition of a cappella singing, such as the Church of Christ and the Primitive Baptists...
of Babette Labeij, one of the vocal coaches on X-Factor
X Factor (Netherlands)
X Factor is a Dutch television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is shown Friday evenings on the RTL4 Network in the Netherlands. The first series of the show aired from October 2006 through to February 2007, while the second series of the show...
and vocal conductor for Kinderen voor Kinderen.
Music career
In early 2007 Dutch producer Jan van Wieringen invited van der Leeuw to sing the vocal on a demo track he was co-producing with songwriter-producer David Schreurs. The song, "Back It UpBack It Up (song)
"Back It Up" is the debut single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 6 July 2009.- Music video :...
", had been written by Schreurs together with Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio, and was based on a hip-hop beat created by Jan and Robin Veldman. Recorded in just one take, van der Leeuw's sultry, jazzy vocal style proved to be a perfect match for the new song.
The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but although the reaction was positive they struggled to imagine it suiting any particular artist and didn't believe it had strong chart potential. In the meantime the song started to receive enthusiastic public attention from around the world. Radio stations began playing it, it was posted on YouTube and Caro Emerald started performing it as part of her own set, even singing it live on local Amsterdam TV channel AT5.
When Degiorgio, Schreurs, van Wieringen and van der Leeuw realised they had hit upon "something special" they set about working on a full album with Caro Emerald as the star in the summer of 2008 and used "Back It Up"'s mix of 40s-50s jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, combined with infectious beats as a model.
"Back It Up" was officially released by Grandmono Records on 6 July 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
for 12 weeks and reached the 12th position in the charts. Kraak & Smaak
Kraak & Smaak
Kraak & Smaak are a musical producer trio from the town of Leiden, the Netherlands consisting of Oscar de Jong, Mark Kneppers and Wim Plug.-Biography:...
made a remix of the song. "Back It Up" was the most played song by radiostation 3FM in 2009 and Caro received the 'Schaal van Rigter' award for this achievement.
On 23 October 2011 Caro starred as the guest singer on the UK show Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
results show as the weekly headliner guest singer to great applause. The following week her album went back up the UK charts.
Debut album
Caro's debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room FloorDeleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor is the debut album by Dutch singer Caro Emerald. It was released in the Netherlands on January 29, 2010....
was released on 29 January 2010 and immediately occupied the number 1 position of the Dutch Album Top 100 charts. The album has been at number one in the Dutch Album Top 100 almost continuously since (except for two weeks when it went down to number two to make way for a new number one). On 20 August 2010, the album grabbed another record by spending its 27th (non-consecutive) week at number 1. The previous record was held by Michael Jackson's album Thriller, which spent 26 weeks at number one in 1983 (although that album still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number 1, with 23 weeks).
The album reached double platinum status in the Netherlands on 5 July 2010. In August 2010 it reached triple platinum. and in November 2010 it reached four times platinum, which means over 200,000 copies sold.
The first new song from the album was "A Night like This
A Night like This (Caro Emerald song)
"A Night like This" is the second single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 11 December 2009, after it was first presented in a Martini commercial in the Netherlands on 16 October.-Writing and recording:In August...
". The song was listed in the Dutch Top 40 for 26 weeks and peaked on the number 2 position. The song was selected as the official song of a 2009–2010 Martini ad campaign.
In May 2010 Caro announced she was going on a promotion tour to France. In an interview on the Dutch TV show "X de Leeuw" she announced that her debut album will be released in October in France. After having released her singles and album in France she will try to release it in other European countries.
In August 2010, it was announced that the album would be released in the UK by Dramatico
Dramatico
Dramatico is a record label founded by Mike Batt, with its first success in 2003. Artists on the small label include Mike Batt, Robert Meadmore, Sarah Blasko and Katie Melua. It is run by Batt and his ten employees. Dramatico have also established a publishing company based in New York City, U.S.A...
Records, home of Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
. Caro was supposed to support Melua on her upcoming UK tour in October, but the tour was cancelled, because Melua is suffering from exhaustion.
In December 2010, a second single, Riviera Life, was released in the UK. "A Night like This
A Night like This (Caro Emerald song)
"A Night like This" is the second single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 11 December 2009, after it was first presented in a Martini commercial in the Netherlands on 16 October.-Writing and recording:In August...
" was released as the third UK single early in 2011. A small number of UK concert appearances are planned for 2011.
Awards
- 11 April 2010: 3FM Serious Talent Award
- April 15, 2010: Schaal van Rigter
- April 26, 2010: De Eerste Prijs
- Oktober 3, 2010: Edison Best female singer
- MTV EMA Award for best Dutch and Belgian Act.
- January 12, 2011: European Border Breakers AwardEuropean Border Breakers Award-Organization:The EBBA Awards were launched by the European Commission and are a European Union award. Selection and the award ceremony of the EBBA Awards are organized by Noorderslag Foundation, which has the mission to encourage the circulation of European pop music.-Partners:*European...
2011 - January 15, 2011: 3FM Mega Award 2010
- January 15, 2011: Popprijs 2010
- March 3, 2011: Zilveren Harp 2010
- March 3, 2011: Het Beste Nederlandse lied 2010 (Best song of the year 2010)
- March 14, 2011: 3FM Awards: Best Album and Beste Female Singer
- June 12, 2011: TMF Award for best female
Albums
| Album Title | Album Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... ) |
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| NLD Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
BEL (FLA) Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
FRA | GER | GRE Greek Albums Chart International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
ITA |
POL Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor is the debut album by Dutch singer Caro Emerald. It was released in the Netherlands on January 29, 2010.... |
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1 | 3 | 23 | 79 | 5 | 27 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
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Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
NLD Top 100 | ITA Ita Ita or ITA may refer to:* Itá, Paraguay* ITA Software, Inc., a travel industry software firm* Italian language, from its ISO 639-2 language code* Italy, from its ISO 3166-1 country code* Aeta, an ethnic group in the Philippine Islands... |
BEL (FLA) Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
GER Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
AUT | POL Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
SK Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... |
ROM Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea... |
SWI | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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| 2009 | "Back It Up Back It Up (song) "Back It Up" is the debut single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 6 July 2009.- Music video :... " |
12 | 13 | 11 | 33 | 70 | — | 1 | 53 | — | — | — |
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Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor |
| "A Night like This A Night like This (Caro Emerald song) "A Night like This" is the second single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 11 December 2009, after it was first presented in a Martini commercial in the Netherlands on 16 October.-Writing and recording:In August... " |
2 | 1 | 10 | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 9 | 65 |
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| 2010 | "That Man That Man (song) "That Man" is the third single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 14 May 2010 as a Digital download in the Netherlands.-Music video:... " |
22 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 84 | ||
| "Stuck Stuck (Caro Emerald song) "Stuck" is the fourth single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 15 October 2010 as a Digital download in the Netherlands.-Music video:... " |
6 | 28 | 18 | — | 41 | 70 | 20 | 48 | — | — | — | |||
| 2011 | "Riviera Life Riviera Life "Riviera Life" is the fifth single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 15 April 2011 as a Digital download in the Netherlands.- Track listing :Riviera Life - EP... " |
18 | 70 | 25 | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | ||