Biography
Dutch pop outfit Ch!pz emerged as a leading Europop act in the middle of the 2000s, drawing an especially devoted following among youngsters; their opening eight singles all reached the Dutch Top Three, and several performed strongly across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The lineup consisted of Rach-L (Rachel van Hoogen), C!lla (Cilla Niekoop), Peter (Peter Rost), and Kev!n (Kevin Hellenbrand). Assembled in 2003, the quartet gained visibility through Fox Kids, the Disney-owned children’s network later renamed Jetix. Their first recording, the 2003 single “Ch!pz in Black (Who You Gonna Call?),” climbed to number one in the Netherlands while also entering the German, Swiss, and Austrian charts at number two, the Swedish listing at number three, the Norwegian at number 19, and the Belgian at number 40. That same year “Cowboy” duplicated much of this impact, topping the rankings in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria.
Issued in 2004, the debut album The Adventures of Ch!pz gathered both of those chart-topping tracks alongside “Captain Hook,” which peaked at number three; the full-length itself reached the summit of the Dutch album chart, landed inside the Top Ten in Germany and Austria, and registered on the Swiss and Swedish tallies. The follow-up, The World of Ch!pz (2005), achieved comparable commercial traction and yielded three major singles: “1001 Arabian Nights,” “One, Two, Three!,” and “Carnaval.” In 2006 Universal issued the paired mini-albums Past: Present: Future, Pt. 1 and Past: Present: Future, Pt. 2, each supplying two hits. By then interest in Ch!pz had begun to fade, prompting the label to assemble the 2007 retrospective The H!tz Collection; its new track “Studio 54” managed only a number-seven placement in the Netherlands—the group’s weakest showing to that point—yet the subsequent album Chipz Dance Xperienz still ascended to number one on the Dutch charts.
Issued in 2004, the debut album The Adventures of Ch!pz gathered both of those chart-topping tracks alongside “Captain Hook,” which peaked at number three; the full-length itself reached the summit of the Dutch album chart, landed inside the Top Ten in Germany and Austria, and registered on the Swiss and Swedish tallies. The follow-up, The World of Ch!pz (2005), achieved comparable commercial traction and yielded three major singles: “1001 Arabian Nights,” “One, Two, Three!,” and “Carnaval.” In 2006 Universal issued the paired mini-albums Past: Present: Future, Pt. 1 and Past: Present: Future, Pt. 2, each supplying two hits. By then interest in Ch!pz had begun to fade, prompting the label to assemble the 2007 retrospective The H!tz Collection; its new track “Studio 54” managed only a number-seven placement in the Netherlands—the group’s weakest showing to that point—yet the subsequent album Chipz Dance Xperienz still ascended to number one on the Dutch charts.
Singles
