Eva Simons

Born on March 17, 1984, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Eva Simons grew up surrounded by music because both parents worked as musicians, and she later pursued formal studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam during her teenage years. Her first taste of widespread attention arrived several years before her solo breakthrough when she joined the girl group Raffish for the 2004 edition of the reality series Popstars. The ensemble scored an immediate chart-topper with its opening single, “Plaything,” then followed that success with the 2005 album How Raffish Are You?, which reached the Dutch Top 20, and two additional singles, “Thursday’s Child” and “Let Go,” each landing inside the Top 30.

After the group disbanded in 2006, Simons shifted focus to her own recordings and, through an EMI partnership, issued her debut solo track “Silly Boy” in 2009. Produced by Tearce “Kizzo” Keaz, the electro-pop number carried echoes of Rihanna and Lady Gaga; its release extended across Europe, North America, and Australia, where it registered as a commercial success in multiple territories. Additional high-profile features sustained her visibility, among them the 2010 collaboration “Take Over Control” with DJ Afrojack, a guest spot on LMFAO’s “Best Night” in 2011, and another appearance on will.i.am’s “This Is Love” in 2012.

That same year she returned with her own Zedd-produced single “I Don’t Like You,” which climbed to a leading position on U.S. dance charts. In 2013 she opened for Beyoncé during the Dutch leg of the latter’s tour and simultaneously put out the track “Chemistry.” The next year marked her first acting credit, appearing in the Dutch feature film Heksen Bestaan Niet. In 2015 she issued the dancehall-infused single “Policeman,” which featured Jamaican vocalist Konshens.