Marco Borsato

Marco Borsato ranks among the Netherlands’ most accomplished pop artists since the rock era began. No performer has collected more Dutch Top 40 number-one singles than he has since the Beatles, and his national sales records have never been matched. From 1998 through 2001 SENA determined that Borsato appeared on Dutch radio and television more than any other entertainer in the country. Millions of records have been sold under his name, accompanied by a Popprijs, an Exportprijs, multiple Edisons, and a string of TMF awards.

He was born in Alkmaar, Noord-Holland, on December 21, 1966, to an Italian father and a Dutch mother. Childhood years were divided between Italy, where his father managed a restaurant, and the Netherlands, where he attended school. After his parents divorced, Borsato remained with his mother in Alkmaar. Following high school he enrolled in a chef’s program, then completed mandatory military service. Music first appealed to him during that service. Once discharged, he balanced daytime construction work and shifts in his mother’s shop with evening restaurant and café jobs while also studying voice. A talent-show appearance prompted him to assemble a one-man show that caught the attention of vocal coaches Gerard Joling and Karin Bloemen as well as a manager.

With their assistance he secured a last-minute spot on the Soundmixshow, advanced through the preliminary rounds, and won both the qualifier and the live finale. A recording contract followed. His debut single, “At This Moment,” entered stores in May 1990, topped the charts, and launched his ascent. August brought the all-Italian album Emozioni. The 1991 single and album Sento, also recorded in Italian, failed to connect. Self-written material on 1992’s Giorno Per Giorno sold even less.

Polydor rebranded Borsato’s image and enlisted Dutch lyricists together with composer John Ewbank to adapt Italian songs and create new Dutch tracks. The 1994 single “Dromen Zijn Bedrog” debuted quietly yet climbed to number one, where it remained for thirteen weeks and ultimately sold more than 350,000 copies. Its momentum carried the album Marco past half a million units. Later that year the follow-up single “Waarom Nou Jij?” also reached the summit. Borsato had suddenly become one of Dutch pop’s dominant figures. Als Geen Ander arrived in 1995, again pairing translated Italian texts with Ewbank’s melodies; it too moved 500,000 copies and yielded the hits “Je Hoeft Niet Naar Huis Vannacht” and “Kom Maar Bij Mij.” Listeners ranging from students to homemakers embraced his work.

“Ik Leef Niet Meer Voor Jou” became a major success in 1996. Late that year “De Waarheid,” the first single from the forthcoming album of the same name and almost entirely written by Ewbank, sold nearly 300,000 copies on its release day and later surpassed 500,000. Extensive touring that spring and summer culminated in fourteen sold-out Ahoy concerts attended by more than 150,000 fans. The duet “Wereld Zonder Jou” with Trijntje Oosterhuis of Total Touch was issued, and year-end honors included the Popprijs in Groningen plus the announcement of Borsato’s engagement to television personality Leontine Ruiters, whom he would marry the following year.

In 1998 he collected several TMF awards and two Edisons—one for best male vocalist and one for best single—for “Wereld Zonder Jou.” The new album De Bestemming also reached half a million copies, and SENA again named him the most-played artist on Dutch radio. The Gouden Harp arrived in 1999, along with another chart-topper, “Binnen,” and renewed recognition as radio’s most-played artist. Luid en Duidelijk, released in 2000, earned multiple platinum certifications for 400,000 units sold and brought two further TMF awards; nine Ahoy dates sold out that October, and the single “Wat Is Mijn Hart” followed in November. An Edison arrived in 2001, and SENA reported Borsato as the most-played artist for the fourth straight year. The 2002 compilation Onderweg appeared with the new single “Lopen Op Het Water,” which hit number one and was performed at the wedding of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander. Three consecutive sold-out shows at De Kuip drew more than 150,000 spectators by June.

Prestigious honors continued in 2003: an Exportprijs, an Edison, two TMF awards, and an Academy Award for the DVD Onderweg. The title of most-played artist slipped away, yet Borsato announced that his next project, Zien, would appear solely on video, with short films contributed by directors including Dick Maas and Theo van Gogh. “Afscheid Nemen Bestaat Niet” topped the charts, and 2004’s “Voorbij” followed suit, pushing Zien past 325,000 copies. A tenth consecutive TMF award for best Dutch singer was added in April, when Borsato was also appointed Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau. Six consecutive sold-out nights at De Kuip that June drew nearly 300,000 fans, the first time any Dutch artist had achieved the feat and surpassing Dire Straits’ previous record of four nights on the On Every Street tour. A live summer single recorded with rapper Ali B. debuted at number one. By year’s end he had reclaimed the most-played-artist distinction.

Three Edisons and a tenth TMF award as Best Dutch Artist came in 2005; he was further named Artist of the Decade. Three weeks of Belgian dates sold out, and he performed at Queen Beatrix’s twenty-fifth anniversary celebration. The single “Because We Believe,” a collaboration with Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, was released in February 2006. Written and produced by 14-time Grammy winner David Foster—widely known for his work with Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, and Band from TV—the track became Borsato’s ninth number-one single and earned him his final TMF award, after which he withdrew from future consideration to allow other artists opportunities. Later that year the duet “Everytime I Think of You” with Lucie Silvas appeared. Ten Symphonica in Rosso performances at the Gelredome closed the year, backed by his own band and a forty-piece orchestra. The accompanying single “Rood” marked his tenth number-one hit; in 2007 it received a Best Single award from 3FM and was declared the year’s highest-selling single.

After an extended recording hiatus, Wit Licht surfaced in late 2008. Though its commercial peak fell short of his earlier work, the album still spent six weeks at number one in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Dromen Durven Delen followed in 2010 with comparable success, fueled by the Top Ten singles “Waterkant” and “Schouder aan Schouder,” the latter featuring Guus Meeuwis. The eleventh studio album, Duizend Spiegels, arrived in 2013 and dominated the Dutch chart for six weeks across late 2013 and early 2014—far outpacing its Belgian performance—thanks to the popular singles “Muziek” featuring Ali B and Bag2Bank and “Ik Zou Het Zo Weer Overdoen” featuring Trijntje Oosterhuis. At the close of 2015 Borsato announced his thirteenth studio album, Evenwicht.