Nick & Simon

Nick & Simon, a pair of Dutch pop singer/songwriters from Volendam, Netherlands, entered the recording scene in 2006 and quickly established a pattern of regular ascents to the top of the domestic charts. The act consists of Nick Schilder, born November 6, 1983, and Simon Keizer, born May 16, 1984, both lifelong residents of the compact coastal town renowned for its longstanding musical heritage.

Their initial collaboration occurred inside the touring band supporting schlager superstar Jan Smit, another Volendam native. During 2005, while Smit’s reality series restored his public visibility, Keizer supplied co-writing credits on two of his singles—“Boom Boom Bailando,” which peaked at number nine, and “Laura,” which reached number one. Keizer continued the partnership in later years, contributing to additional number-one successes for Smit such as “Als de Morgen Is Gekomen” and “Cupido” in 2006, followed by “Op Weg Naar Geluk” and “Dan Volg Je Haar Benen” in 2007.

Parallel to those efforts, Schilder and Keizer launched their own project, issuing the self-titled debut album Nick & Simon in 2006. Tracks including “Steeds Weer,” “Verloren,” “Vaarwel Verleden,” and “Herwinnen” helped the record enter the Dutch albums chart’s Top Ten and remain there for more than two years. Momentum intensified with the 2007 follow-up Vandaag, which debuted at number one and generated the chart-topping singles “Pak Maar M’n Hand” and “Hoe Lang?” alongside the Top Five entries “Kijk Omhoog” and “Rosanne.” The album ultimately attained quadruple-platinum certification in the Netherlands.

The 2009 release Luister matched that commercial altitude, again topping the albums chart and producing the number-one hits “Vallende Sterren” and “De Dag Dat Alles Beter Is.” One year later Fier sent “Een Nieuwe Dag” to the summit as well. Both members joined The Voice of Holland as coaches for its opening three seasons. Their subsequent studio albums, Symphonica in Rosso in 2011 and Sterker in 2012, each entered at number one; the former was anchored by the chart-topping single “Wijzer (Dan Je Was),” while the latter yielded the career standout “Julia,” issued in 150 variants that swapped the title character’s name. The holiday collection Christmas with Nick & Simon: Merry X-mas Everyone! appeared in 2013.