VanVelzen

Born Roel van Velzen on March 20, 1978, in Delft, the Netherlands, VanVelzen established himself as an award-winning Dutch singer and pianist whose first album, Unwind, reached the top of the national charts upon its 2007 release and stayed there for a total of 57 weeks. After signing with T2 Entertainment, a Foreign Media Group imprint, he launched his recording career with a cover of David Sneddon’s 2003 British single “Baby Get Higher,” which climbed into the Dutch Top 30 and set the stage for the full-length debut. Subsequent singles “Burn,” “Deep,” and “Shine a Little Light” helped sustain the album’s momentum. In 2007 VanVelzen earned multiple award nominations and ultimately received the 3FM Award for Best Newcomer of the Year plus the TMF Award for Best Album of the Year. The next year he placed another single, “When Summer Ends,” in the Dutch Top Ten; the track appeared on the soundtrack to the film Zomerhitte and was later included on his sophomore effort, Take Me In, issued in 2009 alongside the singles “On My Way” and “Love Song.” Although Take Me In did not match the longevity of its predecessor, it still secured a Top Ten berth on the Dutch albums chart.