Wouter Hamel

A native of The Hague, Netherlands, born there on May 19, 1977, Wouter Hamel works as a Dutch jazz-pop vocalist whose first album arrived in 2007. An expansive ensemble backs him, consisting of Kofi Anonymous (guitar), Sven Happel (bass), Jasper van Hulten (drums), Pieter de Graaf (piano), Gijs Anders van Stralen (percussion), Vincent Houdijk (xylophone), Benjamin Herman (saxophone, flute), Kobi Arditi (trombone), and Salle de Jonge (drums). Hamel also plays guitar while singing and composes a substantial share of his own material. Issued on Dox Records, the self-titled Hamel reached the Dutch albums chart’s Top 20, stayed listed for more than a year, and yielded the minor hit “As Long as We’re in Love” featuring Giovanca. The 2009 successor Nobody’s Tune improved on that performance by entering the Top Five immediately after release, its lead single being “In Between.”