Category: Netherlands

Izaline Calister: Rayo di Lus

November 7, 2017

The singer-songwriter Izaline Calister has lived most of her adult life in the Netherlands but hasn’t left behind, much less forgotten, her home island of Curaçao. In fact, the fusion that created her native language, Papiamento (Portuguese base with Spanish, Dutch, English and African ingredients) is reflected in the delectable stew of her music—Afro-Antillean, Latin, Brazilian, calypso and jazz. On Rayo di Lus (Ray of Light), Calister’s Antillean roots are front and center, powered by her warm, captivating voice … More Izaline Calister: Rayo di Lus

Guus Meeuwis: Morgen

June 6, 2016

No nation rich in musical talent seems simultaneously so remote and yet so tantalizingly close to the English-speaking world as the Netherlands. At the top of an impressive array of Dutch singer-songwriters is Guus Meeuwis, who has won a pile of music awards, and a knighthood, in his native country. Morgen (Tomorrow) displays the mix of love ballads and classic rock that is as much of a trademark as his studious, dark-rimmed … More Guus Meeuwis: Morgen

Maaike Ouboter: En hoe het dan ook weer dag wordt

March 6, 2016

People who lose parents during childhood often develop heightened empathy and resilience. Maaike Ouboter’s parents died when she was in high school and in 2013, at age 21, she channeled her feelings into the reality show “The Best Singer-Songwriter in the Netherlands.” Her audition song, Dat ik je mis (I Miss You) explored not only loss but also strength through memory: “You soothe me, embrace me/You save and disrupt me, … More Maaike Ouboter: En hoe het dan ook weer dag wordt