Anouk

Born in The Hague, Netherlands, on 8 April 1975, Anouk Teeuwe, known popularly as Anouk, is a testament to the indomitable spirit of passion and perseverance. Her journey into the world of music wasn’t a bed of roses. As a teenager, grappling with personal issues, Anouk dabbled in drugs and even left her family at a tender age of 14. However, her life took a transformative turn when she rediscovered her roots in music, inspired by her mother, a blues singer.

From a shy teenager singing her heart out at weddings and local gatherings with the band Shotgun Wedding, Anouk transitioned to a budding artist at the Rotterdam Conservatory in 1994. Though she left the conservatory after just two years, her passion for music remained undeterred. The period marked a significant turn in her career when her husband, Edwin Jansen, introduced her to Barry Hay, the lead vocalist of the iconic Dutch rock band, Golden Earring. Sensing her raw talent, Hay collaborated with his fellow band member, George Kooymans, to pen “Mood Indigo” for Anouk.

The late 1990s was an era of exploration for Anouk. Partnering with Bart van Veen as her co-writer, they crafted several songs. But it was her single, “Nobody’s Wife,” released in September 1997, that acted as a catapult, propelling her to the zenith of the Dutch music charts and gaining recognition in Norway and Sweden. “Together Alone,” her debut album, echoed her rise to prominence.

The subsequent years were an amalgamation of achievements and challenges. In 1998, she bagged multiple awards, including two from the revered Dutch music channel TMF and the prestigious Edison Award. With the dawn of the new millennium, her second album “Urban Solitude” arrived, featuring the hit “R U Kiddin’ Me”. An attempt to explore opportunities in the US music industry didn’t materialize as planned, but this setback was merely a precursor to her returning with a bang with the song “Don’t” in 2001.

Anouk’s discography in the early 2000s was diverse, with “Lost Tracks” in 2001, showcasing acoustic renditions and collaborations, and the hard rock-infused “Graduated Fool” in 2002. Her evolution as an artist was further manifested in “Hotel New York” (2004), marked by singles such as “Girl” and “Lost”.

The ensuing years saw Anouk experimenting with different genres and collaborations. “Who’s Your Momma” (2007) was a significant release, with the single “Good God” making its way into the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. “For Bitter or Worse” followed in 2009, accompanied by chart-topping songs.

The 2010s carved a niche for Anouk in the international music arena. Her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song “Birds” ended the Netherlands’ dry spell in the competition, garnering 9th place and widespread acclaim. She also penned the 2015 Dutch Eurovision entry “Walk along” for Trijntje Oosterhuis.

Anouk’s tenure as a coach on “The Voice of Holland” was another feather in her cap, spanning several seasons, though it ended in 2022 amidst controversy surrounding the show.

Her musical journey in the late 2010s and 2020s was marked by diversity. With two album releases in 2016, the introduction of her first Dutch-language album in 2018 titled “Wen d’r maar aan”, and the intimately crafted mini-album “Trails of Fails” in 2022, Anouk solidified her legacy as a versatile artist unafraid of reinvention.

In June 2022, Anouk married Dominique Schemmekes during a concert at the Malieveld in The Hague. In January 2023 she recorded a song “Met wie kan jij het aan” together with Emma Heesters.