Trijntje Oosterhuis
About Quick Facts NameJudith Katrijntje Oosterhuis Born05 February 1973 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2015 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongWalk Along (2015) Biography Trijntje Oosterhuis is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam in 1973. As a child, she played together with her brother Tjeerd in the children’s musical Wordt er in de ruimte ook gelezen? by Marjan Berk. Together with her brother Tjeerd, Oosterhuis formed the band Total Touch, which brought a musical mix of 80s, soul, 90s, R&B, funk, pop, and dance. The band originated in the 1980s when the brother and sister were still teenagers. The lineup of Total Touch changed several times in the years before their breakthrough, but brother and sister Oosterhuis were always the ones who kept the group alive. In 1991, the band won first prize in the music category during the finals of the Kunstbende competition. That same year, the band was in the spotlight during the Grote Prijs van Nederland. In 1994, Oosterhuis got the opportunity to tour the world with saxophonist Candy Dulfer in the backing choir. The tour was supposed to last for six weeks, but in the end, they traveled for two years in different periods. In 1995, Oosterhuis contributed to the successful song “Ademnood” by Linda, Roos & Jessica. Furthermore, it was the year in which Total Touch was offered a record deal with the BMG Music label. The band’s self-titled debut album was released a year later. The first single, “Touch Me There,” became a big hit in the summer of 1996 due to heavy radio and TV airplay. On August 14, 1996, during the opening of the Amsterdam ArenA, Oosterhuis sang the hymn “De zee,” written by John Ewbank. This performance resulted in a top 10 hit and a lot of media attention. In September, the second Total Touch single “Somebody Else’s Lover” was released, which gave the group their final breakthrough in the Netherlands. The single reached the third position in the charts and was certified platinum. After several hit singles and a debut album that was awarded platinum five times, Total Touch took a step back in 1997 to focus on a new album. Meanwhile, Oosterhuis scored a big hit with the song “Wereld zonder jou,” a duet with Marco Borsato. In April 1998, Total Touch returned with their second album, “This way,” of which the first single, “I’ll say goodbye,” became a big hit. The album achieved double platinum status. Oosterhuis also scored another solo hit at the end of 1998 with the song “Vlieg met me mee,” the title track of the Dutch movie Abeltje. In the same year, Oosterhuis embarked on some solo projects. She performed alongside jazz pianist Herbie Hancock at the 24th North Sea Jazz Festival. She also participated in the music tour Marlboro Flashbacks, where she delved into the repertoire of Stevie Wonder, a personal favorite of the singer. A live recording of this tour was released on CD titled “For once in my life,” which achieved platinum status. In 2001, Oosterhuis and her brother decided to disband Total Touch as a band for the time being. In the fall, Trijntje embarked on a solo tour of theaters. On Tuesday, January 28, 2002, Oosterhuis was one of the acts at the celebration in the Amsterdam ArenA for the wedding of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta. In March 2002, Oosterhuis embarked on a theater tour in the Netherlands. The singer’s first true solo album, titled “Trijntje Oosterhuis,” was released in March 2003 by EMI Music, with the first single “Free” released in February. She also recorded an exclusive song for the charity CD “Hoop! Peace Songs Voor War Child,” which was released on May 2. Since its opening on June 19, 2002, the song “In this together” can be heard in the pre-show of the attraction PandaDroom at lunapark Efteling. Around the same period, a compilation CD and DVD of Total Touch were released by BMG. Oosterhuis went on tour again to promote her solo album, performing in Dutch theaters. The album was certified gold. In addition to “Free,” the album also spawned singles such as “What about us,” “It’s you I need,” and “Don’t say that you love me.” Following the birth of Princess Amalia on December 7, Oosterhuis, along with Carel Kraayenhof and violinist Janine Jansen, released the song “Nu dat jij er bent,” written by John Ewbank. The proceeds from the single went entirely to the children’s fund of Jantje Beton. In February 2004, Oosterhuis received the Gouden Harp (Golden Harp). It was the second Harp award Oosterhuis received; she had previously won the Zilveren Harp (Silver Harp) in 1997. In early 2004, the singer signed a record deal with the American jazz label Blue Note. A new live album by the singer, “Strange fruit,” featuring songs by Billie Holiday and George Gershwin, performed with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Houdini’s, was released. Two weeks after its release, the album achieved gold status, later reaching platinum status. Around the same time, the singer embarked on another theater tour, this time with a more acoustic setting. Recordings were made for a live DVD during one of the concerts. In November, the DVD “A thousand days – Live & acoustic” was released by EMI Music. Oosterhuis ended the year by releasing a Christmas single, “Merry Christmas baby,” together with saxophonist Candy Dulfer. The song, along with a Christmas song by singer Do, was released by radio station Sky Radio and reached the seventh position in the Top 40 chart. On January 1, 2005, Oosterhuis participated in the charity single “Als je iets kan doen” by Artiesten Voor Azië. The proceeds from the song went entirely to the victims of the Asian tsunami on Christmas 2004. Afterward, Oosterhuis focused on creating a new studio album. The album, titled “See you as I do,” was released in September. Its title track was chosen as the first single and became a modest hit. At the end of November,
