Jan Smit (singer)


Jan Smit is a Dutch singer, television host, actor and football director. Smit mostly sings Dutch songs in a genre known as Volendam music. In addition to his solo career, in 2015 Smit joined the schlager trio KLUBBB3, and in 2017 The Toppers. As a TV presenter, he has worked on programs like the best singers in the Netherlands and Music Festival on the square. Since 1999, Smit has been serving as an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages, and is member of the board for the football club FC Volendam.

Lifespan

1996–2004: International success as Jantje Smit

Jantje Smit began his music career in Volendam where he was a part of a boy band. Smit was discovered at the age of ten, when a boy-band Volendam MWN sought him for his vocal talent. Jantje joined the band and had one hit song. After that he released his first solo record produced by three MWN members.
This song made its way to most Dutch charts, hitting number one, something that had never before happened in the history of the Dutch music. In the following two years, Jantje Smit had five more hits including Daddy, where are you now. All songs were written by members BZN Jan Keizer, Jack Veerman and Jan Tuijp.
Smit was also able to achieve success outside of the Netherlands, in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and France. For a short period of time he performed in Germany, where they have wider working legislation for minors. Namely, in the Netherlands, minors can only perform a couple of times in a year. While performing in Germany, he became one of the best-selling Dutch acts abroad.

2005: Just Jan Smit

Starting from 25 March 2005, Jan Smit appeared in his own reality show "Just Jan Smit", which followed his everyday life. Later that year, the show won the Golden Televizier Ring. Alongside Belle Pérez, he also presented the program TROS Music Festival on the Square. Over the next few years, Smit's popularity grew even bigger, as he scored hit after hit, starting with Laura, the first single of the top 100.
On 15 March 2006, Jan Smit was awarded the Edison Award award in the Amsterdam Melkweg as Best National Singer for his album Jansmit.com. On 8 September 2006 a second season of Just Jan Smit launched. In this season, unlike the first one, most of the attention was focused the singer's environment.
In 2006 Jan Smit had his third and fourth number one hits on the Dutch charts. "When the morning came", one of his songs, stayed on top of the chart for 6 weeks, and it also reached Cupido first.
From September 2006, C & A stores included a clothing range named after Jan Smit. The collection was called J-style and revolved around some of his personal preferences.
In 2007, Smit had his fifth number one hit: On the road to happiness. Around the end of September 2007, as the summer passed Smith returned to television with his reality show, Jan Smit.
In autumn 2007 Jan Smit released a new single. The single hit the charts in November, climbing up to the very top, and thus becoming his sixth No. 1 hit in the Netherlands. The single was called Calypso, and was in fact a duet with US singer John Denver. In 2008, Smit went on tour if the Netherlands. The tour was called Jan Smit comes to you.

2007: Vocal problems

In mid-October it was announced that Smith could not perform at least until the end of November. He had health issue with his vocal cords. All performances were cancelled until 29 November. Because of his health issues, Smit missed his scheduled appearances at Symphonica in Rosso and the TMF Awards, but he was able to pick things up and appear at the award for best Dutch pop-act. In November Smit underwent a surgery, a didn't perform until the end of the year. That meant that both his presentation Work for TROS pocket and his new album were put on hold. The tour Jan Smit comes to you was also rescheduled.
After eight months of absence Smit made his comeback at the Museum Concert at Queen's in 2008.

2008–2015: The Bombardment and 15th anniversary

On 14 July 2008 he released his single "Silence in the storm" which quickly reached number one on the top 100 lists. It was his seventh number one song. In late 2008 he was featured in a new season of Jan Smit, and was chosen as team captain in the program Too cute to be true. On 8 November 2008, "When you laugh" his 8th number 1 hit in the Netherlands was released. On 28 February 2009 he had his 9th hit.
Apart from the Netherlands, Smit also gained popularity in Germany. In the meanwhile, Smith stopped presenting television programs. In July 2009 he had a duet with singer Surinamese Damaru, Mi Rowsu, released for SOS Children's Villages, both in Suriname and the Netherlands, a song that also reached the number 1 position.
On 3 September 2009 Smit Bunch presented the first episode of the program, I know what you did. In addition he started the third season of Jan Smit, the summer past on 20 September 2009. This time the series was shot in Italy. After The Beatles and Marco Borsato, Smit is the first artist that has been the longest at no. 1 in the Netherlands in the history of the weekly charts. In April 2010, Smit was elected for Dutch mascot for Amarula. The single Back in the days of his album Live came on 19 June 2010 and reached the charts a week later, climbing to the 2nd place, its highest position. His next song came on 25 September 2010, taking on the first position in the mega single top 100 chart. On 15 January 2011 was one as proud as we are also in the first week at No. 1. On 30 September 2011 appeared Do you still love me if single and a month later the collector 15 years hits. After a week Smit again reached the highest position in the Top 100 with the single. The RTL-4 program Koffietijd he received on this day a gold record for selling 10,000 copies, brought about the same time Eddy Veerman a biography, titled The Secret Smit.
From 2011, he and Cornald Maas commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the AVRO TROS.
In 2012 was the 15th anniversary of Jan Smit celebrated. In August, released the album "Friends", which was awarded a platinum record. Jan also had three number one hits in 2012: 1. "True Friends", his duet with Gerard Joling, 2. the song "Always There" and 3. "Turn your arms around me". Also in 2011, Smith was a guest of De Toppers in the Amsterdam ArenA. In October 2012 his fourth Jan 15th anniversary with five concerts in Ahoy Rotterdam coop Gerard Joling, Yes-R, Carola Smit and Damaru. In 2012 published a biography about the life of Jan Smit. The end of 2012 he starred in the film The Bombardment. The film was already on the day of the premiere completely cracked by critics and visitors and the ground in written, but because more than one hundred thousand people to the film in the cinema visited it was still awarded the gold film status.
Since 2012 Smit presents the finest singers of the Netherlands. In each episode, is a central one singer, which has selected a song for any other person to sing. One that is central not sing himself, but assesses the others. On 4 June 2016 there was a special edition of the program, the chief guest was one of the singers, but Smith himself. This episode was a tribute to Jan Smit because he was in motion, box 20 years.
End of February 2013 published the DVD and double CD and DVD Live in Ahoy, Jubilee Concert 2012 seen on 17 March 2013 Jan was after seven years back on German television. In the ARD program Das Frühlingsfest der Blüten 100,000 Smit presented his single Bleiben who Bist du. After the TV appearance was the single 48 hour free download. After six minutes, the site was inaccessible.
In 2012 he started working with his manager Jaap Buijs record label Vosound Records. In addition to its self-Smit his sister to the label Monique Smit, Tim Douwsma and Gerard Joling musical connected.
More than 70 songs by Jan Smit came in Volendam Top 1000 visit, a chart which was compiled in 2013 by a large number of local radio and television stations in New York.
As in 2011, Smith had three nights at the Amsterdam Arena during Toppers in Concert 2013. In 2014, Smith played a supporting role in Cops Maastricht.
In 2015 Jaap Buijs died. For that Jan hit that year a season of summer passed over and the presentation was Sterren.nl Music Festival on the square in Heerenveen acquired by Frans Duijts since this episode was recorded in the week Jaap Buijs died and Jan Smit did not consider it appropriate to stand on a square full of people hopping. In November 2015 a new Christmas album Smit appeared. The album titled Christmas For Everyone includes eight Christmas classics and four new Christmas songs.

2016–present: KLUBBB3 and Toppers

For the third time the German market Smit tries to resurrect his career new life. The latter project Buijs is his idea when he realised in summer 2015 with the German Florian Silbereisen and Fleming Christoff act as schlager group KLUBBB3. The debut album Vorsicht unzensiert! reached number 4 to 6 in Germany, Austria and Belgium and was also recorded in the Netherlands and Switzerland. The debut single Du schaffst das schon reached the charts in several countries. The band was awarded on 10 January 2016 with the smago! Award, an important prize in Germany schlager music. On 7 January 2017 they were awarded the prize Die Eins der Besten in the category Band des Jahres. The award was presented during the ARD -televisieshow Schlager-Champions - Das große Fest der Besten. In early 2017 they came up with their album Jetzt Geht's Los Richtig at No. 1 in Germany, number two in Austria and number three in Switzerland. The Dutch single KLUBBB3 Life Dances Sirtaki, came after the performance at RTL Late Night, number 1 in the Single Top 100. In May 2017 were Messrs during Schlager Countdown - Das Große Premier Fest a platinum record for their first album Vorsicht Unsensiert and a gold record for their second album Jetzt Geht's Los Richtig!. From March 2017 KLUBBB3 toured with Das Grosse Schlager Fest - The Party of the Year by Germany, Austria and Belgium.

The Toppers

is the most successful vocal band from the Netherlands, consisting of René Froger, Jeroen van der Boom, Gerard Joling giving a series of concerts every year since 2005 in the Amsterdam ArenA. Outdoor concerts occurred De Toppers regularly in various television programs. The De Toppers repertoire, during performances, mostly a mix of covers and original material. Until 2011 was Gordon joined the group.
In 2011 and 2013, Smit was a guest artist six nights in the Amsterdam ArenA during Toppers in Concert.
In September 2016 Smit spoke on radio 100% NL his love for The Toppers out. Smit also indicated when the men would not pull more De Toppers, he would like to follow one of the men. A few hours later, Jeroen van der Boom posted a video on Facebook that he and Gerard Joling, as Jan Smit, did supposedly auditioned for The Toppers. "Who says A must also say B", let's know Toppers.
On 21 February 2017 was finally announced that Smit would take place in De Toppers. In the Toppers in Concert - Wild West, Home Best Edition Smit is gradually introduced from 2018 and will be a full member of the group.

TV host

Smit is the host of TROS. He is also one of the commentators for Dutch TV alongside Cornald Maas for the Eurovision Song Contest. On 4 December 2019, it was announced that he would be one of the three presenters of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam alongside Chantal Janzen and Edsilia Rombley.

Private life

Smit has two sisters, one of whom, Monique, who, like her brother, sings Dutch songs.
From 2007 to 2009, he was in a relationship with actress and presenter Yolanthe Cabau. He lived with Cabau van Kasbergen for several months. Since 2009, Smit has been in a relationship with Liza Plat. The two got married on 11 November 2011 on the island of Sint Maarten. Smit and Plat have two children, a daughter and a son.
In December 2013, Smit joined the board of FC Volendam. He is responsible for the general affairs of the club.