BLØF

Hailing from the Netherlands, BLØF has dominated the Dutch charts for nearly three decades, winning multiple Edison Awards — the Dutch equivalent of the American Grammy — with the band's mix of pop melody and rock & roll muscle. Formed in 1992 in Vlissingen, Zeeland, BLØF's original lineup featured bassist Peter Slager, vocalist/guitarist Paskal Jakobsen, keyboardist Bas Kennis, and drummer Henk Tjoonk. After independently releasing their debut album, Naakt Onder De Hemel, in 1995, the musicians partnered with EMI and scored their first hit with "Liefs uit Londen," a Top 20 single from 1997's Helder. With drummer Chris Götte replacing the departing Tjook, BLØF released live versions of "Aan De Kust" and "Wat Zou Je Doen," both of which became Dutch hits in 1998. Albums like 1999's Boven, 2000's Watermakers, 2002's Blauwe Ruis, and 2003's Omarm followed, earning BLØF 10 additional Top 40 singles. Norman Bonink joined the group following Chris Götte's fatal motorcycle accident, and the revised lineup released a live album, Oog in Oog, in Götte's honor. BLØF scored a Number 1 hit in the Netherlands with 2004's "Holiday in Spain," a bilingual duet with Counting Crows, then peaked at Number 2 with "Aanzoek zonder ringen" (the lead single from 2006's Umoja) and Alles is liefde (from the soundtrack to the 2007 film Alles is liefde). Following releases like 2008's Oktober, 2009's April, 2011's Alles Blijft Anders, and 2014's In Het Midden van Alles, BLØF topped the Dutch charts once again with "Zoutelande," a duet with former Hooverphonic vocalist Geike Arnaert. Released on 2017's Aan, "Zoutelande" was followed by another Top 40 hit, "Horizon," in 2021.