Donny Björn Stefan Ellerström, known by his stage name Donnie, is a Dutch rapper, singer and songwriter born in Amsterdam on August 5, 1994. The son of a Dutch mother and an absent Swedish father, he grew up with his mother, grandmother, two older brothers and a younger sister. After completing his professional secondary education, he attended a culinary college in Amsterdam and worked as a cook before devoting himself fully to music. His musical career began when he met rapper Lange Frans at a cooking competition. He featured on the track "Brawler " released in 2011 and joined Lange Frans on tour in 2012 under the stage name Young Kermit. In 2014, he signed with the Magnetron Music label and released his first mixtape Leipie van het plein, followed by his debut album Mannelogie in 2015. Donnie made a name for himself in 2018 with the slang expression "snelle planga" popularized in his videos and by his eponymous single. Since 2020, he has been fusing hip-hop and Dutch folk song (levenslied) in what he calls "kibbelingsound", collaborating with artists such as Frans Duijts, René Froger, Mart Hoogkamer, Kris Kross Amsterdam and Tino Martin. His album De kibbelingsound (2023) is certified platinum and reaches the top 40 of the Dutch album charts. In 2024, he co-wrote "Europapa", the song representing the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Joost Klein, and also took part in the Dutch TV show The Masked Singer. Today, Donnie continues to develop his career, blending hip-hop, pop and traditional Dutch influences, consolidating his place on the contemporary music scene.
