Trijntje Oosterhuis
A successful artist in her home country of the Netherlands and armed with a song penned by Anouk, Trijntje Oosterhuis wants to take Europe by storm in May with the song Walk Along.Trijntje Oosterhuis (1973) comes from a creative and musical family. With her brother Tjeerd, who wrote several songs for the Song Contest, Trijntje formed the band Total Touch, which was highly successful in the Netherlands and abroad.
Trijntje excels in various musical genres, from jazz and soul and has shared the stage with great names, including Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Khaled and Lionel Richie. She has also worked together with the famous American songwriter Burt Bacharach.
Trijntje has won several important Dutch music awards, was a judge for The Voice and sings for sold-out concert halls with the Ladies of Soul. After the successful entries in the Song Contest by Anouk (2013) and The Common Linnets - last year's runner-up, which was the best Dutch result since 1975 – Trijntje felt the time was right to enter herself. She will sing the song Walk Along, co-written by Anouk. Anouk also wrote the songs for Trijntje's new album (released in May 2015).
Things you should know about Trijntje
What are the three most interesting aspects about your entry?
- Anouk has written the song. She entered the competition herself two years ago.
- It’s a fresh and catchy song.
- Its premiere was on the show The Voice of Holland where I was one of the coaches.
What are the three most impressive facts about you?
- From the start of my career on I always did different genres, which made me very versatile and an all round singer: pop/ blue note jazz/soul, both Dutch and English.
- I had the honour of working together with a lot of international high profiled artists: Al Jarreau, Queen, Andrea Bocelli, Burt Bacharach, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Richie, Coolio, Ivan Lins, Incognito, Khaled, Salomon Burke, Candy Dulfer, Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans, Bobby McFerrin en Ronan Keating. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to share music with these inspiring people.
- I’ve performed many times for the Royal Family, both privately and in public. When Princess Amalia was born, I even got to sing a song that was especially written for her.
Do you have a (lucky) routine before you go on stage?
I like to talk chit-chat with my sons.
Why is the Eurovision Song Contest important for you?
Having been a professional Dutch singer for a long time, for more than 20 years, I thought it was an honour to be asked to take part in this contest and I’m very proud to represent my country.
