The Most Famous

SINGERS from Netherlands

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This page contains a list of the greatest Dutch Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 50 of which were born in Netherlands. This makes Netherlands the birth place of the 14th most number of Singers behind India, and Norway.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Dutch Singers of all time. This list of famous Dutch Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Dutch Singers.

Photo of Mariska Veres

1. Mariska Veres (1947 - 2006)

With an HPI of 60.80, Mariska Veres is the most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Maria Elisabeth Ender, better known as Mariska Veres () (1 October 1947 – 2 December 2006), was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group Shocking Blue. She was known for her sultry voice, eccentric performances, and her striking appearance which featured kohl-rimmed eyes, high cheekbones and long, jet-black hair, which was actually a wig.

Photo of Corry Brokken

2. Corry Brokken (1932 - 2016)

With an HPI of 60.07, Corry Brokken is the 2nd most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Cornelia Maria "Corry" Brokken (3 December 1932 – 31 May 2016) was a Dutch singer, television presenter and jurist. In 1957, she won the second edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Net als toen", representing the Netherlands. Throughout her career, she scored a number of hits, sang in the popular Sleeswijk Revue with Snip en Snap, and had her own television show. She was also the presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, which was held in The Hague, Netherlands, following the victory of Teach-In the year before. She ended her career as a singer in 1973 to study law, after which she became a lawyer and ultimately a judge.

Photo of C. C. Catch

3. C. C. Catch (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 59.49, C. C. Catch is the 3rd most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Caroline Catherine Müller (born 31 July 1964), known professionally as C. C. Catch, is a Dutch-born German pop singer, also known for her collaboration with Dieter Bohlen (one half of Modern Talking) in the 1980s.

Photo of Teddy Scholten

4. Teddy Scholten (1926 - 2010)

With an HPI of 57.04, Teddy Scholten is the 4th most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Dorothea Margaretha "Teddy" Scholten (née van Zwieteren; 11 May 1926 – 8 April 2010) was a Dutch singer and television presenter. She is known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "Een beetje", representing the Netherlands.

Photo of Sharon den Adel

5. Sharon den Adel (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 55.87, Sharon den Adel is the 5th most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Sharon Janny den Adel (born 12 July 1974) is a Dutch singer who is the lead vocalist and one of the main songwriters of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation. She has been a performing musician since the age of 14, and is a founding member of Within Temptation, along with Robert Westerholt, in 1996. She was also elected to be the Dutch chairperson of the jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.

Photo of Cristina Deutekom

6. Cristina Deutekom (1931 - 2014)

With an HPI of 55.21, Cristina Deutekom is the 6th most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Cristina Deutekom (28 August 1931 – 7 August 2014) was a Dutch operatic coloratura soprano. She sang with many of the leading tenors of her time, including Carlo Bergonzi, José Carreras, Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, Mario del Monaco, Luciano Pavarotti, and Richard Tucker.

Photo of Pierre Kartner

7. Pierre Kartner (1935 - 2022)

With an HPI of 54.74, Pierre Kartner is the 7th most famous Dutch Singer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner (11 April 1935 – 8 November 2022) was a Dutch musician, singer-songwriter and record producer who performed under the stage name Vader Abraham (Father Abraham). He wrote around 1600 songs.

Photo of Floor Jansen

8. Floor Jansen (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 52.68, Floor Jansen is the 8th most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Floor Jansen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfloːr ˈjɑnsə(n)]; born 21 February 1981) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She is the third and current lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Jansen first became known as the lead vocalist of symphonic metal band After Forever from 1997, when she joined at age 16, to their disbanding in 2009. When After Forever disbanded, she formed ReVamp and has released two albums with them. In 2012 following the departure of their lead vocalist Anette Olzon, Nightwish brought in Jansen as a touring member until the end of their Imaginaerum World Tour. In 2013, they announced Jansen was now their full-time lead vocalist; she subsequently disbanded ReVamp to focus on Nightwish. In 2018, she and Pagan's Mind guitarist Jørn Viggo Lofstad premiered their hard rock duo Northward. A frequent collaborator of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Jansen is a member of his progressive metal supergroup Star One, and sang in the Ayreon albums Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer, 01011001, and The Source, as well as the live album Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live. She also sang lead vocals in several songs of the MaYan album Quarterpast and in Avalon's Angels of the Apocalypse. She is the older sister of fellow singer Irene Jansen, who also worked with Ayreon.

Photo of Jetty Paerl

9. Jetty Paerl (1921 - 2013)

With an HPI of 51.60, Jetty Paerl is the 9th most famous Dutch Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Henriette Nanette "Jetty" Paerl (27 May 1921 – 22 August 2013) was a Dutch singer and resistance member of Jewish origin. She is known for being one of the Netherlands' representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 with the song "De vogels van Holland", and for being the first singer ever to perform in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Photo of George Baker

10. George Baker (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 51.58, George Baker is the 10th most famous Dutch Singer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Johannes "Hans" Bouwens (born 8 December 1944), known as George Baker, is a Dutch singer and songwriter who, with his band George Baker Selection, scored three international hits; "Little Green Bag" (1969), "Paloma Blanca" (1975) and "Santa Lucia by Night" (1985).

People

Pantheon has 55 people classified as Dutch singers born between 1921 and 2004. Of these 55, 46 (83.64%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Dutch singers include C. C. Catch, Sharon den Adel, and Floor Jansen. The most famous deceased Dutch singers include Mariska Veres, Corry Brokken, and Teddy Scholten. As of April 2024, 5 new Dutch singers have been added to Pantheon including Pierre Kartner, Milly Scott, and Michelle Courtens.

Living Dutch Singers

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Deceased Dutch Singers

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Newly Added Dutch Singers (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Singers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 9 most globally memorable Singers since 1700.