Caro Emerald | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw |
Born | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 26 April 1981
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Grandmono Records |
Website | www.caroemerald.com |
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), known for the music project Caro Emerald, and latterly The Jordan is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in the Netherlands.
The debut Caro Emerald album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 29 January 2010. By August 2010, the album had spent its 30th week at number one in the Dutch album charts, setting an all-time record and beating Michael Jackson's Thriller by one week. [1] On 3 October 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch music prize Edison Award for Best Female Artist. [2] In 2013 a second studio album was released titled The Shocking Miss Emerald . The album entered at number one in the Dutch and United Kingdom album charts [3] and sold over 600,000 copies.
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw was born on 26 April 1981, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [4] to a Dutch father and an Aruban mother. She started singing lessons at age 12 with James Gilloffo in Amsterdam and joined a girl vocal group, Les Elles, under his guidance. Following high school, she trained as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating in 2005. [5] [6]
In March 2014 Emerald gave birth to her first daughter. [7] She gave birth to a second daughter in August 2017. [8]
In early 2007, Dutch producer Jan van Wieringen invited van der Leeuw to sing the vocal on a track he was producing with producer/songwriter David Schreurs. The song, "Back It Up", had been written by Schreurs and Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio and was based around a hip-hop beat created by Robin Veldman and Jan van Wieringen. Van der Leeuw's jazzy vocal was considered a "perfect match" for the new song. [9]
The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but without result. [9] The demo then reached public notice around the world online and radio stations started playing the song.[ citation needed ]
Degiorgio, Schreurs, van Wieringen and van der Leeuw realised their sound had potential and started working on a conceptual studio album with van der Leeuw as "starring artist". Writing began in the summer of 2008 using the mix of "Back It Up", 1940s to 1950s jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, combined with infectious beats as a model. [9] Adopting a sample based approach but with live instrumentation, the writing sessions drew from a wide range of influences including jazz organist Jackie Davis, exotica composer Martin Denny, mambo king Perez Prado, 1920s to 1930s jazz, and van der Leeuw's own vocal inspirations of The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. [9] Their usual method would be for Schreurs to create the ideas and backing tracks, and then get together with top line writer and lyricist Degiorgio to write the songs. Van der Leeuw co-wrote several songs on the album, and van Wieringen co-created the tracks for "The Other Woman" and "Dr Wanna Do". [9] Schreurs and Degiorgio are credited as "Creative Directors".
After record labels either refused or failed to sign the project, Schreurs set up their own label, Grandmono. "Back It Up" was released as debut single on 6 July 2009. The song gained airplay and popularity overnight and listed in the Dutch Top 40 for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 12. It became the most played song on 3FM in 2009. [10]
Emerald's debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 28 January 2010 in The Netherlands by Grandmono. It entered at #1 in the Album Charts and stayed there for weeks. By August 2010, the album had been #1 for 27 weeks, beating Michael Jackson's chart record for Thriller (26 weeks #1 in 1983). [1] The album returned to #1, spending a total of 30 non-consecutive weeks on top spot of the Dutch Albums Chart.
The album reached double platinum (>100,000 copies) status in the Netherlands on 5 July 2010. [11] It reached triple platinum in August 2010, [1] four times platinum (200,000) in November 2010, [12] and sextuple platinum (>300,000 copies) in December 2011. Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was removed from the Dutch charts after 104 weeks due to a rule providing albums can't spend >2 years on the charts. Upon re-entry, the album climbed back to #8.[ citation needed ]
The album's second single, "A Night Like This", was released in December 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Charts for 26 weeks peaking at #1 in January 2010. It was the most played song in The Netherlands in 2010.[ citation needed ]
In 2011, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was released throughout Europe with great commercial success. It became a hit in the UK (1× platinum with sales exceeding 360,000, 8 weeks top 10 peaking at No. 4), Germany (1× platinum with sales exceeding 280,000, peaking at No. 5 and Platinum single for "A Night Like This" with sales exceeding 340,000), Poland (6× platinum with sales exceeding 60,000), Italy (Gold Single for "Back it Up"), and Austria (No. 1 with "A Night Like This"). In the UK, all six singles and the entire album were A-listed by BBC Radio 2. Over 1,400,000 albums have been sold in Europe. [13]
The cinematic sound of the project resulted in frequent use in TV series, movies and advertising. Selected credits include The Playboy Club , a brand campaign by Martini, 2 Days in New York , The Secret Circle , Wind Mobile, Strictly Come Dancing , Dancing with the Stars , The Vampire Diaries , Agent Carter , Nestlé, Ferrero Rocher, Wrigley and Disney Nature film Chimpanzee .[ citation needed ]
Due to its exceptional success, the album was included in an episode of the Dutch version of Classic Albums in April 2012. [14]
On New Year's Eve 2011, Caro appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny.[ citation needed ]
In January 2011, Emerald won the Popprijs 2010 for Best Dutch Pop Act of 2010. [15] In early 2012, Emerald won a Goldene Kamera for Best Musik International [16] and an Echo Award for Best Newcomer International. [17]
In April 2013, the second Caro Emerald studio album The Shocking Miss Emerald was released. It included the singles "Tangled Up" and "Liquid Lunch". The album went to #1 in the UK album chart. [18] She performed in the UK at The BBC Radio Theatre; it was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Red Button. [19]
On 29 June 2014, she played the opening music set on the pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2014. [20]
In April 2015, Emerald released a single, "Quicksand". [21]
In March 2017, Emerald released an exotica inspired EP, Emerald Island. It was released to accompany the Emerald Island Tour. [22]
In June 2020, Emerald released "Wake Up Romeo," her first single in three years.
On 23 August 2022, Caro was revealed as the voice behind new act "The Jordan". Her debut album, Nowhere Near the Sky, was released on February 10, 2023 via Cooking Vinyl. The first three singles from the album are "You Don’t Even Know Me", "Dancing Naked in the Sun", and "The Room". [23] According to the official Caro Emerald website, "As of 2022, the Caro Emerald project and live act are dormant and no longer active." [24]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions [30] | Certifications | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NL [31] | AUS | AUT [32] | BEL (FLA) [33] | FRA [34] | GER [35] | ITA [36] [37] | IRE [38] | POL | SWI [39] | UK [40] | |||||||||
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor |
| 1 | — | 3 | 23 | 79 | 5 | 14 | 39 | 3 | 10 | 4 | |||||||
The Shocking Miss Emerald |
| 1 | 69 | 3 | 31 | 166 | 3 | 21 | 71 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| ||||||
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released. |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions [30] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
NL [31] | AUT [32] | POL | ||
Live at the Heineken Music Hall (with the Grandmono Orchestra) | 51 | 65 | 34 |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
NL [31] | ||
Emerald Island |
| 40 |
MO x Caro Emerald By Grandmono |
| 52 |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NL | ITA [47] | BEL [33] | FRA [34] | GER [35] | AUT [32] | POL [48] | SK [49] | ROM [50] | SWI [39] | UK [40] | CZ [51] | ZK [52] | ||||
"Back It Up" | 2009 | 13 | 11 | 33 | — | 70 | — | — | 53 | — | — | 190 | — | — |
| Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor |
"A Night Like This" | 1 | 10 | 52 | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 9 | 65 | — | — | |||
"That Man" | 2010 | 29 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 84 | — | — | ||
"Stuck" | 28 | 18 | — | — | 41 | 42 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
"Riviera Life" | 2011 | 70 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"You're All I Want For Christmas" (with Brook Benton) | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"Tangled Up" | 2013 | 6 | 13 | 62 | — | 81 | — | — | — | 53 | — | 77 | 9 | — |
| The Shocking Miss Emerald |
"Liquid Lunch" | — | — | 64 | 182 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | 89 | |||
"One Day" | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 152 | |||
"I Belong to You" | 99 | — | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Ne Me Quitte Pas" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
"Coming Back as a Man" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Shocking Miss Emerald | ||
"Quicksand" | 2015 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
"Whatchugot" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Emerald Island | |
"Wake Up Romeo" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released. |
The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart is Rod Stewart's career-retrospective compilation album released in 2001. The album summarises his solo work beginning with material from his 1971 breakthrough album Every Picture Tells a Story until his 2001 album Human. For contractual reasons, only two songs from his Mercury Records tenure were included. The rest of the material is from different albums released under Warner Bros. Records.
Reverence is the debut album by Faithless, released in April 1996 and then reissued in October. The album contains several singles that have subsequently become Faithless classics, such as "Don't Leave", "Salva Mea", and "Insomnia". The album reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart.
World of Our Own is the third studio album recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released through RCA Records on 12 November 2001. It reached number one in the United Kingdom and includes the singles "Queen of My Heart", "World of Our Own", "Bop Bop Baby", and the final single from the group's last album, "Uptown Girl". "Evergreen" was later covered by Will Young as his winner's single for the 2002 Pop Idol competition.
Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits Volume 1 is the first greatest hits album by Irish boy band Westlife. The album was released on 11 November 2002. The album consists of all of the group's past singles along with six new songs. Hit single "Flying Without Wings" was re-recorded as a duet with South Korean singer BoA and Mexican singer Cristian Castro, and each respective duet was included on the Asian and Spanish editions of the album respectively. The first single released from the album was "Unbreakable", a UK number-one single. The second single, the double A-side "Tonight" / "Miss You Nights" peaked at number three in the UK and at number one in the Republic of Ireland.
By Request is the first greatest hits album by Irish boy band Boyzone. It was released on 31 May 1999 by Universal. The album is their best selling release to date, with sales of over 4 million copies worldwide.
Everything Changes is the second studio album by English boy band Take That. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart, and was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize. It was also the third best-selling album of 1993 in the UK.
Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. The album was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard 200. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks. In the UK, where it was released as Love Songs, it reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart for nine weeks. The album was certified platinum in the UK, and 6× platinum in Australia. According to the liner notes of Streisand's retrospective box set, Just for the Record, the album also received a record certification in the Netherlands and in Switzerland.
Live à Paris is the third live album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 21 October 1996 by Sony Music. It features primarily French-language songs, mainly from D'eux (1995), but also includes "The Power of Love", "River Deep, Mountain High" and a studio version of "To Love You More" as a bonus track. Live à Paris topped the charts in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, and was certified 2× Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, denoting sales of over two million copies in Europe.
Only by the Night is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in September 2008 through RCA Records. Writing for the band's fourth album commenced just days after the release of their third, Because of the Times. The album was recorded by producers Jacquire King and Angelo Petraglia in April 2008 at Nashville's Blackbird Studio.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the British girl group Eternal, released in October 1997. The album contains their fourteen consecutive Top 15 hit singles, which at the time was an unprecedented record for a British girl group. The album peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified 3× Platinum by the BPI for sales of over 900,000 copies.
The discography of David Gray, a British singer-songwriter, consists of twelve studio albums, a live album, three compilation albums, an EP, and twenty-one singles.
"Back It Up" is the debut single by Caro Emerald taken from the debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 6 July 2009. The single was certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.
Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor is the debut album by Dutch singer Caro Emerald. The album was conceived, written and produced as a studio project by David Schreurs, Vincent Degiorgio, Jan van Wieringen and Caroline van der Leeuw, and released in the Netherlands with Emerald as the starring artist on 29 January 2010 on their own label Grandmono.
"Riviera Life" is the fifth single by Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald from her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 15 April 2011 as a Digital download in the Netherlands. Written by David Schreurs and Vincent Degiorgio, the song is based on a scene in Hitchcock's 1955 movie To Catch A Thief.
"A Night like This" is the second single by Caro Emerald, taken from the album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor. It was released on 11 December 2009 in the Netherlands after it was first presented in an online Martini commercial on 16 October. Being released in 2010 in Europe, including the UK where it peaked at Number 65 in the UK Singles Chart. It was added to the 'A' list on BBC Radio One.
Gerwin Pardoel, better known by his stage name Gers Pardoel or mononymously as Gers, is a Dutch rapper. He rose to fame in 2009, due to his successful collaboration with The Opposites on the single "Broodje Bakpao". Pardoel's debut studio album Deze wereld is van jou was released in November 2011 and was certified Platinum by the NVPI. The Nederhop artist is best known for his number-one single "Ik neem je mee", which became the most successful Dutch-language and Dutch-artist hit in the Dutch Top 40 ever.
The Shocking Miss Emerald is the second studio album by Caro Emerald. The album was written and produced by David Schreurs, Vincent Degiorgio, Jan van Wieringen and Emerald, with contributions from Wieger Hoogendorp, Robin Veldman and Guy Chambers and released on 3 May 2013 on Grandmono Records. In the UK, the album was released by Dramatico. The album includes singles "Tangled Up" and "Liquid Lunch".
"Liquid Lunch" is a song by Caro Emerald. The song was released as a digital download on 21 May 2013 as the second single from the album The Shocking Miss Emerald (2013). The song peaked at number 70 on the UK single chart, largely due to featuring in BBC Radio 2's Playlist 'A' List. The song was written by David Schreurs, Vincent DeGiorgio, Jan Van Wieringen, Robin Veldman, Wieger Hoogendorp.
Dotan Harpenau, better known mononymously as Dotan, is a Dutch-Israeli singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer.
Emerald Island is an extended play (EP) by Dutch singer Caro Emerald. It was released by Grandmono Records on 6 March 2017 at the start of Emerald’s largest tour to date, the Emerald Island Tour. The EP was produced by David Schreurs and Jan van Wieringen, and written by David Schreurs, Vincent DeGiorgio and Guy Chambers. The EP was inspired by the exotica genre of music, popular in the 50/60's.