Guus Meeuwis

Guus Meeuwis (Mariahout, 23 March 1972)是著名的荷蘭流行歌手，同時也是一位音樂人。當(dāng)他還是一名中學(xué)生時，他在Tilburg組建了樂隊Vagant。1995年，樂隊以Guus Meeuwis & Vagant的名義推出他們的第一張單曲Het is een Nacht(It is a night)，成為當(dāng)年最熱門的歌曲，而后樂隊迅速走紅。在整個90年代，樂隊合作的8年間，他們的很多歌曲在荷蘭國內(nèi)取得很好成績，留下很多經(jīng)典。其中第一張專輯Verbazing(1996) 曾是當(dāng)時的冠軍作品，Schilderij (1998)和Eén voor allen (2001)也取得不俗成績。 荷蘭語網(wǎng)站整理 Helanyu.com 然而，在2001年年底，樂隊Vagant宣布解散，Meeuwis單飛，與EMI正式簽約，開始他的個人演唱事業(yè)。2002年4月，Meeuwis單飛后首支單曲 Leve Het Leven 正式發(fā)行并取得非常優(yōu)異的成績。隨后，他與著名的音樂人Han Koreneef、Daniël Lohues等合作，推出第一張個人專輯，專輯中的第一首單曲 Eerste Lief (First Tear)一推出就進(jìn)入荷蘭音樂排行榜top 40，成為他個人演藝事業(yè)的一個全新起點(diǎn)。他2005年的一首單曲Geef Mij Je Angst(Give me your Fear)更取得首周第一名的好成績。
by Philip D. Huff
Guus Meeuwis is a Dutch singer and songwriter, who made his breakthrough with backing band Vagant in the middle of the nineteen nineties. At the turn of the century, Meeuwis became a solo artist. He secured a steady following and enduring success well into the new century. As a musician, Meeuwis mixes recognisable melody lines with reflective and romantic lyrics.
Meeuwis was born in Mariahout, on March 23, 1972. In his early teens, Meeuwis picked up the guitar and singing. After high school, Meeuwis went to Tilburg to study. In 1994, Meeuwis and a couple of friends entered a talent competition for talents in Leiden and won with a song Meeuwis wrote after a romantic weekend with his girlfriend, entitled Het Is Een Nacht. As a result, the group was offered a recording contract. The single of Het Is Een Nacht appeared in the summer of 1995. It reached the number one position within a few weeks, selling over 250,000 copies. Next single, Per Spoor (Kedeng, Kedeng) also reached the number one position, staying there for three weeks. First studio album, Verbazing, a double album, was released in 1996 -- it contained both hit singles -- and sold in excess of a 150,000 copies. Meeuwis and Vagant were both loathed and loved for the student-like appearance and sound, but despite their critics, the success was unquestionable.
Second album, Schilderij was recorded and released in 1997, and spawned two more hits, Ik Tel Tot Drie and ?T Dondert En Het Bliksemt, selling 70,000 copies. Although still substantial, Vagant's success was declining. Meeuwis' biggest success of that year, came with penning number one single Toen Ik Je Zag, sang by actor Antonie Kamerling and taken from the soundtrack of the film All Stars.
Vagant's third and final studio album, 1 Voor Allen, was recorded over the course of a few years, but finally hit the stores in the beginning of 2001. Meeuwis experienced trouble with his vocal chord, and even underwent an operation. With 1 Voor Allen, Meeuwis tried to sail a new, more serious course, but record sales were disappointing.
Unhappy with the image and expectations of Vagant, Meeuwis became eager to change his musical persona and secure a more mature appearance and audience. So, in 2001, Vagant broke up. With studio musicians filling in for Vagant, Meeuwis released his first solo album, simply entitled Guus Meeuwis, on the EMI label, a year later. For the record, Meeuwis enlisted the help of respected musicians as Daniel Lohues and Paskal Jakobsen and covered a song of critic's darling Frans Halsema. None of the album's singles, however, reach the top forty.
All this changed in 2004, when Meeuwis was asked to perform Geef Mij Nu Je Angst by the widow of ($Andre Hazes at the latter's funeral ceremony. Meeuwis had recorded the song earlier that year, as a b side of single Ik Wil Je and performed at Hazes' 25th anniversary concert. The song was released as a single, and reached the top of the charts. Later that year, Meeuwis released 10 Jaar Levensecht, a best of compilation, including two new singles. The album was an immediate success, eventually selling over a 150,000 copies.
Meeuwis' second solo album, Wijzer, appeared a year later. Lead single De Weg, became a hit, and after three sold out shows at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Meeuwis embarked on a theatre tour. In 2006, to top of his comeback success, Meeuwis also won a Gouden Harp and an Edison Award. The album would eventually sell 70,000 copies.
Never a prolific songwriter, Meeuwis locked himself in a beach house, and came back after a wee, in which he had written enough material for next album, called Hemel Nr. 7, and released in 2006. During the recording session, Meeuwis' vocal chords returned, and the release date was postponed until 2007. Single Tranen Gelachen reached the number one position. Summer performances in PSV Eindhoven's football stadium kept Meeuwis busy the next few years, culminating in a four night residence scheduled for the summer of 2008.