Jan Smit

Without any form of stage fright, Jan Smit enters the stage at the age of ten as a member of the choir De Zangertjes van Volendam in traditional Volendam costume to sing the duet Mama with BZN singer Carola Smit. Six months later, his name is in the Guinness Book of Records. After The Beatles and Procol Harum, Jan Smit is the first Dutchman and youngest artist ever to enter the Top 40 at number one, with "Ik zing dit lied voor jou alleen".

The men of BZN (Jan Keizer, Jan Tuyp and Jack Veerman) create several successful songs and, thanks to manager Jaap Buijs, gain a foothold in Germany with Jan. The possibility of the Schlager music market is mainly tested because Jan is only allowed to perform a few times a year in his own country due to labour regulations.

In his eastern neighbours there is no age limit, he wins one song show after another and even conquers, alongside Austrian Oswald Sattler, the most prestigious music prize: the Grand Prix der Volksmusik, with “Ich zeig dir die Berge”. As a teenager, the Volendam artist spends most of the year in Germany, which is why “der Lausbub” (the rascal) says goodbye to the life of a schoolboy at a young age due to long tours abroad. In 2001, it earns him the Export Prize, as the best-selling Dutch product abroad.

Since then, the successes in the Netherlands have been piling up with six number 1 hits, more than 75 gold records and six platinum albums. His concert tours through the largest halls in the Netherlands are always sold out, Jan Smit has been everywhere and stole the show. He has now been in the business for 25 years and after a short break he returns with album and tour "Boven Jan".