Krezip
Encyclopedia
Krezip was a Dutch
band from Tilburg
, formed in 1997. It is notable for the band member's young ages during their original breakthrough. Since then, the band has had several successful albums and singles in the Benelux
countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). The origin of their name remains unclear, though a popular explanation is that the name is an anagram of "perzik", the Dutch word for "peach".
on vocals, Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters on guitar and Joost van Haaren on bass. Though these four formed the core of the band, they found it difficult to get a fitting permanent drummer. During one of their early shows, Thijs Romeijn was in the audience, and was so impressed by the band's energy that he approached them after the show to commend them. During the conversation, it turned out that Romeijn was a drummer himself, and he quickly became the band's permanent drummer.
Throughout 1998, Krezip, armed with two demo tapes, played many festivals throughout the country, such as Festival Mundial, Noorderslag, and Lowlands
. Studies and age became a sticking point to accept big offers in the music world. In 1999, they released an independent EP, titled Run Around
.
, with the ballad "I Would Stay
" being received exceptionally well. Accordingly, the song was released as their second single, featuring a video compiled from footage of the Pinkpop show. "I Would Stay" became a #1 hit in Belgium
and #2 in the Netherlands. It was the #1 song of 2000 in Belgium.
"Nothing Less" debuted at #1 in both the Netherlands and Belgium, going 3x platinum in the Netherlands (210,000 copies sold with a total of 250,000 albums sold). Despite this, the two other singles from the album, "All Unsaid" and "Everything And More", failed to chart. Among others, Krezip received a 2001 Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy Awards).
The band toured continuously on the album, though towards the end of the tour, problems began to arise. Jacqueline Govaert began to lose her voice, while Annelies Kuijsters experienced severe pains in her hand that stopped her from playing shows without painkillers. After the tour, Govaert needed an operation on her vocal cords, while Kuijsters was diagnosed as simply not being "made" to play guitar. The band decided to go with an unorthodox solution for this problem, and moved her to a keyboard position instead. The empty guitar position was filled by Thomas Holthuis.
, the follow-up to Nothing Less, in 2002. The album was certified gold (35,000 copies) later that year, and though the album was not as successful as its predecessor, the album had several successful singles; "You Can Say" (#18), "Promise" (#16), and "Mine". Despite this success, Jacqueline Govaert has expressed disdain for some of the songs, implying that the album was too serious for Krezip, and criticizing her own singing.
A club tour supported the album through The Netherlands, including unplugged performances in theaters. A performance for The Box program Pure was recorded live and brought out on DVD and CD called "That'll Be Unplugged". The band liked the unplugged shows at first, but over time, decided to keep with rock music. Krezip also spent time promoting the album in Germany
. They did two tours through the country and they were the supporting act for Bon Jovi
in the Netherlands. They also were the supporting act for Sheryl Crow
during her tour through Germany and France
.
In 2003, guitarist Thomas Holthuis decided to leave the band to live with his girlfriend in Berlin, citing musical differences. He was replaced by JanPeter Hoekstra.
After their departure at Warner, Krezip received many offers from other record labels. After careful deliberation, they chose to sign with Sony BMG. In a speech during the 2004 TMF Awards, Krezip thanked their old label for everything that they had done. The band flew to Los Angeles to collaborate with American producer couple Wizardz of Oz
, writing most of their new album there. Drummer Thijs Romeijn became demotivated and found himself unable to play the new songs due to not practising. Eventually, the band decided not to move on with Thijs. The new drummer was Bram van den Berg, who was originally only hired to play on the album, but decided to stay.
On May 9, 2005 Krezip released "What Are You Waiting For?
". The album debuted at #1 in the Dutch Album Top 100 and stayed in the chart for 27 weeks. Three singles were released with "Out Of My Bed" as the first. It peaked at #9, making it Krezip's second top 10 hit since "I Would Stay" (2000). Two other singles, "Don't Crush Me" (#22) and the ballad "I Apologize" (#30), failed to make it into the top 20.
In early 2005 Krezip traveled to Ethiopia
at the request of charity foundation Novib for an education campaign. The journey was recorded and shown on the Dutch version of MTV
. The band also went on tour through Benelux
, selling out 15 big venues.
The song "Same Mistake" was used in the Dutch movie Schnitzel Paradise
(Het Schnitzelparadijs), which became a huge hit in the Netherlands. The band later noted that, ironically, Same Mistake is the only Krezip song that has never been played live.
In 2006, Jacqueline joined several artists in the Netherlands to record the anthem for the 2006 TMF Awards
. The song was performed live during the award show. The single became available for download to support the foundation Dance 4 Life. The song peaked at #4 on downloads alone.
and Jesper Anderberg of The Sounds
to record a new album. The band deliberately chose a drastically different sound, with disco influences and more electronica. The album was recorded in two weeks.
On May 11, 2007 Krezip released "Plug It In
". On February 6, 2007 a Dutch radio station (3FM
) played a rough version of the first single, "Plug It In & Turn Me On". The song officially debuted in April 2007 at the #39 spot on the Dutch Top 40
. While on tour, Krezip performed at Pinkpop Festival for the fourth time, replacing Amy Winehouse
. The second single, "Play This Game With Me", was released after this show, with its music video using footage of the Pinkpop show. The song failed to chart, however. The third single, "All My Life", rocketed the band back into the top 10, peaking at #7.
's radio show that Krezip would give a special concert on December 29, 2007 in the HMH
to celebrate their tenth anniversary. A documentary was also filmed, showcasing the band's entire career up until that point with narration by the band members. The band also recorded a cover of "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis
. The song was featured in the film "Alles is liefde
." Later that year, the band re-released Plug It In with the track, a new song and a number of live tracks from the HMH concert.
The band continued to tour, eventually announcing that a Best Of-compilation would be released in December 2008. It featured three new tracks, of which "Go To Sleep" and "Sweet Goodbyes" were released as singles. Originally, it was implied that the band thought this a good point to release a retrospective. On October 2, however, the band announced in Giel Beelen
's radio show that they had decided to break up. On the band's Hyves
account, they elaborated that now, at their peak, was a good time for them to quit and go their own ways.
The band finished their tour and played two farewell concerts in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. The last concert was released on CD and DVD under the title Sweet Goodbye.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
band from Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
, formed in 1997. It is notable for the band member's young ages during their original breakthrough. Since then, the band has had several successful albums and singles in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). The origin of their name remains unclear, though a popular explanation is that the name is an anagram of "perzik", the Dutch word for "peach".
Formation and demos (1997 - 1999)
Krezip began as a four-piece outfit in 1997, in Tilburg, The Netherlands, consisting of Jacqueline GovaertJacqueline Govaert
Jacqueline Govaert is a Dutch singer, songwriter, and pianist. She is best known as the lead singer of Dutch band Krezip.After Krezip disbanded in 2009, Govaert started working on her solo career. She released her debut album Good Life in August 2010.-Musical career:Govaert wrote her first songs...
on vocals, Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters on guitar and Joost van Haaren on bass. Though these four formed the core of the band, they found it difficult to get a fitting permanent drummer. During one of their early shows, Thijs Romeijn was in the audience, and was so impressed by the band's energy that he approached them after the show to commend them. During the conversation, it turned out that Romeijn was a drummer himself, and he quickly became the band's permanent drummer.
Throughout 1998, Krezip, armed with two demo tapes, played many festivals throughout the country, such as Festival Mundial, Noorderslag, and Lowlands
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, also known as simply Lowlands, is a music festival, held annually in the Netherlands in August. Lowlands has about 55,000 visitors, over 200 acts and more than ten stages every year which are named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet apart from the Grolsch...
. Studies and age became a sticking point to accept big offers in the music world. In 1999, they released an independent EP, titled Run Around
Run around
Run around or runaround may refer to:Music:* "Runaround," a 1960 song by The Fleetwoods* "Run Around," 1966 a song by Jefferson Airplane from their album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off...
.
Nothing Less (2000 - 2001)
Reportedly, the band soon received numerous offers from record companies. In 2000, they signed with Warner Music and recorded their debut album, "Nothing Less", with producer Oscar Holleman. Their first single, "Won't Cry", did little to advance their career. The band gained more exposure after a show at Dutch festival PinkpopPinkpop
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
, with the ballad "I Would Stay
I Would Stay
"I Would Stay" is a single released from Dutch group Krezip's second studio album, Nothing Less .A sample from "I Would Stay" is used in the song "Bit A Bad Boy" from the Scooter album Under The Radar Over The Top,...
" being received exceptionally well. Accordingly, the song was released as their second single, featuring a video compiled from footage of the Pinkpop show. "I Would Stay" became a #1 hit in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and #2 in the Netherlands. It was the #1 song of 2000 in Belgium.
"Nothing Less" debuted at #1 in both the Netherlands and Belgium, going 3x platinum in the Netherlands (210,000 copies sold with a total of 250,000 albums sold). Despite this, the two other singles from the album, "All Unsaid" and "Everything And More", failed to chart. Among others, Krezip received a 2001 Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy Awards).
The band toured continuously on the album, though towards the end of the tour, problems began to arise. Jacqueline Govaert began to lose her voice, while Annelies Kuijsters experienced severe pains in her hand that stopped her from playing shows without painkillers. After the tour, Govaert needed an operation on her vocal cords, while Kuijsters was diagnosed as simply not being "made" to play guitar. The band decided to go with an unorthodox solution for this problem, and moved her to a keyboard position instead. The empty guitar position was filled by Thomas Holthuis.
Days Like This (2002 - 2003)
Despite a delay due to writer's block, the band released Days Like ThisDays Like This (Krezip album)
Days Like This is the third album from Dutch band Krezip. It peaked at #3 in the Dutch Mega Album Top 100.-Production:After the tour for Krezip's debut album Nothing Less finished, lead singer Jacqueline Govaert suffered from writer's block, hindering the quick recording of a follow-up....
, the follow-up to Nothing Less, in 2002. The album was certified gold (35,000 copies) later that year, and though the album was not as successful as its predecessor, the album had several successful singles; "You Can Say" (#18), "Promise" (#16), and "Mine". Despite this success, Jacqueline Govaert has expressed disdain for some of the songs, implying that the album was too serious for Krezip, and criticizing her own singing.
A club tour supported the album through The Netherlands, including unplugged performances in theaters. A performance for The Box program Pure was recorded live and brought out on DVD and CD called "That'll Be Unplugged". The band liked the unplugged shows at first, but over time, decided to keep with rock music. Krezip also spent time promoting the album in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They did two tours through the country and they were the supporting act for Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
in the Netherlands. They also were the supporting act for Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
during her tour through Germany and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 2003, guitarist Thomas Holthuis decided to leave the band to live with his girlfriend in Berlin, citing musical differences. He was replaced by JanPeter Hoekstra.
Release from record label and What Are You Waiting For? (2004 - 2006)
While the band wrote new songs, Warner Music forced Warner Music Benelux to drop all of their national artists, including Krezip. The band independently released "All I'm Asking For", available on their website for 99 cents.After their departure at Warner, Krezip received many offers from other record labels. After careful deliberation, they chose to sign with Sony BMG. In a speech during the 2004 TMF Awards, Krezip thanked their old label for everything that they had done. The band flew to Los Angeles to collaborate with American producer couple Wizardz of Oz
Wizardz of Oz
The Wizardz Of Oz are Andrew Bojanic and Liz Hooper. They are a multi-platinum selling producer/writers who have worked with The Cheetah Girls, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Avril Lavigne, Olivia Newton-John, Britney Spears, Krystal Meyers, Liz Phair, Krezip, Vanessa Amorosi and many others.Songs written...
, writing most of their new album there. Drummer Thijs Romeijn became demotivated and found himself unable to play the new songs due to not practising. Eventually, the band decided not to move on with Thijs. The new drummer was Bram van den Berg, who was originally only hired to play on the album, but decided to stay.
On May 9, 2005 Krezip released "What Are You Waiting For?
What Are You Waiting For? (Krezip album)
What Are You Waiting For is the fourth album of Dutch band Krezip. It is the first album released with their new label Sony BMG. The album peaked at #1 in the Dutch Mega Album Top 100.-Album information:...
". The album debuted at #1 in the Dutch Album Top 100 and stayed in the chart for 27 weeks. Three singles were released with "Out Of My Bed" as the first. It peaked at #9, making it Krezip's second top 10 hit since "I Would Stay" (2000). Two other singles, "Don't Crush Me" (#22) and the ballad "I Apologize" (#30), failed to make it into the top 20.
In early 2005 Krezip traveled to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
at the request of charity foundation Novib for an education campaign. The journey was recorded and shown on the Dutch version of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The band also went on tour through Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
, selling out 15 big venues.
The song "Same Mistake" was used in the Dutch movie Schnitzel Paradise
Schnitzel Paradise
Martin Koolhoven's Schnitzel Paradise is a 2005 Dutch comedy film about Dutch-Moroccan Nordip Dounia who starts working in a restaurant kitchen and falls in love with Agnes Meerman, niece of the hotel's manager...
(Het Schnitzelparadijs), which became a huge hit in the Netherlands. The band later noted that, ironically, Same Mistake is the only Krezip song that has never been played live.
In 2006, Jacqueline joined several artists in the Netherlands to record the anthem for the 2006 TMF Awards
TMF Awards
The TMF Awards are an annual television awards show broadcast live on TMF .The first Dutch TMF Awards were held in 1995, as a brand extension to the recently launched local Dutch music channel TMF. The show was very small and held in the company cafeteria...
. The song was performed live during the award show. The single became available for download to support the foundation Dance 4 Life. The song peaked at #4 on downloads alone.
Plug It In (2006 - 2007)
In 2007, the band teamed up with Felix RodriguezFelix Rodriguez
Felix Rodriguez may refer to:* Félix Rodríguez , Major League Baseball pitcher* Félix Rodríguez , former CIA intelligence operative* Felix Rodriguez , guitar player in the Swedish band, The Sounds...
and Jesper Anderberg of The Sounds
The Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
to record a new album. The band deliberately chose a drastically different sound, with disco influences and more electronica. The album was recorded in two weeks.
On May 11, 2007 Krezip released "Plug It In
Plug It In
Plug It In is the fourth album by Dutch rock band Krezip. It is their second album on their new label Sony BMG. The album was released on May 11, 2007. It notably features a disco-inspired sound on most of its songs as opposed to the alternative rock sound of earlier albums. This was because the...
". On February 6, 2007 a Dutch radio station (3FM
3FM
3FM is a Dutch radio station on the NPO which broadcasts popular music. It can be compared with BBC Radio 1.-History:3FM was created as Hilversum 3 by minister Maarten Vrolijk on 11 October 1965, to counterbalance the popular offshore station Radio Veronica...
) played a rough version of the first single, "Plug It In & Turn Me On". The song officially debuted in April 2007 at the #39 spot on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
. While on tour, Krezip performed at Pinkpop Festival for the fourth time, replacing Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
. The second single, "Play This Game With Me", was released after this show, with its music video using footage of the Pinkpop show. The song failed to chart, however. The third single, "All My Life", rocketed the band back into the top 10, peaking at #7.
Ten-year anniversary and break-up (2007 - 2009)
On August 17, 2007 Jacqueline announced on Giel BeelenGiel Beelen
Michiel Antonius Adrianus Beelen, better known as Giel Beelen is a Dutch radio-dj and presentator. Currently he presents the VARA morning show GIEL at 3FM from Monday till Friday between 6:00 and 10:00 am...
's radio show that Krezip would give a special concert on December 29, 2007 in the HMH
Heineken Music Hall
Heineken Music Hall is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, near the Amsterdam ArenA .The big hall is used for concerts, has a capacity of 5500 and is 3000 m²...
to celebrate their tenth anniversary. A documentary was also filmed, showcasing the band's entire career up until that point with narration by the band members. The band also recorded a cover of "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" by The Korgis
The Korgis
The Korgis are a British pop band, originally composed of singer / bassist James Warren and singer / drummer Andy Davis , both former members of 1970s band Stackridge, along with unofficial members violinist Stuart Gordon and keyboardist Phil Harrison.-Career:The Korgis released their first single...
. The song was featured in the film "Alles is liefde
Alles is Liefde
Alles is Liefde is a 2007 romantic comedy film , directed by Joram Lürsen, starring Carice van Houten, Paul de Leeuw, Wendy van Dijk, and Daan Schuurmans.-Plot:...
." Later that year, the band re-released Plug It In with the track, a new song and a number of live tracks from the HMH concert.
The band continued to tour, eventually announcing that a Best Of-compilation would be released in December 2008. It featured three new tracks, of which "Go To Sleep" and "Sweet Goodbyes" were released as singles. Originally, it was implied that the band thought this a good point to release a retrospective. On October 2, however, the band announced in Giel Beelen
Giel Beelen
Michiel Antonius Adrianus Beelen, better known as Giel Beelen is a Dutch radio-dj and presentator. Currently he presents the VARA morning show GIEL at 3FM from Monday till Friday between 6:00 and 10:00 am...
's radio show that they had decided to break up. On the band's Hyves
Hyves
Hyves is a social networking site in the Netherlands with mainly Dutch visitors and members and competes in this country with sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Hyves was founded in 2004 by Raymond Spanjar, Koen Kam, and Floris Rost van Tonningen....
account, they elaborated that now, at their peak, was a good time for them to quit and go their own ways.
The band finished their tour and played two farewell concerts in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. The last concert was released on CD and DVD under the title Sweet Goodbye.
Albums
- Run AroundRun aroundRun around or runaround may refer to:Music:* "Runaround," a 1960 song by The Fleetwoods* "Run Around," 1966 a song by Jefferson Airplane from their album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off...
(1999) - Nothing LessNothing LessNothing Less is an album by Krezip that debuted at #1 in both the Netherlands and Belgium. It went platinum three times.-Track list:All songs written by Jacqueline Govaert and arranged by Krezip except where noted.#"All Unsaid" - 3:07...
(2000) - Days Like ThisDays Like This (Krezip album)Days Like This is the third album from Dutch band Krezip. It peaked at #3 in the Dutch Mega Album Top 100.-Production:After the tour for Krezip's debut album Nothing Less finished, lead singer Jacqueline Govaert suffered from writer's block, hindering the quick recording of a follow-up....
(2002) - That'll Be Unplugged (Also released as a DVD) (2003)
- What Are You Waiting For?What Are You Waiting For? (Krezip album)What Are You Waiting For is the fourth album of Dutch band Krezip. It is the first album released with their new label Sony BMG. The album peaked at #1 in the Dutch Mega Album Top 100.-Album information:...
(2005) - Plug It InPlug It InPlug It In is the fourth album by Dutch rock band Krezip. It is their second album on their new label Sony BMG. The album was released on May 11, 2007. It notably features a disco-inspired sound on most of its songs as opposed to the alternative rock sound of earlier albums. This was because the...
(2007) - Best Of (2008)
- Sweet Goodbye (Also released as DVD)(2009)
Singles
- "Won't Cry"
- "I Would StayI Would Stay"I Would Stay" is a single released from Dutch group Krezip's second studio album, Nothing Less .A sample from "I Would Stay" is used in the song "Bit A Bad Boy" from the Scooter album Under The Radar Over The Top,...
" #1 NL / #1 BE (2000) - "All Unsaid"
- "Everything and More"
- "You Can Say" #18 NL (2002)
- "Promise" #16 NL (2002)
- "Mine"
- "Out of My Bed" #9 NL (2005)
- "Don't Crush Me" #22 NL (2005)
- "I Apologize" #30 NL (2005)
- "Plug It In & Turn Me On" #21 NL (2007)
- "Play This Game With Me"
- "All My Life" #7 NL (2007)
- "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" #23 NL (2008)
- "Go To Sleep" #24 NL (2008)
- "Sweet Goodbyes" #2 NL (2009)