Krezip
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Tilburg , Netherlands |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Owner | Warner Music (former), Sony BMG (former), Pink Harvest/Friendly Fire (current) |
Krezip is a pop rock ensemble originating from Tilburg in North Brabant, Netherlands, established in 1997. The group, formed while the members were still in high school, revolves around lead vocalist and songwriter Jacqueline Govaert and has consistently included four principal members.
Under contract with Warner Music, their breakthrough track "I Would Stay" reached the top position on the Dutch Top 40 and ranked as the third most popular song of 2000. Their appearance at the 2000 Pinkpop Festival, broadcast nationwide, notably elevated their public recognition, with Govaert performing at just 18 years old.
In 2008, Krezip declared their disbandment. Their final release, "Sweet Goodbyes," climbed to number two on the Dutch Top 40 and was the second most successful song in 2009. They concluded their initial run with a farewell show on 27 June 2009 at Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall.
The band made a comeback in 2019 by returning to Pinkpop and launching "Lost Without You," marking their first single after ten years.
Origins and early demos (1997–1999)
Krezip came together in 1997 in Tilburg, Netherlands, featuring Jacqueline Govaert on vocals, Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters on guitars, along with Joost van Haaren handling bass duties. After struggling to find a permanent drummer, Thijs Romeijn eventually joined the lineup.
In 1998, they produced two demo tapes and performed at notable Dutch festivals including Festival Mundial, Noorderslag, and Lowlands. Despite limited commercial opportunities due to their youth and educational commitments, they independently issued the EP Run Around in 1999.
Nothing Less era (2000–2001)
In 2000, Krezip secured a deal with Warner Music and recorded their debut album Nothing Less under the guidance of producer Oscar Holleman. Their initial single "Won't Cry" had minimal impact; however, their performance at the Dutch Pinkpop festival significantly increased their visibility. The ballad "I Would Stay" ultimately became a number one hit on the Dutch Top 40.
Nothing Less entered the Dutch charts at #26 before ascending to #1,[1] eventually achieving triple platinum status.[2] Although follow-up singles "All Unsaid" and "Everything and More" saw limited success, Krezip was honored with a 2001 Edison Award, regarded as the Dutch counterpart to the Grammy Awards.
The band embarked on extensive tours but encountered difficulties when Govaert developed vocal problems necessitating surgery, while Kuijsters suffered from hand pain that affected her guitar playing.
Days Like This period (2002–2003)
After overcoming creative challenges, Krezip released Days Like This in 2002. The album earned gold certification for selling over 35,000 copies and generated moderate chart successes with singles such as "You Can Say" (#18), "Promise" (#16), and "Mine."
To support the record, Krezip toured Dutch venues featuring acoustic theater-style performances. They also recorded an unplugged live session for The Box program Pure, which was later issued as That'll Be Unplugged. Initially enthusiastic about acoustic shows, the group eventually shifted focus back toward rock music. Promotion for Days Like This included tours across Germany, opening for acts like Bon Jovi in the Netherlands and serving as support for Sheryl Crow during her tours in Germany and France.
During this timeframe, Bram van den Berg replaced Thijs Romeijn on drums, while Jan Peter Hoekstra succeeded Thomas Holthuis on guitar.
Separation from record label and What Are You Waiting For? era (2004–2006)
During the process of developing new songs, Krezip was released from Warner Music Benelux following a company-wide reduction of domestic artists.
Subsequently, the band attracted several offers and ultimately signed with Sony BMG. At the 2004 TMF Awards, Krezip publicly expressed gratitude to Warner for their previous support. They then traveled to Los Angeles to work alongside producers Wizardz of Oz, where they created the majority of their upcoming album.
On 9 May 2005, Krezip launched What Are You Waiting For?, which debuted at number one on the Dutch Album Top 100 and stayed on the chart for 27 weeks. The lead single, "Out of My Bed," reached number nine, becoming their second top-ten hit. Later singles "Don't Crush Me" (#22) and "I Apologize" (#30) did not enter the top twenty.
In early 2005, invited by charity organization Novib, Krezip traveled to Ethiopia to support an educational campaign; this journey was featured on Dutch MTV. The band also completed a sold-out tour across Benelux, performing in 15 prominent venues.
Their track "Same Mistake" was included in the popular Dutch film Het Schnitzelparadijs, although it remains unique as the only Krezip song never performed live.
In 2006, lead vocalist Jacqueline Govaert collaborated with fellow Dutch musicians to record the TMF Awards anthem supporting the Dance 4 Life initiative. This single reached number four purely through download sales.
Plug It In period (2006–2007)
In 2007, Krezip teamed up with Swedish producers Adel Dahdal and Peter Mansson to create Plug It In, adopting a disco and electronic music style. Songwriting contributions included artists such as Felix Rodriguez and Jesper Anderberg from The Sounds. The album was recorded within two weeks and released on 11 May 2007.
The initial single, "Plug It In & Turn Me On," first appeared as an unfinished version on Dutch radio station (3FM) in February before its official release in April, entering the Dutch Top 40 at number 39. During their tour, Krezip performed at Pinkpop Festival for the fourth occasion, filling in for Amy Winehouse. The second single, "Play This Game With Me," incorporated footage from Pinkpop but failed to chart. Their third single, "All My Life," returned them to the top ten with a peak position of number seven.
Decade celebration and disbandment (2007–2009)
On 17 August 2007, Jacqueline announced on Giel Beelen's radio program that Krezip would celebrate their tenth anniversary with a special concert on 29 December 2007 at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall. A documentary capturing the band's journey was produced with narration by its members. They recorded a cover of The Korgis' hit "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime", which was featured in the movie Alles is liefde. Subsequently, they reissued Plug It In including this cover, an additional new track, and live recordings from their Heineken Music Hall performance. In 2008, Krezip's breakthrough single "I Would Stay" received a one-time people's choice award for "All-time best Dutch single" from national broadcaster 3FM.
Continuing their touring schedule, the band announced a greatest hits compilation set for December 2008 that included three new songs; singles "Go To Sleep" and "Sweet Goodbyes" were released. Initially intended as a career retrospective, on 2 October they revealed during Giel Beelen's show their decision to disband. They explained via their Hyves profile that ending while at their peak felt like the right choice.
Krezip finalized their farewell tour with two shows at Heineken Music Hall. The concluding performance on 27 June 2009 was issued as both a CD and DVD titled Sweet Goodbyes.
Reunion and Sweet High (2019)
Krezip revealed their comeback on 28 January 2019, announcing their participation in Pinkpop 2019. The following day, they debuted the track "Lost Without You" on the Dutch television program De Wereld Draait Door. Subsequently, on 8 June, they issued the single "How Would You Feel", which preceded the release of their album Sweet High on 24 October.
The decision to reunite originated when drummer Bram van den Berg discovered a Pinkpop compilation CD and proposed creating new material during a band dinner. Although initially met with amusement, this suggestion ultimately led to their revival.
Any Day Now (2023)
On 24 January 2023, Krezip announced their sixth studio album titled Any Day Now, scheduled for release on 7 April. This album includes singles such as "Make it a Memory", featuring Danny Vera, and "Ready For More".
It was also announced on 12 February that drummer Bram van den Berg would substitute for Larry Mullen Jr. of the Irish band U2 during their U2:UV concert residency at the MSG Sphere, starting in late 2023, while Mullen Jr. undergoes surgery recovery.
Music For Máxima (2024)
In 2024, Govaert took over as the Eurovision Song Contest commentator, succeeding Jan Smit.
On May 17, 2024, Krezip released their seventh studio album entitled Music For Máxima.
Members
- Jacqueline Govaert – lead vocals, piano (1997–2009, 2019–present)
- Annelies Kuijsters – guitar (1997–2001), keyboards, synthesizers (2001–2009, 2019–present), backing vocals
- Anne Govaert – guitar, backing vocals (1997–2009, 2019–present)
- Joost van Haren – bass guitar (1997–2009, 2019–present)
- Jan Peter Hoekstra – guitar, backing vocals (2004–2009, 2019–present)
- Bram van den Berg – drums (2005–2009, 2019–present)
Former members
- Thomas Holthuis – guitar (2001–2003)
- Thijs Romeijn – drums (1997–2004)
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL |
BEL (FLA) | |||
| Run Around |
|
— | — | |
| Nothing Less |
|
1 | 1 |
|
| Days Like This |
|
1 | 13 |
|
| What Are You Waiting For? |
|
1 | 14 | |
| Plug It In |
|
3 | 40 |
|
| Sweet High |
|
2 | — |
|
| Any Day Now |
|
4 | — | |
| "—" indicates titles not released or uncharted. | ||||
Compilation albums
| Album | Information | Highest chart rankings | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL | |||
| Best of Krezip |
|
1 |
|
Live albums
| Album | Information | Highest chart rankings |
|---|---|---|
| NL | ||
| Sweet Goodbyes |
|
2 |
Video albums
| Album | Information |
|---|---|
| That'll Be Unplugged (And More) |
|
Singles
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | Source Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL Top 40 |
NL Top 100 |
BEL (FLA) | ||||||||||||||
| "Won't Cry" | 2000 | — | 66 | — | Nothing Less | |||||||||||
| "I Would Stay" | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| ||||||||||||
| "All Unsaid" | — | 64 | — | |||||||||||||
| "Everything and More" | 2001 | — | 65 | — | ||||||||||||
| "You Can Say" | 2002 | 18 | 19 | — | Days Like This | |||||||||||
| "Promise" | 16 | 26 | — | |||||||||||||
| "Mine (Acoustic)" | 2003 | — | 99 | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||||
| "All I'm Asking for" | 2004 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Out of My Bed" | 2005 | 9 | 5 | — | What Are You Waiting For? | |||||||||||
| "Don't Crush Me" | 22 | 27 | — | |||||||||||||
| "I Apologize" | 30 | 29 | — | |||||||||||||
| "Plug It In & Turn Me On" | 2007 | 21 | 19 | — | Plug It In | |||||||||||
| "Play This Game With Me" | — | 77 | — | |||||||||||||
| "All My Life" | 7 | 7 | — | |||||||||||||
| "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" | 2008 | 23 | 32 | — | Alles is liefde | |||||||||||
| "Go to Sleep" | 24 | 48 | — | Best of Krezip | ||||||||||||
| "Sweet Goodbyes" | 2009 | 2 | 2 | — |
| |||||||||||
| "Lost Without You" | 2019 | "8 | 33 | — |
|
"Sweet High" | ||||||||||
| "How Would You Feel"|27 | 85 | — | ||||||||||||||
| "Come Back with Me Now"|— | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| "You Are Not Alone"|2021 | 20 | 39 | — | Template:TBA |- | "Seventeen"|— | — | — | Template:TBA |- | "Make It a Memory" (with Danny Vera)|"2022"|31 |
65 | — | - | "It All Means Nothing (You're Not Here Now)" (with Danny Vera)|"2024"|19 |
49 | — | - |
References
- ↑ "Krezip en Frans Bauer hoog binnen in Album Top 100". entertainmentbusiness.nl. 21 October 2002.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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General references
- Documentary titled 10 jaar Krezip