Since the last season of The Best Singers, all of the Netherlands have agreed: Tommie Christiaan is a gifted singer. He has already proven this in his many musical roles and is now promoting his own name in the world of show business. Each time he amazes both the audience and his fellow musicians with his singing skills. With his music in Dutch, Tommy wants to fill the gap between folk singers on the one hand and live bands on the other. After the success of the Eurovision Song Contest it was time to move on and make more of our own music. His first single "Everything What I For Me", released in October last year, was a convincing anticipation.
The childhood and youth of the singer
The guy was born in Alkmaar (Netherlands) in 1986. His parents divorced when he was four years old. He always maintained a good relationship with his biological father. His stepfather died when he was fourteen. He lived in Alkmaar for seventeen years. Then he moved with his mother and brother to Amsterdam. Christian was educated at the Lucia Martas Dance Academy and had singing lessons with Jimmy Hutchinson and Ger Otte.
It so happened that from an early age, Tommy and his brother were introduced to creativity. His mother is a famous dancer in the country. Tommy grew up in his mother's dance school, so the art form is very familiar to him. The singer's grandfather worked as a conductor all his life and often took his grandson to classical concerts, taught him to play the piano and guitar. And his aunt Suzanne Wenneker (Vulcano, Mrs. Einstein) introduced him to the world of modern pop music. Tommy enjoyed playing in school and amateur musicals. In parallel with his studies at school, he attended dance, music and singing lessons. Artists such as Usher и Justin Timberlake, inspired him to combine singing and dancing.
The first creative steps of Tommy Christian
It was not at all thanks to musical talent that Tommie Christiaan managed to get on the big stage, as well as on television. He was helped by excellent plasticity and the ability to dance. Someone did not advise 17-year-old Tommy to drop in on the open day at the Lucia Martas Academy.
“There I saw people singing and dancing intensely,” recalls Tommy. He successfully passed the audition. Within a month, the guy was accepted to study at the academy. After completing his studies, he developed into a versatile artist. Tommy lit up in the right circles and is a hundred recognizable.
He has performed as a dancer in major shows and television programs. Hearing about his artistic abilities, the directors invited the guy to play the main role in the film "Afblijven". It was a real triumph of the artist in the cinema. During a television search for the character Joseph for the musical of the same name, he was again offered the lead role.
He then landed a spot on a similar talent show at Zorro. The artist also played in productions such as Love Me Tender, The Little Mermaid, Fairy Tale, etc. In addition, in 2010, Tommy got the role of Jesus in the live performance Passion.
Tommy Christian in the art of music
Meanwhile, Tommie Christiaan embarked on the greatest quest of his life - the hunt for his own musical identity. He was always drawn to this music. And the time has come to realize yourself in this direction. Tommy made his first cautious steps in the purely musical field in 2014. A solo career has always been on his mind, but the singer has never had concrete plans.
So far, the new management has not proposed another idea. All of a sudden everything came together. After seeing guitarist Nigel Shat perform, Tommy approached him. Something clicked between the artists, they decided to create a duet and began to perform together, giving small concerts. "Ik Mis Je", a signature single by Tommie & Nigel, was released in the summer of 2016.
Active years of Tommie Christiaan
The turning point in Tommie Christiaan's career came when he was seen on the Top Singers TV program last season (2017). There he opened the mouths of the public and his fellow candidates with a fantastic performance. Among other things, he performed Caruso in fluent Italian, "A Sama De" in the Surinamese dialect, and "Barcelona", an unprecedented duet with Tania Cross. The effect of the program was incredible. With each broadcast, the new artist's phone and social media exploded with enthusiastic messages. The duet with Tania took first place in iTunes, and the number of views on YouTube skyrocketed. Singer Tommy Christian has become a new rising star not only in his homeland, but also abroad.
On his EP, he shows that he can also work with his own songs. The single "Alles Wat Ik Voor Me Zag" became one of the most groovy tracks. In the video for the song, Tommy was also able to show off his dancing skills. The rest of his songs range from ballads to uptempo songs. They all have one thing in common: they are connected with the universal theme of love.
Love in the songs of Tommy Christian
Tommy wrote his first self-written lyrics for the song "In Een Ander Licht". It was set to music by Sebastian Brouwer. A song about those whom you love, but who do not know how to love themselves. "You Do Not Know Half" is the second single co-written with Karel Schepers and produced by Future Presidents. It is devoted to the theme of caring for a loved one, even if for this you need to give in to your principles. In both "Touch Me" and "So Much Love," Tommy sings of the elation you get when you fall in love and get overwhelmed with emotion.
The song "Echo" is a collaboration with guitarist Nigel Schath and lyricist Coen Thomassen. The sad track is dedicated to the theme of the loss of a loved one. According to the singer himself, it is not in vain that he sings about feelings, because he considers himself a passionate lover and a very emotional person. Together with the theme of love, he brings something to Dutch pop music that is not there yet. These are new combinations of "non-Dutch" production and a full-fledged show with songs and dances.
Music by Tommie Christiaan and more
In the 2018-2019 season, Tommie Christiaan traveled the country with his own theatrical tours. Tickets for the show sold out in a matter of days. In the musical show In a Different Light, he told the story of his life based on his favorite songs, which the singer performed with a live orchestra. Since October 2019 he has been playing the role of James in Madame Jeanette's lunchtime show at Studio 21 in Hilversum.
In 2018, Christian was one of the professional jury members of the Youth Song Contest. According to the organizers, many watched the show solely because of him. In the fall of 2018, Christian was one of the participants in the Boxing Stars program. He was to box with Dan Carati. In February 2019, he played Weet Ik Veel and won. In December 2019 and January 2020, Christian took part in the Dancing on Ice figure skating competition. Here, the emu managed to demonstrate another of his talents - the ability to skate. In this TV show, he also became the winner.
Christian has a daughter with ex-wife Michelle Splitelhof (also a singer). She was his partner in the musical Zorro. The marriage did not last long, due to many disagreements, both in creativity and in everyday life, the couple broke up. But the former spouses managed to maintain friendly relations. In the second marriage, the artist had a son.
