Nielson (singer)

Niels Littooij (born 28 December 1989), better known by his stage name Nielson, is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He was a member of the Dutch music trio Zirkus Zirkus in the early 2010s, but rose to national fame in 2012 due to his participation in the television programme De beste singer-songwriter van Nederland.

Nielson
Nielson performing in Zwolle in 2014
Background information
Birth nameNiels Littooij
Also known asNielson
Born (1989-12-28) 28 December 1989
Dordrecht, Netherlands
GenresNederpop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2008–present
LabelsPacemaker Music
Associated actsZirkus Zirkus
Websitenielsonmusic.nl

Career

1989–2008: Early life and career beginnings

Niels Littooij was born on 28 December 1989 in Dordrecht. His passion for music started when he got a drum kit for his birthday. He also started to play the guitar. As an adolescent, Littooij began to explore his interest for music and participated in several local talent shows.[1] Littooij attended the Herman Brood Academy in Utrecht, an academy that offers education in various fields of profession related to the music industry,[2] where he specialised in rap music.[3] In 2008, Littooij participated in the Kunstbende project, where he won the Rotterdam preliminaries with a rap act. Due to this success, Littooij was asked to perform in the supporting programme of The Opposites.[3]

2009–2011: Part of Zirkus Zirkus

In 2009, Nickelodeon asked Littooij to be part of a new-formed dance and music trio called Zirkus Zirkus.[1] With Zirkus Zirkus, he released several singles and one studio album called In de tent. The trio was aimed at children and they appeared on TV in several Nickelodeon programmes. The trio had some moderate success: three singles charted on the Single Top 100.[4] In 2011, they split up.

2012–2013: Rise to fame

During his education at the Herman Brood Academy, Littooij developed a passion for songwriting, especially for writing Dutch songs. Littooij participated in the 2012 talent show De beste singer-songwriter van Nederland (English: "The best singer-songwriter of the Netherlands"), broadcast by VARA, BNN and 3FM. This was a great opportunity to reach a broader, national, audience for his self-written songs.[5] In the first episode, Littooij performed his song "Beauty & de brains", which became an instant hit. Although Littooij lost the competition in favor of Douwe Bob, he had achieved national fame and popularity.[1]

2013–present: Zo van ah yeah and Met de tijd mee

His song "Beauty & de brains" was released as single and was certified Platinum by the NVPI.[6] Littooij started working on his first studio album, Zo van ah yeah. It was released in March 2014 through Pacemaker Music. Several singles preceded the album, including "Hoe", a Platinum-certified[7] collaboration with Miss Montreal and "Mannenharten", a collaboration with BLØF (the title song of the movie of the same name). The album reached the second position on the Album Top 100.[8]

With the 2014 single "Sexy als ik dans", Littooij achieved his first success in Belgium. It reached the peak position in the Ultratop 50 and was certified Platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association.[9][10] The single also performed well in his own country, where it became his third Platinum-certified single.[11] When King Willem-Alexander visited Littooij's home city of Dordrecht on Koningsdag 2015, Littooij was chosen to end the festivities with a performance of "Sexy als ik dans".[12]

In 2015, Littooij released two extended plays called Met de tijd mee, deel 1 en Met de tijd mee, deel 2. Included on the EPs is the single "Sexy als ik dans", among others.

Discography
Nielson discography
Studio albums1
EPs2
Singles10

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions
NL
[8]		 BEL
(FLA)
[9]
Zo van ah yeah
  • Released: 7 March 2014
  • Label: Pacemaker Music
 2152
Weet je wat het is
  • Released: 11 March 2016
  • Label: Pacemaker Music
 3182
Diamant
  • Released: 12 October 2018
  • Label: Pacemaker Music
 1052

Extended plays
Title Album details Peak chart positions
NL
[8]
Met de tijd mee, deel 1
  • Released: 30 March 2015
  • Label: Pacemaker Music
 —[upper-alpha 1]
Met de tijd mee, deel 2
  • Released: 25 October 2015
  • Label: Pacemaker Music
 —[upper-alpha 2]
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

As lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
NL
Top 40
[13]		 NL
Top 100
[8]		 BEL
(FLA)
[9]
"Beauty & de brains" 2012 73— Zo van ah yeah
"Zo kan het dus ook" 2013 3637— Non-album single
"Hoe"
(with Miss Montreal)		 4553
  • NVPI: Platinum[7]
 Zo van ah yeah
"Mannenharten"
(with BLØF)		 1011—
"Kop in het zand" 2014 3670—
"Sexy als ik dans" 1261 Met de tijd mee, deel 1
"De man die niet kan gaan" —9023 Non-album single
"De kleine dingen" 46—— Met de tijd mee, deel 1
"Ik heb een meisje thuis" 2015 449952
"Laat je gaan" 60—— Met de tijd mee, deel 2
"Hotelsuite"
(featuring Jiggy Djé)		 2016 3677— Weet je wat het is
"Hoogste Versnelling"
(featuring Jiggy Djé)		 46——
"Diamant" 2018 295935 Diamant
"Doen, Durven of de Waarheid" ——57
"IJskoud" 2512
"Ik Sta Jou Beter (with. Kris Kross Amsterdam)" 2019 162862 Non-album single
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Other appearances
Title Year Peak chart positions
NL
Top 40
[14]		 NL
Top 100
[15]		 BEL
(FLA)
[16]
"Koningslied"
(song by various Dutch artists for the investiture of Willem-Alexander)		 2013 2141

Notes
  1. Met de tijd mee, deel 1 did chart on the Dutch Mid price Top 50 albums chart, where it reached the 15th position.
  2. Met de tijd mee, deel 2 did chart on the Dutch Mid price Top 50 albums chart, where it reached the sixth position.

References
  1. "Nielson artiest biografie". AVROTROS (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. "The Herman Brood Academy". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. "Nielson biografie". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  4. "Zirkus Zirkus dicografie". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  5. "Biografie van Nielson". artiestenwereld.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  6. "Nielson krijgt platina single voor 'Beauty & The Brains'". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). 17 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  7. Oitmann, Pierre (25 July 2013). "Nielson en Miss Montreal krijgen platina plaat voor duet". NU.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  8. "Nielson in the Mega Single Top 100". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  9. "Nielson discografie" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. "Goud en platina 2015". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  11. "Nielson krijgt platina voor Sexy als ik dans". NU.nl (in Dutch). 7 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  12. "Koningsdag in Dordrecht afgesloten met muziekspektakel". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 27 April 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  13. "Nielson in the Dutch Top 40" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  14. "Koningslied". top40.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  15. "Nationaal Comité Inhuldiging – Koningslied". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  16. "Nationaal Comité Inhuldiging – Koningslied". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
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