Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), known for the music project Caro Emerald, and latterly The Jordan is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in the Netherlands.
The debut Caro Emerald album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 29 January 2010. By August 2010, the album had spent its 30th week at number one in the Dutch album charts, setting an all-time record and beating Michael Jackson's Thriller by one week.[1] On 3 October 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch music prize Edison Award for Best Female Artist.[2] In 2013 a second studio album was released titled The Shocking Miss Emerald. The album entered at number one in the Dutch and United Kingdom album charts[3] and sold over 600,000 copies.
Early and personal life
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw was born on 26 April 1981, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands[4] to a Dutch father and an Aruban mother. She started singing lessons at age 12 with James Gilloffo in Amsterdam and joined a girl vocal group, Les Elles, under his guidance. Following high school, she trained as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating in 2005.[5][6]
In March 2014 Emerald gave birth to her first daughter.[7] She gave birth to a second daughter in August 2017.[8]
Career
2007–2008: Career beginnings
In early 2007, Dutch producer Jan van Wieringen invited van der Leeuw to sing the vocal on a track he was producing with producer/songwriter David Schreurs. The song, "Back It Up", had been written by Schreurs and Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio and was based around a hip-hop beat created by Robin Veldman and Jan van Wieringen. Van der Leeuw's jazzy vocal was considered a "perfect match" for the new song.[9]
The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but without result.[9] The demo then reached public notice around the world online and radio stations started playing the song.[citation needed]
Degiorgio, Schreurs, van Wieringen and van der Leeuw realised their sound had potential and started working on a conceptual studio album with van der Leeuw as "starring artist". Writing began in the summer of 2008 using the mix of "Back It Up", 1940s to 1950s jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, combined with infectious beats as a model.[9] Adopting a sample based approach but with live instrumentation, the writing sessions drew from a wide range of influences including jazz organist Jackie Davis, exotica composer Martin Denny, mambo king Perez Prado, 1920s to 1930s jazz, and van der Leeuw's own vocal inspirations of The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.[9] Their usual method would be for Schreurs to create the ideas and backing tracks, and then get together with top line writer and lyricist Degiorgio to write the songs. Van der Leeuw co-wrote several songs on the album, and van Wieringen co-created the tracks for "The Other Woman" and "Dr Wanna Do".[9] Schreurs and Degiorgio are credited as "Creative Directors".
2009–2012: Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
Emerald singing in Rotterdam, Netherlands on 9 July 2010
After record labels either refused or failed to sign the project, Schreurs set up their own label, Grandmono. "Back It Up" was released as debut single on 6 July 2009. The song gained airplay and popularity overnight and listed in the Dutch Top 40 for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 12. It became the most played song on 3FM in 2009.[10]
Emerald's debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 28 January 2010 in The Netherlands by Grandmono. It entered at #1 in the Album Charts and stayed there for weeks. By August 2010, the album had been #1 for 27 weeks, beating Michael Jackson's chart record for Thriller (26 weeks #1 in 1983).[1] The album returned to #1, spending a total of 30 non-consecutive weeks on top spot of the Dutch Albums Chart.
The album reached double platinum (>100,000 copies) status in the Netherlands on 5 July 2010.[11] It reached triple platinum in August 2010,[1] four times platinum (200,000) in November 2010,[12] and sextuple platinum (>300,000 copies) in December 2011. Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was removed from the Dutch charts after 104 weeks due to a rule providing albums can't spend >2 years on the charts. Upon re-entry, the album climbed back to #8.[citation needed]
The album's second single, "A Night Like This", was released in December 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Charts for 26 weeks peaking at #1 in January 2010. It was the most played song in The Netherlands in 2010.[citation needed]
In 2011, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was released throughout Europe with great commercial success. It became a hit in the UK (1× platinum with sales exceeding 360,000, 8 weeks top 10 peaking at No. 4), Germany (1× platinum with sales exceeding 280,000, peaking at No. 5 and Platinum single for "A Night Like This" with sales exceeding 340,000), Poland (6× platinum with sales exceeding 60,000), Italy (Gold Single for "Back it Up"), and Austria (No. 1 with "A Night Like This"). In the UK, all six singles and the entire album were A-listed by BBC Radio 2. Over 1,400,000 albums have been sold in Europe.[13]
In January 2011, Emerald won the Popprijs 2010 for Best Dutch Pop Act of 2010.[15] In early 2012, Emerald won a Goldene Kamera for Best Musik International[16] and an Echo Award for Best Newcomer International.[17]
In April 2015, Emerald released a single, "Quicksand".[21]
In March 2017, Emerald released an exotica inspired EP, Emerald Island. It was released to accompany the Emerald Island Tour.[22]
In June 2020, Emerald released "Wake Up Romeo," her first single in three years.
2022-present: The Jordan
On 23 August 2022, Caro was revealed as the voice behind new act "The Jordan". Her debut album, Nowhere Near the Sky, was released on February 10, 2023 via Cooking Vinyl. The first three singles from the album are "You Don’t Even Know Me", "Dancing Naked in the Sun", and "The Room".[23] According to the official Caro Emerald website, "As of 2022, the Caro Emerald project and live act are dormant and no longer active."[24]
^"iTunes Preview". Riviera Life – EP Caro Emerald reviews (in Dutch and English). Grandmono Records, & Apple Inc. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
