Ilse DeLange

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ilse DeLange is a Dutch singer and songwriter who makes country and pop rock. She was born on 13 May 1977 in Almelo. At the age of eight she began as a lip-sync performer and won competitions with it. Later she switched to singing live in talent contests and on television. In 1994 she performed at the Dutch Country Music Awards and took part in the Zangfestival der Onbekenden in Eindhoven.

Music and breakthrough

In 1998 she travelled with the group Cash On Delivery to Nashville to record her debut album World of Hurt with the producer Barry Beckett. The fact that the album was recorded in the capital of country music drew a great deal of attention in the Netherlands. The single I'm Not So Tough reached the Top 40. A year later came the live album Dear John, full of covers of John Hiatt. Livin' on Love in 2000 sounded more like pop and rock, and on Clean Up from 2003 she wrote all the lyrics herself. In 2006 The Great Escape appeared on Universal, with The Lonely One and I Love You, among others.

Influence

In 2014 she sang with The Common Linnets at the Eurovision Song Contest, where the group came second. In 2019 she accompanied Duncan Laurence to victory with Arcade. She won several Edison Awards and the Jeff Walker Global Country Music Award. DeLange showed that Dutch country could reach an audience of its own, with warm vocals and guitars reminiscent of Nashville.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1998World of Hurt
• 2000Livin’ on Love
• 2003Clean Up
• 2006The Great Escape
• 2008Incredible
• 2010Next to Me
• 2012Eye of the Hurricane
• 2018Ilse DeLange
• 2019Gravel & Dust
• 2020Changes
• 2024Tainted