Twarres

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

Twarres is a folk and pop band from Warga in Friesland that sings in both English and Frisian. The name comes from the Frisian word twaresom, which means the two of them. At the beginning the core of the group was the duo Mirjam Timmer and Johan van der Veen. With Wêr bisto the pair won the audience prize at the Frisian song festival Liet in 1999. The song was re-recorded at EMI after Paul de Leeuw invited the duo onto his programme, and in 2000 it became a huge hit in the Netherlands and Flanders, the first Frisian-language number one in the Netherlands. Marco Borsato asked them to join him on stage during his concerts.

Music and breakthrough

The singles She Couldn't Laugh, Children and I Need To Know followed, and the debut album Stream (2001) went platinum. In 2002 Twarres received an Edison for best new group. The second album was called CD². The sound is rich and harmonious, with vocals at the centre and acoustic instruments such as piano and violin. At the end of 2003 the group gave its last concert, in the old dairy factory in Warga where it all began.

Influence

The band later returned, but Van der Veen left in 2007 for health reasons. Timmer started a solo career as Mir in 2006. In 2017 Twarres consisted of Timmer and the brothers Julian and Kristian Dijkstra, who recorded the single Fûgelfrij. Twarres showed that a Frisian title and lyrics could reach a large audience.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2001Stream
• 2002CD²

Mentioned in other articles

• Wêr bisto SongIn 2000, Wêr bisto was released, by the duo Twarres from the Frisian village of Warga.