Jacques Houdek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jacques Houdek
Background information
Birth name	Željko Houdek
Also known as	Gospodin Glas ili Mrvica (Mr. Voice)
Born	(1981-04-15) 15 April 1981 (age 44) Velika Gorica, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Genres	Pop soul R'n'B gospel swing jazz blues
Years active	2000–present
Associated acts	Nina Kraljić

Jacques Houdek (born Željko Houdek; 15 April 1981) is a famous Croatian singer. He is known for his powerful voice. In 2017, he represented Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. His song was called "My Friend".

Jacques started his music career in 2000. Since then, he has released many albums. Several of his albums have won awards. He is also a mentor on the TV show The Voice in Croatia. He helped Nina Kraljić win the first season of the show. Jacques can sing in many languages. These include Croatian, English, Italian, and French.

Early Life and Learning

Jacques Houdek was born as Željko Houdek on April 15, 1981. His hometown is Velika Gorica. His last name comes from the Czech language.

He went to music school for piano. Then, he studied both music (singing) and hairdressing in high school. He also took singing lessons. His teacher wanted him to become an opera singer. After high school, in 2001, he went to the famous Berklee College of Music. He also improved his singing at workshops in Europe. There, he learned from Donna McElroy, a singer nominated for a Grammy Award.

Music Career

Jacques Houdek had his first concert in Zagreb in 2000. He sang cover songs. His first song, "Čarolija" (Magic), came out in 2002. He performed it at Dora. This is Croatia's contest to choose a song for Eurovision.

A music expert named Zdravko Šljivac noticed him. He said Jacques was a very rare talent. Soon after, Jacques signed a contract with Croatia Records. This is a big music company. He has released 13 albums with them. In 2004, he was the singing voice of Aladdin in the Croatian version of the Aladdin movies.

Jacques also sang for some political campaigns. He said these were just professional jobs. He stated he was not involved in politics himself.

In 2011, Jacques competed in the Open Mic UK singing contest in London. He finished fourth in the finals. He also tried out for the British TV show X Factor. He was called "Croatian Sensation" and made it into the top 100. However, he could not continue because he did not get a work permit in time.

In February 2017, Jacques was chosen to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The contest was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. He reached the final with his song "My Friend". He finished 13th in the grand final.

Over the years, Jacques has performed in many famous places. These include the Gavella and Komedija theaters in Zagreb. He also sang at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. He has sold out the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb five times.

Personal Life

Jacques Houdek married Brigita Krkač in 2006. They have two children together. Their daughter Sofija was born in 2006. Their son David was born in 2013.

Music Albums

Jacques Houdek has released many albums. Here are some of them:

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

Songs by Jacques

Songs Featuring Jacques

Awards and Achievements

Jacques Houdek has won many awards for his music. He has won the Croatian music award Porin four times:

• Best new artist
• Best performance by a male singer
• Best album of children's music
• Best Christmas-themed album

He has also been nominated for other Porin awards.

Festival Awards

Jacques has won awards at many music festivals:

• Bihaćki festival (2004, 2006)
• Melodije Kvarnera (Grand Prix, 2004)
• Banjalučki festival (Best vocal performance, 2005)
• Radijski festival BiH (Best Croatian performer, 2005)
• Krapinski festival (2nd jury prize, 2007)
• Radio M, BiH (Best Croatian performer, 2008)
• Mostar (Grand Prix, 2009)
• Budva (Best arrangement and 3rd jury prize, 2009)
• Ohrid fest (1st jury prize, 2009)
• HRF (Musical editors' award, 2009)
• CMC festival (Most played song of the year, 2010)
• Narodni radio (TOP 10 songs of 2016), 2017

TV Shows and Concerts

Jacques Houdek performing in 2008

• 2003 and 2007 – He was a judge on music reality shows 'Story Supernova' and 'Showtime'.
• 2007 and 2010 – He won HRT's show 'Zvijezde pjevaju' (like 'Just the Two of Us').
• 2015 – He was the winning mentor on the TV show 'THE VOICE'.
• He has performed thousands of concerts across Croatia.
• He has supported many charity events.
• Since 2007, he has sold out the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall 12 times.
• He performed a special concert for his 10th career anniversary at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in 2010.
• In 2012, he had a gala concert called 'Jacques Houdek & divas' at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
• In 2016, he played the main role in a children's show called 'Kraš's Sweet Fairytale'. It sold out 23 times!
• Jacques is also a member of the Croatian Composers' Society. He has written many of his own hit songs.

Collaborations

Jacques Houdek has worked with many talented people in music.

Musicians

He has worked with musicians like Goran Kovačić, Robert Vrbančić, Alan Dović, and Kristijan Zebić.

Producers

Some of his producers include Predrag Martinjak, Tihomir Ivanetić, and Bojan Šalomon.

Composers

He has collaborated with composers such as Ante Pecotić, Aleksandra Milutinović, and Aleksandra Kovač.

Conductors

Conductors he has worked with include Zdravko Šljivac and Alan Bjelinski.

Ensembles

He has performed with groups like the Girls' Choir 'Zvjezdice' and the Children's choir 'Klinci s Ribnjaka'. He has also worked with the Zagreb Soloists and the Croatian Radiotelevision Jazz Orchestra.

Singers

Jacques has sung with many famous singers. These include Tereza Kesovija, Gabi Novak, Josipa Lisac, Nina Badrić, Vanna, Oliver Dragojević, and Tony Cetinski.

See also

In Spanish: Jacques Houdek para niños