Marco Borsato facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marco Borsato
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Borsato in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marco Roberto Borsato |
| Born | 21 December 1966 Alkmaar, Netherlands |
| Genres | Nederpop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Associated acts | O'G3NE, Iris Kroes |
Marco Roberto Borsato, born on December 21, 1966, is a famous Dutch singer. He was born in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Marco started his singing career performing in Italian. Later, in 1994, he switched to singing in Dutch. For many years, he has been one of the most successful and highest-earning artists in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Marco Borsato has achieved 15 number-one songs in the Netherlands. This is the second-highest number ever, just behind The Beatles. In 1994, his song "Dromen zijn bedrog" was number one for 12 weeks. This was a record for 17 years. It is still the longest-running Dutch language number-one song. Between 2003 and 2008, Marco was the first artist to have nine number-one songs in a row on the Dutch charts. He is considered the most successful Dutch artist ever by the Dutch Top 40. He was also the most successful male artist for over ten years.
Borsato has also had 11 number-one albums in the Netherlands. All of these albums have sold enough copies to be certified at least Platinum. Every studio album he released from 1995 to 2013 went straight to number one. He also has six number-one albums in Belgium. In 2022, his music was removed from Dutch public radio stations.
Contents
Early Life and Interests
Marco Roberto Borsato was born in Alkmaar. His parents are Roberto Borsato and Mary de Graaf. He has a brother named Armando and a sister named Sylvana. His father is Italian. After his parents divorced, Marco's family moved to Italy. His father opened a restaurant in Garda. Marco spent a lot of time in Italy and speaks Italian very well.
When Marco was twelve, he wanted to become a sushi chef. Even though he grew up with Italian food, he loved Japanese cuisine. As he got older, he went to school during the week. On weekends, he worked in a restaurant.
Music Career Highlights
Marco Borsato started his music career in 1990. He won a Dutch talent show called Soundmixshow. He sang "At This Moment" by Billy Vera. At that time, he was still working as a chef. Winning the show helped him get a record deal. He released three albums in Italian: Emozioni, Sento, and Giorno per giorno.
Becoming a Star
In 1994, Marco became very popular when he started singing in Dutch. His songwriting partner, John Ewbank, suggested this change. His first Dutch song, "Dromen Zijn Bedrog" ("Dreams Are Deceptive"), became number one in the Netherlands. It stayed there for 12 weeks and sold over 240,000 copies. This broke the record for the longest time at number one on the Dutch chart. Marco held this record until 2011. His second song, "Waarom Nou Jij," also reached number one on the Dutch Top 40.
His fifth album, Als geen ander, came out in 1995. It sold very well and became his first number-one album in the Netherlands. In 1997, Borsato released De waarheid. This album also went straight to number one and stayed there for seven weeks. His seventh album, De bestemming, came out in 1998. It also debuted at number one. The song "De bestemming" became his third number-one single. "Binnen," from his eighth album Luid en duidelijk, reached number one in 1999. The album came out in 2000 and was number one for eight weeks. In 2001, "Lopen op het water" became his fifth number-one song.
Success in the 21st Century
From 2003 to 2008, Marco Borsato had an amazing run. He recorded nine number-one songs in a row on the Dutch charts. No other artist has done this.
Marco's ninth album, Zien, was released in 2004 as a DVD. It included three number-one songs, like "Wat zou je doen?" with Dutch rapper Ali B. In 2006, he released a live album called Symphonica in Rosso. All three songs from this album also reached number one. This included a song with Andrea Bocelli and another with Lucie Silvas. The album was number one in the Netherlands.
His tenth album, Wit licht, came out in 2008. It was number one for six weeks. All three songs from it, "Wit licht," "Stop de tijd," and "Dochters," reached number one. This gave Marco 14 number-one songs in his career and nine in a row.
In 2009, Marco faced financial difficulties when his company, The Entertainment Group, went bankrupt.
Marco's eleventh album, Dromen durven delen, was released in 2010. It also debuted at number one and stayed there for five weeks. His album Duizend spiegels in 2013 also debuted at number one. However, his thirteenth album Evenwicht in 2015 reached number two. This was the first time since 1994 that a Marco Borsato studio album did not debut at number one. The main song from his fourteenth album Thuis reached number 27 in 2017. But the album itself became his eleventh number-one album in the Netherlands.
Recent Career and Break
In 2019, Marco Borsato released the song "Hoe het danst" with Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren and singer Davina Michelle. This was his first number-one song in 11 years. It was his fifteenth number-one song on the Dutch Top 40. "Hoe het danst" was named the biggest hit of 2019 by the Dutch Top 40.
In May and June 2019, Marco performed five concerts at De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. This was the first time he played there in 15 years. With these concerts, he had performed 14 times at De Kuip. This broke The Rolling Stones' record of 10 concerts at the venue. In October 2019, Borsato had his 40th top 40 hit with "Lippenstift." This made him the seventh musical act to achieve this.
In January 2020, Marco Borsato announced he was taking a break from his career. He canceled several planned concerts and an album of duets. He returned in March 2021 with the song "Een moment." This song featured Rolf Sanchez and John Ewbank. In December 2021, Marco canceled a planned tour.
Other Roles
Marco Borsato was an ambassador for the Dutch organization War Child. This charity helps children in areas affected by war. He started this role in 1998. In February 2004, he traveled to Afghanistan as an ambassador. He met with the Afghani president, Hamid Karzai. That year, he also recorded the number-one song "Wat zou je doen" with Ali B. All the money from this song went to War Child. He stopped being an ambassador for War Child on December 14, 2021.
In 2011, he became a judge on the Dutch talent show The Voice of Holland and The Voice Kids. He left The Voice of Holland in 2016. In 2018 and 2019, he was a judge on The Voice Senior. In 2020, Marco announced he would leave The Voice Kids.
Personal Life
Marco Borsato married Dutch TV personality Leontine Ruiters in 1998. They have three children: Luca (born 1998), Senna (born 2001), and Jada (born 2002). In February 2020, the couple announced they were getting divorced after 22 years of marriage.
In 2022, Marco's music was removed from radio stations operated by NPO, Talpa, and Qmusic. His wax figure at the Madame Tussauds Amsterdam museum was also removed.
Awards and Honours
Honours
- 2004: Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This was for his contributions to Dutch music and his work with War Child Netherlands.
Awards
- 1996 – 2006: Won a TMF Award eleven times for best Dutch singer.
- 1997: Edison Award, two times (Best Singer, Best Single of the Year).
- 1999: Golden Harp (with John Ewbank).
- 2000: Hitkrant Award, for the song Binnen ("Inside").
- 2000: Honorary Award for Best Album (Luid en Duidelijk ("Loud and Clear")) and Best Singer.
- 2001: Edison Award (Best Singer).
- 2010: Twitteraar van het Jaar (Best Twitter user).
Discography
- Emozioni (1990)
- Sento (1991)
- Giorno per giorno (1992)
- Marco (1994)
- Als geen ander (1995)
- De waarheid (1997)
- De bestemming (1998)
- Luid en duidelijk (2000)
- Onderweg (2002)
- Zien (2004)
- Symphonica in Rosso - Live CD (2006)
- Wit licht (2008)
- Dromen durven delen (2010)
- Duizend spiegels (2013)
- Evenwicht (2015)
- Thuis (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Marco Borsato para niños
