Soul diva Trijntje Oosterhuis has released the Dutch-language album Mensen veel geluk, a musical ode to her father, poet and theologian Huub Oosterhuis.
On the album Mensen veel geluk (“People, much luck”), Trijntje Oosterhuis sings lyrics and poems written by her father Huub Oosterhuis. Huub Oosterhuis is a former priest, poet and theologian, who is known for his spiritual hymns, poems and reform of church liturgy.
In honour of his 85th birthday, Trijntje recorded the album Mensen veel geluk. The singer stated:
As a child I heard the songs of my father. My passion to sing myself started in his church. Now, 40 years later, his texts are still as current as they are timeless. The songs came to live in my heart as points of anchorage in my life. Like a father takes his daughter by the hand and shows her the way in the big world. That is how I sing these songs, with my father as travelling companion.
Priest and father
Huub Oosterhuis was a priest in the Roman Catholic Church and member of the Jesuit Order. He later left the Church and became an independent priest, known for his reform of liturgy and composition of hymns and spiritual songs. The socially engaged theologian also founded several cultural-political centres.
He married nurse Jozefien Melief, becoming the father of musicians Tjeerd Oosterhuis (husband of Edsilia Rombley, Eurovision 1998 and 2007) and Trijntje Oosterhuis.
Mensen veel geluk features 24 songs from among the more of 500 written by Huub Oosterhuis. Trijntje Oosterhuis is accompanied on the album by pianist Hans Vroomans.
Ken Je Mij
One of the songs on the album is Ken je mij (“Do you know me”), written in the year that Trijntje was born, with music composed by Stijn van der Loo. Originally sung in church, is has made its way into Trijntje’s musical repertoire:
Mensen veel geluk is available now here.
Trijntje Oosterhuis at Eurovision 2015
Trijntje Oosterhuis (born Judith Katrijntje Oosterhuis, Amsterdam, 1973) is a Dutch jazz, pop and soul singer. Regarded as being one of the top female artists of the Netherlands, she has won numerous prizes, and has collaborated with international stars such as Burt Bacharach and Lionel Richie.
Trijntje Oosterhuis represented the Netherlands at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. With the song Walk along, written by artist Anouk (Eurovision 2013), she performed during the first semi-final.
Unfortunately, although placing 5th with the jury vote, Trijntje Oosterhuis did not do so well in the televote and didn’t go through to the Grand Final, reaching a 14th place with 33 points. Afterwards, Trijntje Oosterhuis won the (in)famous Barbara Dex Award for worst dressed participant.
Trijntje later revealed that she had discovered that she was pregnant, besides facing various technical difficulties surrounding her performance. However, she looks back positively on her Eurovision participation.
Enjoy Trijntje Oosterhuis performing Walk along at Eurovision 2015:
