Nick & Simon are a Dutch pop duo who made their recording debut in 2006 and soon began topping the national charts with regularity. The duo is comprised of Nick Schilder (born November 6, 1983) and Simon Keizer (May 16, 1984), both of whom are natives of Volendam, Netherlands, a small town with a rich musical tradition. Schilder and Keizer first began working together in the band of schlager superstar Jan Smit (aka Jantje Smit), a fellow Volendam native. While Smit had first topped the Dutch singles chart back in 1997 at age 12, his popular had waned steadily since then. In collaboration with Schilder and Keizer, however, Smit experienced a resurgence in popularity during 2005. That year he released two singles co-written by Keizer, "Boom Boom Bailando" and "Laura," which were smash hits, reaching numbers nine and one, respectively, on the singles chart. In successive years Smit enjoyed additional smash hits written in collaboration with Keizer, including the chart-topping singles "Als de Morgen Is Gekomen" and "Cupido" in 2006 and "Op Weg Naar Geluk" and "Dan Volg Je Haar Benen" in 2007. In the meantime, Schilder and Keizer had put together an act of their own and released their full-length album debut, Nick & Simon (2006). Featuring a series of hit singles ("Steeds Weer," "Verloren," "Vaarwel Verleden," "Herwinnen"), the eponymous album debuted in the Top Ten of the Dutch albums chart. Impressively, it would chart for over two years. Its longevity was spurred on by the even greater popularity of Nick & Simon's follow-up album, Vandaag (2007), which topped the albums chart and spawned another series of hit singles: the chart-toppers "Pak Maar M'n Hand" and "Hoe Lang?," plus the Top Five hits "Kijk Omhoog" and "Rosanne." Third album Luister (2009) was no less successful, topping the albums chart and spawning another round of number one smash hits ("Vallende Sterren," "De Dag Dat Alles Beter Is"). ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
