Krezip

Formed in Tilburg, the Netherlands and led by pianist and vocalist -- and chief songwriter, for that matter -- Jacqueline Govaert, Krezip was a rock/pop group that went through a number of changes, both in personnel and label over the course of their career, but managed to keep their heads about them enough to maintain a wide fanbase and strong record sales. Formed while the original members (guitarist Thomas Holthuis and drummer Thijs Romeijn would eventually be replaced) were still in school in 1997, Krezip played a number of festivals to build a reputation, but remained unsigned until 2000. In the meantime, Krezip released -- independently -- an album of demo material, Run Around, in 1999. Warner came calling a year later, and the band was signed to the major label giant, who then released their second official single, "I Would Stay," which became a number one in Belgium and stalled at number two in the Dutch charts. An album followed shortly thereafter (Nothing Less), and the band finished out the year with two more hit singles, and an Edison Award. Two more albums followed on Warner, 2002's Days Like This, and the live CD/DVD, That'll Be Unplugged in 2003, but the band was let go by the label, and Krezip was once again on the hunt for a deal. Sony BMG stepped into the void, and the band was back on track, releasing What Are You Waiting For? in 2005. By this point, the line-up of the band had finally settled, with Jacqueline on piano and vocal, sister Anne on guitar, Joost van Haaren on bass, Bram van den Berg on drums, Jan Peter Hoekstra on guitar, and Annelies Kuijsters on keyboards. Krezip released their fifth studio album, Plug It In, in 2007. The band followed up the release with a national tour.