Magazine articles
featuring Hein Simons
01.01.2023
De Telegraaf 31.12.2022
SYDNEY, NSW - World-renowned singer 'Heintje' Simons, who captured the hearts of many thousands of people as a child with his songs, is currently in Australia performing with the well-known German singer Rainer Helbig in all capitals.
The young Heintje has grown into a tall, handsome young man, but he has not lost his friendly Limburg Dutch accent.
Heintje, now 26, started his singing career at the age of 11 and during the first 6 years of his performances he has acquired more than 40 gold and platinum records, including one in Australia and one in New Zealand.
In West Germany he has sold more records than The Beatles, Bing Crosby or Elvis Presley.
Heintje was born in Heerlen, where his parents had a cafe-restaurant. As a little boy, Heintje loved nothing more than to sing along at the juke-box in the restaurant all day long. He entered a local talent show, which marked the beginning of his singing career.
Heintje has never known a real broken voice. From an early age he was a little tenor
, because he always sang with the chest and not with the head voice, which a soprano usually does.
When he was 17 he took a one year break to transition from young boy to young man.
Due to technical tax reasons, the Simons family - father, mother and three children, of whom Heintje was the middle child - moved just across the border near Vaals to Belgium, where they have lived for the last 12 years.
Heintje's first major successes were in West Germany.
All that time Heintje has continued to sing, he has made new records, and has recently written songs himself, which he plans to do more in the future.
After his successes in West Germany and Belgium, those in the Netherlands followed.
Indonesia
From 11 to 17 years he won more than 40 gold gramophone records.
A great success was his tour through Indonesia, where he performed twice in front of a hall of 40,000 people in Jakarta, among other places, and where he was personally received at home by President Suharto.
Heintje's talents are not limited to singing. He also has some films to his credit, mainly German films.
This is his first time performing in Australia, an 11-man band will accompany him on his Australian tour, as well as renowned German singer Rainer Helbig, who previously conquered Australia with his acclaimed song My heart is at home in Australia
.
Hein is married to a German woman and has a 5-month-old son, Pascal.
For many Dutch people in Australia, Heintje's songs will be a heartwarming memory of the old days in the Netherlands
.