Johan, (sometimes stylized as JOHAN or JHN) is a Dutch band fronted by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jacob de Greeuw.[1] Their music has been influenced by bands such as The Beatles,[2]Crowded House, and The Byrds.[3] The band has released 6 albums to date, and has had a rotating lineup over the years, with de Greeuw being the only consistent member.
History
Jacco de Greeuw founded Thank God For Us in the late eighties, after having played in several other bands. The band was renamed Little Mary Big when joined by Marike Groot. With this band, he reached second place at the Grote Prijs van Nederland, an important music competition in the Netherlands. However, arguments with female vocalist Marike Groot (who later appeared on Always..., the debut album of The Gathering), forced them to break up the band. De Greeuw formed a new band named Visions of Johanna after a Bob Dylansong. In 1992 they competed once again in the Grote Prijs competition, reaching the semi-finals this time.[citation needed]
After some changes in the line-up, the band signed a contract with Excelsior Recordings in 1995 and released the single "Swing". One year later, in 1996, the band's name was shortened to Johan, as a subtle reference to Johan Cruyff.[4] Under this name the band released a self-titled debut album. The album was received well by Dutch critics and became a commercial success.
SpinART Records signed the band for the US region. When record executive Seymour Stein heard the band's music he became interested, and travelled to the Netherlands to hear the band play. He wanted to release the album on Sire Records. The CD's had already been pressed with the Sire label, but for unknown reasons the deal didn't go through at the last moment, and the CD's were destroyed.[5]
The band planned to record its second release in 1998, but De Greeuw's clinical depression took its toll. Three more years would pass before Pergola was released, in 2001. The album received positive reviews and got a lot of airplay on national radio stations. That summer Johan featured on the Pinkpopfestival. The following year the band even received the Dutch Edison award for Best National Pop Group.[citation needed]
After an international tour, hardly any news was heard from Johan until 2004, when members Wim Kwakman and Diederik Nomdem left the band. Jeroen Kleijn stepped up and became the band's new drummer, and Diets Dijkstra became the band's bassist. After this Johan started playing live again, and recorded its third album, THX JHN, which was released in May 2006.[citation needed]
The first single of the album, "Oceans", became a great success. This was helped by the song's video, in which an actual fan from Argentina travels from her home country to the Netherlands to see Johan play live. The theme of fans thanking Johan is also applied to the album's booklet, where various fans from other countries appear. The single peaked at 67 on the Dutch Single Top 100, and stayed on the chart for 6 weeks.[6]
Johan played a sold-out club tour and released two more successful singles, "Walking Away" and "She's Got A Way With Men". Through a deal with V2 Records the album was also released in Germany and Italy. Although the album deal for the debut with Sire fell through in the '90s, the band still has a steady following in the US.[citation needed]
The fourth album, titled 4, was scheduled to be released on 22 December 2008, but was eventually released on 30 April 2009, breaking with the tradition of a new record every five years, as 4 was released less than three years after THX JHN.
On 26 August 2009 Johan announced they were disbanding at the end of 2009, with de Greeuw declaring that he wanted to pursue different musical ventures.[7] The band went on a farewell tour that they called "The Last Round" and on 22 December they played their last show, at Paradiso in Amsterdam. At this show they received a gold record for Pergola. A DVD of their last show was to be released at the end of 2010, but this has not happened to date.[citation needed]
On 11 January 2018 the band's new album Pull Up was announced together with some tour dates. The bands fifth, titled Pull Up, was released on 13 April 2018. It is the bands highest charting album to date, peaking at 6 on the Dutch Album Top 100, and staying on the chart for 6 weeks.[8][9] The band performed the song "About Time" at De Wereld Draait Door, a Dutch talk show, to promote the album.
On 4 March 2022 Johan announced that the latest tour would be cancelled, citing the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place at the time.[10]
The band's latest album, titled The Great Vacation, was released on January 26 2024. It was the first album where de Greeuw didn't write all the songs by himself, instead he and guitarist Robin Berlijn wrote all the songs on the album together.[11] In a run-up to the release of the album, a mini documentary was released about the creative process that went in to making the album.[12] A tour is currently taking place and is set to conclude in November.[13]
Line-up
Current members
Jacco de Greeuw: lead singer, guitar (1996–2009, 2018–present)
