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Heintje Simons

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Heintje
Heintje in 1970
Background information
Birth nameHendrik Nikolaas Theodoor Simons
Also known asHeintje Simons, Heine Simons
Born (1955-08-12) 12 August 1955 (age 69)
Heerlen, Netherlands[1]
GenresSchlager
Years active1967–present

Hendrik Nikolaas Theodoor "Heintje" Simons (born 12 August 1955) in Heerlen,[2] later known as Hein Simons, is a Dutch schlager singer and actor.[3]

Background

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Heintje was born the son of a coal miner who had to retire because of silicosis, reducing the family to near poverty. The family opened a small café where Heintje used to sing along with the jukebox.[4] When he was 11, he entered a local singing contest. He beat 30 competitors to win the contest. Producer Addy Kleijngeld heard about him and went to audition him at his home. After hearing only a few notes, he took him on as a client and became his manager. Upon becoming wealthy, Heintje moved his family back to his father's birthplace, Neu Moresnet, Kelmis, Liège, Belgium.[4]

He became famous as a child singer, with hit song "Mama" (written by Cesare Andrea Bixio, Bruno Cherubini and Bruno Balz)[5] in 1968, and as a child actor, with his appearances in numerous German films in the 1960s and 1970s (some of these were dubbed into English and also Afrikaans). He enjoyed success with English songs, notable of which is "I'm Your Little Boy".[3] In 1971, The Los Angeles Times described him as, "the hottest property in Europe."[4] The same article quoted the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as saying of him, "No one is bigger in German show business."[4]

His 1967 recording of "Mama" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold record.[6] The following year his debut album Heintje went on to sell over two million copies, resulting in a platinum record award. Other records selling over a million units included "Du sollst nicht weinen", "Heidschi bumbeidschi" and the seasonal album, Weihnachten mit Heintje. His sales in 1968 and 1969 alone totaled over 10 million.[6]

At the age of 20 he also recorded in Afrikaans; his single "Jou Hart Is Weer Myne" reached number 4 on the South African Official Chart in 1975. He was so popular in South Africa that he performed in concert there in the mid 1970s; a 1983 appearance at a concert for South African troops stationed in Namibia attracted negative publicity in his native Netherlands for violating that nation's cultural boycott of the South African apartheid system, leading to him being reprimanded by the United Nations and by Namibian pastor Zephania Kameeta, who called his performance "an immoral [show of] support for apartheid".[7][8][9] In a subsequent interview, he brushed off the criticism, remarking that he was opposed to apartheid, but said, regarding his appearance in South Africa, that he was there as a singer and that it was not his business to get involved in politics. He told the Limburgsch Dagblad:

I am a singer and come to South Africa as an artist. I know that large Dutch companies still do fantastic business with this country. There can be no question of a real boycott. Why should I be the only victim? Besides, I love this country. The nature is incredibly beautiful and the people are very pleasant.[10]

Heintje also gained great popularity in China in the 1980s. As China introduced its "Gaige Kaifang" policy, his 1970 film Heintje-Einmal wird die Sonne wieder scheinen was among the first wave of movies from the capitalist First World to be imported into China and made available to the general urban population. Heintje-Einmal wird die Sonne wieder scheinen, like most of other foreign films imported into China in the 1980s, received unprecedented popularity among Chinese viewers, with the majority of them having never encountered Western culture before under communist rule. His song "Kleine Kinder Kleine Sorgen" in the movie was so popular that it became an important part of an entire generation of Chinese 80s memory. On two occasions (2010 and 2015), Heintje was invited by Beijing Television as guest performer to sing "Kleine Kinder Kleine Sorgen" on BTV's Chinese New Year Gala.[11]

Heintje continued to sing as an adult, billed as "Hein Simons", and is particularly popular in German-speaking countries.[12] More than 40 million Heintje records have been sold worldwide. He has remained in Neu-Moresnet, Kelmis, Liège, Belgium, his father's birthplace. He was married from 1981 to 2014[13] and has three children.[12]

In 2017 he re-launched his career with a CD and video Ich war Heintje performing duets with recordings of his younger self,[14] and leading to a Christmas album Heintje und Ich.[15][16]

In March 2024, he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of black skin cancer.[17]

Discography

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Main article: Heintje Simons discography

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Interview with Hein Simons 2022-01-01
  2. ^ Interview with Hein Simons 2022-01-01
  3. ^ a b "Das erste Mal – Heintje, wie geht es Mama?" (in Dutch). NZZ Folio, The magazine of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. August 2001. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "Europe's Top Singer Faces Crisis at 15" (11 March 1971) Los Angeles Times
  5. ^ "Heintje – "Heintje" (1968, LP)". discogs. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 222–223. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. ^ "„SCHENDING VAN CULTURELE BOYCOT": Heintje en Hermans naar Zuid-Afrika" [“VIOLATION OF CULTURAL BOYCOTT”: Heintje and Hermans to South Africa]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2 March 1983. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Stichting is boos over reis Heintje en Heimans naar Zuid-Afrika" [Foundation is angry about Heintje and Heimans' trip to South Africa]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Rotterdam, Netherlands. 2 March 1983. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  9. ^ "W.F. Hermans en Hein(tje) schenden boycot van Zuid-Afrika" [W.F. Hermans and Hein(tje) violate boycott of South Africa]. Trouw (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands. 2 March 1983. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Hein Simons—op tournee door Zuid-Afrika—bilijft tegen apartheid: 'Ik ben zanger en bemoei me niet met politiek" [Hein Simons—on tour in South Africa—continues to oppose apartheid: 'I am a singer and do not get involved in politics']. Limburgsch Dagblad (in Dutch). Sittard, Netherlands. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  11. ^ ""Heintje" goes China: Fernsehshow zur chinesischen Neujahrsfeier". Belgischer Rundfunk (in German). 10 December 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  12. ^ a b "da music" (in German). Da-music.de. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Heintjes Frau und die Mutter seiner drei Kinder lässt ihn sitzen" [Heintje's wife and mother of his three children leaves him]. Blick (in German). 28 April 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  14. ^ Hein Simons Comeback in Brendenburg on YouTube
  15. ^ "Hein Simons: "Weihnachten mit Heintje" als Duett-Album". schlagerplanet.com. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  16. ^ "Hein "Heintje" Simons stürmt Schlager-Charts". MDR. 5 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Ex-child star Heintje has been diagnosed with cancer". Bluewin. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
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