UU student goes to battle rounds on The Voice of Holland

Participating in The Voice of Holland was a spur-of-the-moment decision, made in the middle of a lecture, when his father texted him to say a new season of the talent show would begin soon. "I thought: 'Why not? I can only learn from the experience, and I would like to continue making music.'"

Thijs started taking piano lessons around the age of nine, but he soon abandoned them to play the instrument by ear. He started singing and writing his first songs at 17, but he chose not to study music. "It did cross my mind at the time, but I didn't want to limit myself to a specific direction. Instead, I wanted to see how music would develop alongside my studies." That's how he ended up in the Liberal Arts & Sciences programme at University College Utrecht.

Suspicious housemates
It didn't take long for Thijs to choose a song for his blind audition. He knew it would be Tom Odell's Another Love, "a beautiful, well-constructed song" that has been extensively used in footage of the war in Ukraine. "That war is close to my heart, and I wanted to convey that emotion."

Besides, the song has a special meaning for Thijs. Once, during a dinner, a guy told him that he should sing it someday. That person later became his boyfriend, and they're still together. Another Love reminds Thijs of the day they first met.

Emotion
Thijs practised every day for his audition. "At first, I thought that the more I practised, the less emotion I would be able to put into the song," he says, but the opposite turned out to be true. "The more you practise, the easier it is to sing and play, and the more emotion you can convey."

The show's organisers asked him to keep his participation a secret, but Thijs sang the song so often that his housemates asked him if he had a gig coming up. "I replied that I was going to perform it in a small bar in Utrecht, but then they asked me if they could come and watch. I had to come up with another story as to why they couldn't do it."

Blind Audition
Thijs liked that the coaches had their backs turned to him during his blind audition. "It felt more like a concert for my family, who were sitting in the audience. When I started playing, a weight was lifted from my shoulders."

Thijs hadn't even finished the second line of the song when coaches Suzan and Freek turned around, followed by the other coaches. That was a complete surprise to him. "I didn't have any expectations for my audition. You just don't know beforehand." He had only decided to sing as well as he could and hope that at least one coach would turn around.

The coaches even asked him to play some of his own music after the audition. "That was fantastic. It was great to hear that five people, all of whom are very successful in the music industry, really liked my performance."

He performed playing piano, but he hopes to feel comfortable onstage even without the instrument. "It all started with the piano for me, and it felt very natural to use it, but playing and singing at the same time is a huge challenge."

In the end, Thijs chose coach Dinand Woesthoff. "I went into it with an open mind and based my decision on the feedback I received. I had the impression that Dinand was the coach who best understood where I want to go as an artist."

After the blind auditions were broadcast on 23 January, many media outlets wrote about Thijs. His audition has been watched many times since.

Part of the week
Thijs only told a few people about his participation in The Voice. His mentor and teachers knew about it, but he still took an exam the day before the blind auditions were recorded. "It was just part of the week," he says matter-of-factly.

As a precaution, Thijs decided to take one less course while preparing for the show. Combining his studies with rehearsals felt quite intense, but he says "it wasn't a problem because it was all about positive energy."

Lots of people have gotten in touch with Thijs after his blind audition was aired. He even got messages from people he no longer spoke to. "When I was in third grade, I performed in class with my keyboard. After the audition, I got a text from my primary school teacher telling me how much she enjoyed it."

Many people also told Thijs that he seemed very relaxed during his audition. "Nothing could be further from the truth,’ he laughs, "I was incredibly nervous.’" After all, he doesn't have a lot of experience onstage. "I had sung at open mic nights in front of about sixty people, but that's nothing compared to The Voice, which millions of people watch."

Thijs has also been approached on the street a few times by strangers who recognised him from TV. "Being recognised is funny, but at the end of the day, it's about the music. I love it when people are moved by my singing and music."

He is currently working on an album. "It connects personal experiences with topics like technology, climate change and growing up in the 21st century." 

Thijs hopes to complete his bachelor's degree this year. Asked whether he would like to get a master's degree, he says he would rather "be an artist and continue making music. That's what makes me happiest."

The four Battle Rounds episodes will start airing on 13 March. In this round, Thijs will compete against an opponent, and only one of them will advance to the next round. The episode in which Thijs will appear will be announced at a later date.