Klaasje Meijer
Klaasje Meijer | |
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![]() Meijer in 2019 | |
Born | Klaasje Ietje Meijer March 2, 1995 |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2015-present |
Klaasje Ietje "Alieke" Meijer (born 2 March 1995) is a Dutch singer, actress and flautist. Meijer rose to fame as one of the members of the Belgian-Dutch girl group K3, where she sang from 2015 until 2021, replacing Josje Huisman. In 2022, Meijer won the SBS6 reality game show The Big Balance.[1]
Early life
[edit]Meijer was born in the village of Lutjegast in Groningen as the eldest child of a Dutch reformed vicar and a music teacher. She was named after her maternal grandmother,[2] but acquired the nickname Alieke. Throughout her childhood and college time, she was known by family and friends as Alieke Meijer.[3] As a child, she frequently moved across the country as a result of her father's profession. The family initially lived in Nieuwendijk in Noord-Brabant, but moved to 's-Gravenzande, where she completed her VWO certificate.[3][4] She applied to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she started studying classical music and flute, but later quit her studies.[5]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]During her childhood, Meijer alongside her mother and younger sisters performed in a group together known locally as the Meijer Quintet. They performed at weddings and anniversaries.[3] At the age of 16, she was featured on the Zapp programme Kinderen voor Kinderen Klinkklaar as a singer-songwriter because she had made a cover of the choir's song "Meidengroep".[6] As a flautist at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, she performed a composition of a twelve-year-old composer that later won the audience and first prize in the Prinses Christina Concours in 2015.[7]
K3 Zoekt K3 and time in K3
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Klaasje_-_K3_Show.jpg/220px-Klaasje_-_K3_Show.jpg)
In early 2015, Meijer auditioned for K3 Zoekt K3, a television talent show that sought to replace Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke and Josje Huisman as the outgoing members of the Belgian-Dutch girl group K3. She used her first name "Klaasje" instead of "Alieke" while applying.[8] During the televised audition, Meijer sang the group's 2001 single "Je hebt een vriend" and managed to persuade the audience and jury to progress to the next round. Meijer was an early favourite during the show's run, partially caused by her name and back story being coincidentally similar to the existing K3 members.[9] De Telegraaf profiled her as someone that had tactfully tried to pose herself as a copy of blonde Dutch member Josje Huisman.[10] Meijer eventually made it to the first live show where she progressed directly to the second show after her trio with Marthe De Pillecyn and Lauren De Ruyck won the televoting in the first round. During the second live show, she progressed after the second round after being saved by the jury. She progressed directly from the semi-final to the final after her duet with Lauren De Ruyck received the most votes. In the final of 6 November 2015, she beat her fellow Dutch counterpart Jindra van Schaik into becoming the new blonde member of the group. With red-haired member Hanne Verbruggen and black-haired Marthe De Pillecyn, Meijer completed the new line-up of K3.[11]
With K3, Meijer released the single and album 10.000 luchtballonnen, which became one of the group's most successful records at the time. In 2016, the group won Radio 2 Zomerhit for their single "Ushaia".[12] Meijer debuted as a television presenter on Iedereen K3 that same year. Meijer debuted as an actress in the group's first new motion picture K3 Love Cruise, which was released in December 2017. She starred in a second television series with the group, K3 Roller Disco, in 2018 and in a second film, Dans van de Farao, in 2020. During her time in K3, Meijer served several seasons as a coach on the Flemish version of The Voice Kids.
On 9 February 2021, Gert Verhulst and K3 announced during a press conference that Meijer had decided to leave the group.[13][14] She later also stated that she had grown out of her role in K3 as a person and that she wanted to start an "adult life".[15] Her departure lead to criticism as it was the second time in the group's history that the blonde member decided to go solo after Kathleen Aerts decided to leave the group in 2009.[16] Meijer was eventually replaced by Julia Boschman, who had won K2 Zoekt K3, a television show to find a replacement for Meijer.[17]
Solo career
[edit]Meijer appeared in De Slimste Mens Ter Wereld in 2021, but was eliminated after one episode.[18] She subsequently took part in the SBS6 reality game show The Big Balance, in which celebrities challenge each other on slacklining, with the main challenge in the final to slackline across the Johan Cruijff Arena.[1] Meijer won the final of the show on New Year's Day in 2022, being the only celeb to be able to fully cross the stadium.[19]
In 2022, she was the Scorpion on the second season of The Masked Singer in Flanders.[20] Meijer debuted as Jitske in her first solo acting role in the film Boeien!.[21] She performed a Grease medley at the Kinderprinsengrachtconcert in August 2022.[22] In 2023, she appeared in the Dutch television game show Alles is Muziek.
Personal life
[edit]Meijer moved to Rotterdam in 2020.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dit is de winnaar van The Big Balance". telegraaf.nl. De Telegraaf. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Opa en oma trots op kleindochter Klaasje van K3 zoekt K3". destreekkrant.nu. De Streekkrant. 3 November 2015.
- ^ a b c HL. "Zeldzame beelden in 'Overal K3': "Toen ons Klaasje nog Alieke heette"". HLN.be. Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ PMN (13 June 2018). "Maar zo cute! Klaasje heeft een hartverwarmende boodschap voor haar zus Berdien". showbizz24.be. Showbizz24. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Cardoen, Sandra (14 September 2017). "Klaasje is het eerste K3'tje dat zelf muziek speelt op nieuw album". vrt.be. VRT. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Even voorstellen… Het RAZtertje editie 24" (PDF). Rotterdamaanzee. Rotterdam Aan Zee. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Prijzen voor CvA-studenten op Prinses Christina Compositieconcours". conservatoriumvanamsterdam. Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Foppen, Chanan. "Dít is de echte naam van K3's Klaasje". Libelle.nl. Libelle. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Jonk, Erik. "K3 wordt Amsterdams". metronieuws.nl. Metro. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "'Straks transgender in K3'". YouTube.com. De Telegraaf. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Redactie. "Hanne, Klaasje en Marthe zijn de nieuwe K3". AD.nl. Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Cadroen, Sandra. "K3 wint Zomerhit 2016 met "Ushuaia"". vrt.be. VRT. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Segers, Maxine. "Klaasje stopt met K3, zoektocht naar nieuw K'tje (m/v) op stapel". ad.nl. Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "KLAASJE STOPT MET K3". zapp.nl. NPO Zapp. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ IL. "Waarom Klaasje Meijer K3 verliet: "Je krijgt gewoon een rolomschrijving"". hln.be. Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Fans schateren om vertrek van nóg een blondine uit K3". rtlboulevard.nl. RTL Boulevard. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Brabantse Julia Boschman (19) wint talentenjacht K2 zoekt K3". nos.nl. NOS. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ De Smytere, Wout. "De hond van Studio 100 en de koffie van Peter De Graef: dit was 'De slimste mens ter wereld'". Nieuwsblad.be. Het Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "FINALE: Balanceren in de nok van de Johan Cruijff ArenA | The Big Balance". YouTube.com. SBS6. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ SSM/MVO. "Bekijk hier de ontmaskering van Schorpioen én alle optredens uit 'The Masked Singer'Bekijk hier de ontmaskering van Schorpioen én alle optredens uit 'The Masked Singer'". hln.be. Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Jonk, Erik. "Klaasje Meijer in film Boeien!: 'K3 nooit vergeten en op naar het buitenland'". metronieuws.nl. Metro. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Eline van Dijk, Klaasje Meijer & Buddy Vedder - 'Grease Medley' | Kinderprinsengrachtconcert 2022". YouTube.com. AVROTROS.
- ^ "K3-Klaasje neemt volgende stap in relatie met vriend Max". rtlboulevard.nl. RTL Boulevard. Retrieved 2 October 2022.