Sandra van Nieuwland

Born February 16, 1977 in Delft, The Netherlands, Dutch pop singer Sandra van Nieuwland (also known as Sandra Newland) was a music student at the University of Groningen before she found her national audience in 2012 while participating on the television talent show The Voice of Holland. Although she lost to eventual winner Leona Philippo, van Nieuwland placed three singles in the Dutch Top Ten before the end of the year: "More," "Keep Your Head Up," and the number one hit "Beggin'." Her debut album, And More, appeared in December 2012. It became a massive success, spending seven weeks at the top of the charts in the Netherlands.
Two additional singles from And More, "New Age" and "Venus," reached the Dutch Top 40 during late 2012 and early 2013. "Hunter," the first single from van Nieuwland's second album, followed in August 2013 and became a Top 20 hit. Banging on the Doors of Love was released in November and debuted at number six on the Dutch album charts -- even while And More continued to chart. Both "Hunter" and second single "Always Alone" were co-written by van Nieuwland. ~ Steve Leggett