Eva Simons. Courtesy Nasimi Sessions
Eva Simons. Courtesy Nasimi Sessions

Everything you need to know about Eva Simons



If you own a radio, chances are you have heard Eva Simons blaring from it at some point during the past five years.

The Dutch vocalist has scored monster hits, solo and alongside superstars such as will.i.am and Afrojack. Speaking from the Amsterdam home she shares with her husband, producer and frequent collaborator Sidney Samson (where she says they diplomatically “take turns” on the stereo), 31-year-old Simons looks back on her life and career highs.

Simons first found fame as lead singer of girl group Raffish, which emerged from Dutch reality-TV show, Popstars: The Rivals. Now she has come full circle – she is on the jury of the Netherlands's Idols.

“I’m on the other side now and it’s pretty, pretty intense, because I know how it feels to be on that spot. You really try hard not to hurt people – but if they’re really not good, you do have to tell them.”

She became an international hit in 2009 with her first single Silly Boy, which listeners originally mistook for Rihanna.

“It exploded like crazy – it got me a worldwide deal,” she recalls. “Immediately I was on this platform. After that I started working with all these DJs – it became really easy to get in contact with people, because they knew who I was.”

One of the first people she called was Afrojack.

"I'm always looking for new tunes and new vibes. I just contacted Afrojack and said, 'I like this bleepy thing you do – we should make a song'. We wrote [2010's] Take Over Control and my label thought it was rubbish. So Afrojack released it, and it became a massive hit."

Later that same year, she hit the UK No1 spot, featuring on will.i.am's This Is Love.

“Working with Will, we found out we were both supergeeks, he really likes to geek out in the studio – it’s really fun to work with him.”

In 2014 she married Samson, who has produced her last three singles – Celebrate the Rain, Policeman and Bludfire.

“We have studios next to each other so he always comes in like, ‘Hey, what you cooking? I think I can produce that’,” she says. “I’m a big fan of his – which is good, when you’re a fan of your own husband.”

• Eva Simons is to take the stage tomorrow at 6.40pm

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Watch live

The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.

You can find out more here

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5