Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), known by her stage name Caro Emerald, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with her debut single, "Back It Up". Her follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in the Netherlands. Emerald is often praised for her live performances.
Her debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was released on 29 January 2010. By August 2010, the album had spent its 30th week at number one in the Dutch album charts, setting an all-time record and beating Michael Jackson's "Thriller" by one week. The album became the biggest selling album of 2010 in the Netherlands with over 350,000 copies to date. Worldwide, approximately 2 million copies have been sold to date. On 3 October 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch music prize Edison Award for Best Female Artist. In 2013, a second studio album titled The Shocking Miss Emerald was released. The album entered at number one in the Dutch and United Kingdom album charts and sold over 600,000 copies.