Dino Orpheo Canterburg (born 2 July 1986, in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname' ...

), better known by his stage name Damaru, is a Surinamese singer and rapper. He is best known for his song " Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" with Dutch singer Jan Smit.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Damaru grew up in

, the capital of Suriname, in a family with six children. When he was thirteen years old, he started rapping and singing. His singing talents were a great success. Before he started his solo career, he was member of the bands "Lava Boys" and "New Jack Boys". Damaru derived his stage name from his idol

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

: the second name of this American rapper was "Amaru". Damaru added the letter D, from his name Dino, and his stage name was born.

Suriname

In Suriname, Damaru scored several hits, like "Yu Na Mi Engel" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''You Are My Angel''), "Hey Baby" and "Sranang Koningin" (''Surinam Queen''). In 2007, he scored his biggest hit with " Mi Rowsu" (''My Rose''), a song he had written for his daughter Denoura. It spent nine weeks at the peak position of the Surinam charts. In 2008, Damaru released his first movie: "Mi Rowsu The Movie".

Netherlands

In 2009, Damaru went to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in an attempt to get a break through. He toured the country three months, appeared on television and eventually got a recording contract with the major Dutch hip hop

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

TopNotch TopNotch is a Dutch record label specializing in hip-hop. The label was founded in 1995, and is run by Vincent Patty. After some commercial success (with rap acts such as De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, The Opposites, Def Rhymz, Postmen, and Extince ...

. He released "Mi Rowsu" in the Netherlands and the song reached the 7th position in the

Mega Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the ...

and the 14th position in the Dutch Top 40. Together with Dutch singer Jan Smit Damaru recorded a new version of "Mi Rowsu": " Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" (''My Rose (Garden In My Heart)''). This song reached the peak position in both the Single Top 100 and the Dutch Top 40. In September 2009, the song reached the platinum status (20,000 singles sold). "Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" also won the "Sterren.nl Award" for "Best Song of 2009" and the "100% NL Award" for "Biggest Hit of 2009".

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damaru 1986 births Living people People from Paramaribo 21st-century Surinamese male singers