Glenda Hulita Elisabeth Batta (born 19 June 1978), known professionally as Glennis Grace, is a Dutch singer. In 2005, she represented the Netherlands in the 50th edition of the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

, and in 2018 she appeared on the 13th season of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'' and made it to the finals. Glennis Grace has received online attention due to the similarity between her voice and that of

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Life and career

Batta was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

to a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

mother and a father from

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

. She was discovered in 1994, at the age of 15, after she won the Dutch TV talent show called ''

Soundmixshow ''Soundmixshow'' is a Dutch talent show which was a live-vocals version of the '' Playback Show''. It aired from 17 November 1985 to 27 April 2002 and was hosted by Henny Huisman. The format has since been sold to other countries,Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

song "''

One Moment in Time "One Moment in Time" is a sentimental ballad by American singer Whitney Houston and written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, produced by Narada Michael Walden for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea. It was released by Arista ...

''".

Eurovision Song Contest

In 2005, Glennis Grace accepted the offer to participate in the ''

Nationaal Songfestival (; ) was an annual music competition, which was originally organised by the Dutch public broadcaster (NTS), and later by the (NOS) and (TROS). It was staged almost every year between 1956 and 2012 to determine the country's entry for the Eu ...

'', the national selection in 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 ...

for the Eurovision Song Contest 200''5''. Glennis Grace performed the ballad "

My Impossible Dream The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "My Impossible Dream" written by Robert D. Fisher and Bruce Smith. The song was performed by Glennis Grace. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) org ...

" and won the final with this song. She then represented the Netherlands in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, but ultimately did not qualify for the final. In April 2011, she reached the top of the Dutch singles chart with a rendition of "Afscheid''"'', a 1998 hit song of the Dutch band

Volumia! Volumia! was a band from Heerlen, Netherlands. They started as a cover band and later developed an original repertoire of Dutch songs. The band existed from 1993 until 2002. They reached the Dutch Top 40 many times, scored a number of awards and g ...

, which she sang in the Dutch television program ''

Beste Zangers ''Beste Zangers'', formerly ''De beste zangers van Nederland'' (English: ''The Best Singers (of the Netherlands)''), is a Dutch reality television show by public broadcaster AVROTROS (a merger of AVRO and TROS, both part of the Netherlands Pu ...

''. In 2012, Glennis Grace founded the Dutch supergroup

Ladies of Soul The Ladies of Soul is a Dutch supergroup that was founded by Candy Dulfer, Berget Lewis, Glennis Grace and Edsilia Rombley. Trijntje Oosterhuis, a former founding member, left in 2017 to focus on hesolo-career History Origins The Ladies of So ...

, together with fellow Dutch artists Candy Dulfer,

Berget Lewis The Ladies of Soul is a Dutch supergroup that was founded by Candy Dulfer, Berget Lewis, Glennis Grace and Edsilia Rombley. Trijntje Oosterhuis, a former founding member, left in 2017 to focus on hesolo-career History Origins The Ladies of So ...

Edsilia Rombley Edsilia Francisca Rombley (born 13 February 1978) is a Dutch singer and television presenter. She began her career in 1995, as a member of the Dutch girl group Dignity. Rombley began her solo career in 1996, after winning the Dutch talent show ''S ...

and

Trijntje Oosterhuis Judith Katrijntje "Trijntje" Oosterhuis (; born 5 February 1973) is a Dutch singer and songwriter. She formed the band Total Touch in 1990 with her brother Tjeerd Oosterhuis before she started as a solo singer. She represented the Netherlands in ...

. Oosterhuis left the group in 2017. Glennis Grace was set to perform during the

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, as an interval act alongside DJ and music producer

Afrojack Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the World' ...

. The event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The performance eventually took place during the rescheduled

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song " Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the ...

, where Grace performed "

Titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

", which was co-produced by Afrojack.

''America's Got Talent''

Glennis Grace appeared on the 13th season of ''

'' in 2018. During the audition rounds (episode: June 27, 2018) Glennis Grace sang

's " ''Run to You''". Glennis Grace received 'Yes' votes from all four judges and went on to the next round, where she performed "''

Nothing Compares 2 U "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family; the song featured on their eponymous 1985 debut album. The song features lyrics exploring feelings of longing from the point of view of an abando ...

''" from

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. She received rave reviews from the judges and earned a place in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Glennis Grace sang " ''Never Enough''" from the film ''

The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American biographical musical drama film directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, ...

'' to reach the semifinals. In the second semifinal, she performed the

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

song "''

This Woman's Work "This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by the British singer Kate Bush. It was originally featured on the soundtrack of the American film ''She's Having a Baby'' (1988). The song was released as the second single from her album '' ...

''". This resulted in a spot in the finals together with nine other finalists. In the final she sang the song " ''Run''" from

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

and got a standing ovation from the judges and the audience. A day later in a separate final broadcast Glennis Grace performed the song " Meant To Be" with American singer

Bebe Rexha Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...

. She eventually did not make it into the top five finalists.

''The Voice of Holland''

In July 2021, it was announced that Glennis Grace would replace Jan Smit as a Coach on the twelfth series of ''

The Voice of Holland ''The Voice of Holland'', also known as ''TVOH'', is a Dutch reality TV singing competition, that became a near global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol and musician Roel van Velzen, in the Netherlands airing on RTL 4. ...

''. After two audition episodes aired, the series was suspended indefinitely, due to sexual misconduct claims by (former) participants, allegedly going on for years, and aimed at the show's band leader, but also implying lax behavior of some (ex-)coaches.

Arrested for assault

On February 12, 2022, Glennis Grace was arrested along with two other persons, on suspicion of assaulting supermarket employees in Amsterdam. She was kept in custody for three days, after which she was released on February 15, 2022. She was formally charged on February 22, 2022. The same day, two new suspects were arrested. She was sentenced to 200 hours of community service on November 9, 2022.

Discography

Studio albums

Live

Compilation

Extended plays

Singles

Collaboration

Collaboration: Live

Collaboration: Singles

References

External links

* * *https://web.archive.org/web/20070428105747/http://www.esctoday.com/annual/2005/page/15 *https://web.archive.org/web/20070930040703/http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/4500?PHPSESSID=34c *https://soundcloud.com/glennisgrace *https://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/credits/credit/season-13/glennis-grace {{DEFAULTSORT:Grace, Glennis 1978 births Living people Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the Netherlands Dutch people of Curaçao descent Dutch pop singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2005 Musicians from Amsterdam Talent show winners 21st-century Dutch singers 21st-century Dutch women singers Nationaal Songfestival contestants America's Got Talent contestants