Gonny Buurmeester (born 14 October 1970), known professionally as Maxine, is a Dutch singer. She is known for representing 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 the

Eurovision Song Contest 1996 The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 18 May 1996 at the in Oslo, Norway. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (NRK) and presented by Norwegian journalis ...

, together with

Franklin Brown Franklin Kroonenberg (born 11 March 1961), known professionally as Franklin Brown, is a Dutch singer and voice actor. He is known for representing the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, together with Maxine, with the song "De eerste ...

Career

Born in 1970, Maxine grew up in

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 ...

and later moved to

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

. At the age of fifteen, she started taking singing lessons in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium. Her first single was a cover of the song "A Love So Beautiful" by

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

. In 1996, she entered 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 Dutch national selection for 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 ...

– together with

. Their entry "

De eerste keer The Netherlands was represented by duo Maxine and Franklin Brown, with the song "De eerste keer", at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Oslo on 18 May. Before Eurovision Nationaal Songfestival 1996 Five acts participated i ...

" went on to win the competition, giving them the right to represent the Netherlands in the

held in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway. They finished in seventh place with 78 points. After the contest, Maxine pursued a solo career. In 2000, she was a contestant in '' Big Brother VIPs''.

Discography

Singles

* "

" (1996) – with

* "Als je weet wat je wilt" (1996) * "Nooit meer alleen" (1997) * "Waanzin" (1997) * "African Dream" (1999) * "Free (Let It Be)" (2003) – with Stuart * "Fuel to Fire" (2003) – with Stuart * "Steeds weer" (2007) – with Franklin Brown * "Balsem voor het hart" (2012) – with Franklin Brown

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxine 1970 births Living people Musicians from Rotterdam Nationaal Songfestival contestants Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1996 20th-century Dutch women singers 21st-century Dutch women singers 21st-century Dutch singers