Luv' were a Dutch

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of wh ...

that scored a string of hit records in

Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

(

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe ...

, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland) as well as Israel, South Africa,

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina and Mexico in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original members were

Patty Brard A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world. In British and American Engl ...

, José Hoebee and

Marga Scheide Margareth "Marga" Scheide (born 15 February 1954 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch singer and former model. She was a member of the girl group Luv'. Alongside Patty Brard and José Hoebee, she scored a string of international hit songs suc ...

. In 1979, Luv' was 'Holland's best export act' and thus received the ' Conamus Export Prize'. The band sold more than seven million records worldwide (singles and albums). Among their greatest hits were: " U.O.Me (Welcome to Waldolala)", "

You're the Greatest Lover "You're the Greatest Lover" is a single by the Dutch girl group Luv'. It was first released in July 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album With Luv' and on compilations ( Luv' Gold, 25 Jaar Na Waldolala, Complet ...

", "

Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

", "

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

" and "

Ooh, Yes I Do "Ooh, Yes I Do" is the ninth single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in the autumn of 1979 by CNR/Carrere Records. The song appears on the group's 1979 third studio album True Luv'. It was a hit in Benelux, Denmark, France, Austria and Ge ...

". The formation went through line-up changes and the original singers reunited several times. They gave a farewell performance on 11 August 2012 in

Spaarnwoude Spaarnwoude is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer and lies about northeast of Haarlem. Overview The village was first mentioned in the first half of the 11th century as Spirnere ...

at the Dutch Valley Festival. Two members of the pop act have had a successful solo career in their homeland:

Patty A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, Serving size, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or Meat analogue, meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world. ...

as a TV personality and

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernac ...

as a vocalist. In 2016, Marga,

and

Ria Thielsch Ria Thielsch (born 25 August 1951 in Manokwari, Netherlands New Guinea) is a former model and an ex-member of the Dutch girl group Luv' (who replaced Patty Brard in 1980). She was officially introduced to the public with the release of the albu ...

(who already replaced

in 1980) decided to relaunch Luv'. In July 2017, the ladies celebrated their 40th anniversary. On 4 January 2019, the group announced another line-up change in

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, ''de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...

: media personality

Chimène van Oosterhout Chimène van Oosterhout (born February 11, 1964 in Willemstad, Curaçao) is a Dutch TV personality, actress and singer. Since 1996, she has been presenting programs on Dutch television ( TROS, Veronica TV, SBS6, Net5 and RTL 4). She was the win ...

replaced

. The renewed trio released a

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin ...

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

single entitled

With Him Tonight "With Him Tonight" is a single by Dutch girl group Luv'. This song performed in English and Spanish was released on July 4, 2019. Luv' had not put out new material since the '' All You Need Is Luv album in 1994. "With Him Tonight" was recorded ...

in July 2019, twenty-five years after their last album All You Need Is Luv'. On 7 February 2020, the group's management informed that Luv' stopped all their activities due to

's ill health.

Biography

Formation

In 1976, record producers

Hans van Hemert Hans van Hemert (born 7 April 1945 in Voorburg, Netherlands) is a Dutch ASCAP award-winning record producer and songwriter. Mouth & MacNeal and Luv' are among the pop acts he produced. He also composed three songs for the Eurovision Song Conte ...

and

Piet Souer Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Souer (born 29 March 1948, Eindhoven) is a Dutch record producer, songwriter and arranger. His collaboration with acts (such as Luv', Mouth & MacNeal, Liesbeth List, Ramses Shaffy, American Gypsy, and Champagne) made him ga ...

, assisted by manager Han Meijer, twenty years before the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

phenomenon, decided to form a

, inspired by the German disco trio

Silver Convention Silver Convention were a German Euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention or Silver Bird. Career The group was initiated in Munich by producers and songwriters Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze. ...

. They had already recorded the music of a self-penned track ("

My Man "Mon Homme" (),also known by its English language, English translation, "My Man", is a popular music, popular song first published in 1920. The song was originally composed by Maurice Yvain with French lyrics by Jacques-Charles (Jacques Mardoch ...

") and were looking for singers. They recruited three women: * José Hoebee, born on 29 March 1954 in

Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

. She started her career as a semi-professional vocalist in the early 1970s as a member of a folk &

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

band, 'Young Tradition', with her two sisters. This formation took part in talent shows, changed its name into 'Elongi' and recorded a single produced by

who suggested José to join Luv'. *

, born on 15 February 1954 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. She was involved in many beauty pageants and appeared on the covers of various artist hit compilations. *

, from

Sorong Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia' ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, born on 25 March 1955, who first worked as a secretary in the office of

who offered her a career in the show business.

1977–1978: Breakthrough

After the singles "

" (#12 in the Netherlands and a Flemish Top 10 hit) and Dream, Dream (which failed to enter the charts) in 1977, Van Hemert was commissioned by

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more ...

television to write the theme song for the

Wim T. Schippers Willem Theodoor "Wim T." Schippers (; born 1 July 1942) is a Dutch artist, comedian, television director, and voice actor. During the 1960s, he worked mostly as a visual artist, associated with the international Fluxus-movement. As a television w ...

-written TV series '' Het is weer zo laat!'' (also known as ''Waldolala''), a spin-off from ''

Van Oekel's Discohoek ''Van Oekel's Discohoek'' was a Dutch television show, aired on VPRO in 1974-1975. The show, written by Wim T. Schippers and produced by Ellen Jens, starred Dolf Brouwers as the comedic character Sjef van Oekel, and parodied music television pr ...

'' (1974). With the help from Souer, he composed " U.O.Me (Welcome to Waldolala)" which was recorded by the girls. Moreover, Luv's appearance performing the song on this TV show during the opening credit was a great publicity stunt. It became an instant hit 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 ...

and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

(

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

) (a Top 5 hit in both countries).

1978–1981: International career

The "

" single was their international breakthrough in 1978 and sold one million copies. Apart from their homeland, Luv' entered the music charts in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. The follow-up singles ("

" (another million-seller), "

", "

"...) were also successful. Their albums were big selling records (especially ''

With Luv' ''With Luv is the first album by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in August 1978 by Phonogram/Philips Records. It includes the hit singles " My Man" (the trio's first record), " U.O.Me" (Luv's breakthrough in Benelux) and the million-seller " Yo ...

'' and '' Lots of Luv'''). In 1978–1979, Luv' was 'Holland's best export act' and received for their entire oeuvre the Export award from Conamus, a foundation dedicated to the promotion and support of Dutch music abroad. In

, the trio was often invited on two popular TV programs: ''

Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

'' and ''

Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' (german: The Music Shop) was a West German music television programme that ran from 13 December 1972 to 29 November 1984. The show continued the 1960s '' Beat-Club'' under a new name, and in turn was replaced by ''Extratour' ...

''. "

" (which sold 500.000 copies in

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

's country and earned a gold certification) was also used for the soundtrack of an episode of '' Derrick TV series''. Two decades later, a dance music oriented cover version of this track by

Loona Loona (commonly stylized in all caps or as LOOΠΔ; ; ja, 今月の少女, Kongetsu no Shōjo, Girl of the Month) is a South Korean girl group formed by Blockberry Creative. The group was introduced to the public through a pre-debut project t ...

renamed "Latino Lover" was a hit single in German-speaking countries (#6 and gold single (250 000 units sold) in Germany, #9 in Austria and #6 in Switzerland in 2000). Some tracks were recorded in Spanish. "Eres Mi Mejor Amante" (a.k.a. "

") was a hit in Spain and "Si, Que Si" (a.k.a. "

") reached the gold status in Mexico. Their songs were also popular behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its ...

, especially in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

. However, records distribution was limited in the Eastern Bloc. Sales were indeed difficult to evaluate in this part of the world. In 1979, the three singers, their producers and their new manager (Han Meijer was replaced by Pim Ter Linde who ran Interlinde Management) changed their strategy for better opportunities. That's why, they founded a limited company, Interluv'/Luv' BV, to control every aspect of their career. They chose a new publisher and a new record company. After a deal with

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet i ...

, they signed a 750.000

Dutch guilder The guilder ( nl, gulden, ) or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from the 15th century until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. The Dutch name ''gulden'' was a Middle Dutch adjective meaning "golden", and reflects the fact that, ...

contract with CNR, a Dutch label affiliated to

Carrere Records Carrere Records (french: Disques Carrère, link=no, ) was a French record label which specialized in Euro disco and rock music. The record company was sold to Warner Music Group in the early 1990s. Early days Claude Carrere started working ...

, a French company. Soon after the release of the " One More Little Kissie" single,

left the band in August 1980. She was replaced by a model and limbo dancer from the Ricardo and The Flames revue,

born on 25 August 1951 in

Manokwari Manokwari is a coastal town and the capital of the Indonesian province of West Papua. It is one of only seven provincial capitals of Indonesia without a city status. It is also the administrative seat of Manokwari Regency. However, under pro ...

. Ria was officially introduced to the public when the " My Number One" single and the '' Forever Yours'' album were released in the fall of 1980. These records sold well in the Netherlands and Belgium. Luv' was supposed to take part in the

World Popular Song Festival The , also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held from 1970 until 1989. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan from 1970 until 1989. The first ed ...

(also known as the "Yamaha Music Festival" and considered as the "Oriental Eurovision") in November 1980 with the song "Be My Lover Tonight". Instead of it, Luv' cancelled their participation to this competition and preferred to perform on the ''

'' TV show in Germany.

1981: Break-up

In March 1981, the girls and their team announced their break-up at the time they had planned to promote their recordings in new territories (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

....). To the public's great surprise, the group made a farewell performance on 22 July 1981 on the ''Nederland Muziekland'' show on

Veronica (TV channel) Veronica is a Dutch free-to-cable commercial television channel currently a part of Talpa TV (Talpa Network). The channel was launched as TV10 Gold on 1 May 1995, then became TV10, Fox, Fox 8 and V8, before becoming Veronica on 20 September ...

by singing "

Tingalingaling "Tingalingaling" (also credited as Tingeling) is the thirteenth single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in the summer of 1981 by CNR/Carrere Records. The song appears on the Forever Yours album and the Goodbye Luv' compilation. It was meant ...

" (which was released as a single). This final broadcast was filmed in

Spakenburg Spakenburg is a Dutch village north of Bunschoten. Spakenburg is formally called Bunschoten-Spakenburg since its fusion with Bunschoten. The village lies south of the IJsselmeer in the municipality Bunschoten, Utrecht. It is one of the few pla ...

. Luv' also appeared at the

Efteling Efteling () is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore. The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature p ...

theme park during Hitkrant's Zomerspelen (a summer

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...

with Dutch celebrities which was organized by

teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry ...

''Hitkrant''). They were expected to sing at a

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

gala in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

but their participation in this show was called off. Then the compilation album ''

Goodbye Luv' ''Goodbye Luv is a compilation album by Dutch girl group Luv' released by CNR/Carrere Records in 1981 after the formation announced its break-up. It features hit singles taken from the studio albums ''True Luv (1979) and '' Forever Yours'' (198 ...

'' (1981) came out.

Comebacks

1988: Samen

In 1988, the original line-up was reunited for a Dutch TV charity show (''Samen'') hosted by Mies Bouwman. Luv' later planned to record a comeback album. The British producers

Stock, Aitken & Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...

were said to produce this opus. However, nothing materialized.

1989–1992: New formula

(only original member) and two other singers,

Diana van Berlo Diana van Berlo (born 6 January 1966 in Helmond, Netherlands) is a Dutch pop female singer. She was a member of the girl group Luv' from 1989 to 1992. She scored with the female formation a Dutch and Flemish Top 30 hit with the single " Welco ...

and Michelle Gold recorded as Luv' a single (" Welcome to My Party") which reached the 22nd position on the Dutch charts and the 28th position on the Flemish charts in the autumn of 1989. Moreover, the trio was involved with other Dutch groups in the 'All Stars' project to help

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

children with the "Star Maker" single. In 1990, Michelle Gold was replaced by another vocalist,

Carina Lemoine Carina Lemoine (born 1969, Helmond, Netherlands) is a Dutch pop female singer. She was a member of the girl group Luv' from 1990 to 1992. She scored with the female formation a minor hit song: He's My Guy. After Luv' disbanded in 1992, she for ...

. During the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, Luv' performed in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

to support the Dutch troops. The formation disbanded in 1992.

1993–1996: Luv' Gold

Due to the success of

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

and

Boney M Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...

compilations, the original Luv' girls got together. An anthology CD (

Luv' Gold Luv' Gold is a 1993 greatest hits album by Dutch girl group Luv' which features hit singles like " You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse", "Casanova, " Ooh, Yes I Do" and some album tracks from the formation's heyday (1977 – 1981). This co ...

) and a medley single ( Megamix '93) were released in 1993 and peaked respectively at #14 and #23 on the Dutch charts. The ladies went on tour in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Denmark. Then their last studio album All You Need Is Luv' (1994) was issued by an independent label (Roman Disc) and only available in

Kruidvat Kruidvat is a Dutch retail, pharmacy and drugstore chain specialising in health and beauty products which also has branches in Belgium. The first Kruidvat was opened in September 1975 by Ed During and Dick Siebrand. Kruidvat Holding also owned ...

(a Dutch chain of drugstores). Luv' performed sporadically and broke up again in 1996.

2005-2012: Back in Luv'

In 2003, a double CD compilation,

25 Jaar Na Waldolala ''25 Jaar Na Waldolala'' is a compilation album of recordings by Dutch pop group Luv' released by Universal Music in the Netherlands in 2003. It features smash hits (such as " U.O.Me", " You're the Greatest Lover", "Casanova" or " Ooh, Yes I Do"), ...

, was released by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...

Netherlands to celebrate their 25th anniversary. This

Greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

album featured bonus tracks: Spanish versions of four hit singles as well as José and Marga's solo recordings. In 2005, Luv' made a surprise performance at the 60th birthday of

. One year later, a reality TV show about their comeback (''Back in Luv'') was broadcast on RTL 5 (a Dutch TV channel) and on VTM (a Flemish channel). A DVD (also entitled Back in Luv') and a Box set Completely in Luv' with bonus tracks and remixes came out. On 26, 27 and 28 May 2006, Luv' and

Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer and singer. He was the male member of the 1970s pop and disco group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on the island of Arub ...

(of

) were the guest stars during three big shows of

De Toppers De Toppers (), also known internationally as the Toppers, is a Dutch supergroup, consisting of René Froger, Gerard Joling, Jeroen van der Boom and Jan Smit. Gordon Heuckeroth, one of the founding members, left the group in 2011. The group has ...

at the

Amsterdam Arena The Johan Cruyff Arena ( nl, Johan Cruijff Arena ; officially stylised as Johan Cruijff ArenA) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the home stadium of football club AFC Ajax since its opening. Built from 1993 to 1996 ...

. Until 2008, they had a hectic schedule. They often performed on TV and were booked for live performances (in clubs, private parties, corporate events and festivals). In the later years, concerts were sporadic mainly due to the fact that

was a busy TV personality. In the 2000s and early 2010s, Luv' was one of the few manufactured bands of the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

era to be on stage with the original line-up (unlike Boney M. and

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the releas ...

). Marga announced in a radio interview on NOS their definitive break-up in March 2012. They gave their final performance on 11 August 2012 in

at the Dutch Valley Festival.

2015-2018: Resurrection

In May 2015, the 1980-1981 line-up of Luv' ( Marga,

and

Ria A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they ca ...

) took part in the release party of a photo book ''The Story of Luv'' (including exclusive pictures of the ladies) at the

Wisseloord Studios The Wisseloord Studio is a recording studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. It was officially opened on 19 January 1978 by Prince Claus. The studios were founded by electronics company Philips, to enable their PolyGram artists to record in a prof ...

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilver ...

. Dutch illusionist

Hans Klok Johannes Franciscus Catharinus "Hans" Klok (born 22 February 1969) is a Dutch magician, illusionist and actor. Biography Hans Klok was born in Purmerend, Netherlands. On his tenth birthday, he received a magic set as a present and began perform ...

attended this event.

was opposed to this project. The publication was eventually banned due to copyright issues. In March 2016, Marga and

announced another comeback of Luv' in ''

''.

was not involved in this comeback and was replaced by

. Luv' intended to go on tour and record a new repertoire produced by Juan Cristóbal Losada. On 1 October 2016, they performed at the

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater w ...

party at the

Sportpaleis The Antwerps Sportpaleis ( eng, Antwerp's Sport Palace), also called Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Sportpaleis Merksem or simply the Sportpaleis, is an arena in Antwerp, Belgium. It is a multipurpose hall where concerts, sporting events, festivals and f ...

in Antwerp, Belgium with

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

experience feat. Al MacKay,

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

and

Kate Ryan Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck, 22 July 1980) is a Belgian singer and songwriter, and the winner of a World Music Award. She began her singing career in 2001 and later found fame with a string of dance hits. These included covers, mostly of ...

. In July 2017, they celebrated their 40th anniversary with fans in

2019: A surprising line-up change

On 4 January 2019, the group announced an unexpected line-up change in ''

'': media personality Chimène van Oosterhout replaced

. In July 2019, Luv' released a

single entitled

with

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

-nominated producers Keith Morrison and Manuel Garrido-Lecca.

2020: Luv's end

On 7 February 2020, Luv' (which had not performed since September 2019 due to José Hoebee's illness) informed the media and the public about the interruption of their activities.

2021-2022: reissues and remixes

In February 2021,

productions and the YesterMix's YouTube channel presented the 2021 Uptempo Remix of

by DJ WR (Wouter Reinders) and DJ BarFeet (Maarten Bervoets). Shortly afterwards, the Spanish version of this remix entitled "Si Que Si 2021 (Versión Uptempo)" came out. 2021 saw also the reissue of two albums and several singles on digital platforms: All You Need Is Luv' (April 2021),

Sincerely Yours Sincerely Yours may refer to: Film * Sincerely Yours (film), ''Sincerely Yours'' (film), a 1955 American romantic music comedy featuring Liberace * ''Sincerely Yours...'', a 1985 Soviet comedy Music * Sincerely Yours (record label), a Swedish rec ...

(June 2021) and the four singles/maxi-singles taken from it (Hasta Mañana, Jungle Jive, The Last Song and He's My Guy) as well as This Old Heart Of Mine (October 2021). On February 11th, 2022, Cloud 9 Music released

(Kav Verhouzer Remix) as a digital single. Two days later, this remix entered the Dutch

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

Top 100 at #10. One week later, it dropped out of this chart.

Record deals

Luv' was inspired by

that had dealt with various record companies to control the distribution of their records. The female pop act had a contract with

Phonogram Phonogram may refer to: * A sound recording – see Geneva Phonograms Convention * ''Phonogram'' (comics), a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie * Phonogram (linguistics), a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phone ...

from 1977 to 1979. Afterwards, the trio signed a 750.000

Dutch Guilder The guilder ( nl, gulden, ) or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from the 15th century until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. The Dutch name ''gulden'' was a Middle Dutch adjective meaning "golden", and reflects the fact that, ...

record deal with CNR, a label affiliated to

. This contract (which lasted from 1979 to 1981) was considered by the newspaper ''

'' as "the show business transfer of the year". As they changed their label, the girls also changed their publishing company (which controlled the copyright of their songs). Their first publisher was Banananas Music during their Phonogram years and their second one was Roba Musik Verlag during their CNR/Carrere period. Phonogram and CNR licensed the rights for their records to various labels around the world. For example, Luv's records were released by

Private Stock Records Private Stock Records was a record label that operated from 1974 to 1978. The label was founded by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. The label primarily focused on pop music and had numerous hit records, many of them one-hit wo ...

in the UK, by

in German-speaking countries, by WEA in Japan, by West and Meteor labels in Turkey or by

Discos Musart Discos Musart is a Mexican record label founded in 1948. It is headquartered in Mexico City and remains one of the country's biggest labels, focusing on Mexican music, as well as international releases licensed from various labels around the world ...

in Mexico. There were eighty-seven record pressings in about forty countries. In 1979, the three singers, their producers and their manager founded a limited company (Interluv’/Luv’ B.V) to control every aspect of their career. Two years later, as the formation disbanded, it ended its legal obligations. When

formed a new Luv’ trio with two new members and without the original producers, she signed a deal with High Fashion Records/Dureco to release in 1989 a mini-album, ''For You'', which included the moderate hit " Welcome to My Party") and later another contract with

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

/ BMG for the ''

'' album. In 1993, when the original line-up was reunited, the vocalists had a new deal with Arcade Records for the release of the ''

'' compilation which entered the album charts in the Netherlands. Then, they recorded their last studio album '' All You Need Is Luv''' (1994), issued by an independent label (Roman Disc) and only available in

, a Dutch chain of drugstores. Luv's back catalogue currently belongs to

Productions and

Netherlands which released compilations like ''

'' (2003) and '' Completely in Luv''' (2006).

Line-ups

(1976-1981, 1988-1996, 2005-2012, 2015-2020) * José Hoebee (1976-1981, 1988, 1993-1996, 2005-2012, 2015-2020) *

(1980-1981, 2015-2019) *

(2019-2020) *

(1976-1980, 1988-1989, 1993-1996, 2005-2012) * Diana van Berlo (1989-1992) * Michelle Gold (1989-1990) * Carina Lemoine (1990-1992)

ImageSize = width:1250 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:1976 till:02/28/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Marga value:red legend:Marga id:Patty value:yellow legend:Patty id:Jose value:brightgreen legend:Jose id:Ria value:brightblue legend:Ria id:Diana value:orange legend:Diana id:Michelle value:purple legend:Michelle id:Carina value:pink legend:Carina id:Chimène value:blue legend:Chimène Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1976 LineData = at:09/02/1978 color:black layer:back at:02/20/1979 color:black layer:back at:05/26/1979 color:black layer:back at:12/13/1980 color:black layer:back at:11/16/1991 color:black layer:back at:05/03/1994 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Marga text:"Marga Scheide" bar:Patty text:"Patty Brard" bar:Jose text:"José Hoebee" bar:Ria text:"Ria Thielsch" bar:Diana text:"Diana v Berlo" bar:Michelle text:"Michelle Gold" bar:Carina text:"Carina Lemoine" bar:Chimène text:"Chimène van Oosterhout" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Marga from:01/01/1976 till:03/01/1981 color:Marga bar:Marga from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1992 color:Marga bar:Marga from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1996 color:Marga bar:Marga from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2012 color:Marga bar:Marga from:01/01/2015 till:02/07/2020 color:Marga bar:Patty from:01/01/1976 till:01/01/1980 color:Patty bar:Patty from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1989 color:Patty bar:Patty from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1996 color:Patty bar:Patty from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2012 color:Patty bar:Jose from:01/01/1976 till:03/01/1981 color:Jose bar:Jose from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1989 color:Jose bar:Jose from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1996 color:Jose bar:Jose from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2012 color:Jose bar:Jose from:01/01/2015 till:02/07/2020 color:Jose bar:Ria from:01/01/1980 till:03/01/1981 color:Ria bar:Ria from:01/01/2015 till:01/30/2019 color:Ria bar:Diana from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1992 color:Diana bar:Michelle from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:Michelle bar:Carina from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1992 color:Carina bar:Chimène from:02/01/2019 till:02/07/2020 color:Chimène

Discography

* ''

'' (1978) * '' Lots of Luv''' (1979) * ''

True Luv' ''True Luv is the third album by Dutch girl group Luv', released in December 1979 by CNR/Carrere Records. It includes the hit singles " Ooh, Yes I Do" and " Ann-Maria" scored in the charts of European countries and also in a new territory: Mexico ...

'' (1979) * '' Forever Yours'' (1980) * ''

'' (1991) * '' All You Need Is Luv''' (1994)

Awards and certifications

* Netherlands: ** 1978: "

U.O.Me (Theme from Waldolala) U.O.Me is the third single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in early 1978 by Philips Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album, With Luv' and is considered as Luv's real breakthrough in Benelux. This record is also credited as U.O.Me (You ...

", "

" and "

": Platinum singles ** 1978: Veronica Top 40 Awards for reaching the number one position in the Top 40 with the singles "

" and "

" ** 1979: ''

'' and '' Lots of Luv''': Platinum albums ** 1979: Conamus Export Award for being the best Dutch Export music act (sales of 2.5 million records between 1977 and 1979). ** 1980: ''

'': Gold album * Belgium: ** 1979: "

" and "

": Gold singles * Germany: **1979: "

": Gold single (600 000 units sold) * Austria: **1979: "

": Gold singleGold certifications given by the Austrian recording industry association (IFPI Austria) * Denmark: ** 1979: ''

'': Silver album *Mexico: **1980: "Si Que Si" (Spanish version of "

"): Gold disc

References

External links

LUV - The Uber ABBA

Luv' page
on Discogs.com
Luv'
on Dutchcharts.nl {{Authority control Dutch girl groups Dutch dance music groups

Luv' Luv' were a Dutch girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe (Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland) as well as Israel, South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada ...

Dutch musical trios Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups reestablished in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1993 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 Musical groups disestablished in 2020 Dureco artists Philips Records artists Phonogram Inc. artists Mercury Records artists Universal Music Group artists Carrere Records artists RCA Records artists Bertelsmann Music Group artists