Biography
Who is Sharon den Adel?
Early life and education
Sharon den Adel was born in Waddinxveen, Netherlands. During her childhood, she spent five years living in Indonesia. The traditional dance movements she observed there later influenced her own stage performance style. Upon returning to the Netherlands from Suriname, she faced challenges from peers due to her unique personal style and appearance.
Despite these difficulties, she began performing with various musical groups by the time she was fourteen years old, including a blues rock outfit named Kashiro. Sharon holds a bachelor degree in fashion design, a skill she later applied to her professional music career. She never received formal vocal training, instead developing her mezzo-soprano voice by practicing alone for several hours daily and singing in a choir briefly.
Formation of Within Temptation
In 1996, Sharon and her long-term partner Robert Westerholt formed the band Within Temptation. They initially named the group The Portal, but changed it before their first official recording. The band eventually achieved significant success with their hit single titled Ice Queen.
Before the band became famous, Sharon worked within the fashion industry. She later combined her musical career with her creative background by designing the band's merchandise and stage costumes. She often describes the musical output of Within Temptation as epic and cinematic. She has consistently preferred singing in English over Dutch, noting that English aligns better with their specific musical style.
Musical influences and style
Her interest in music began at home, where her parents listened to bands such as Queen, Black Sabbath, Santana, and Pink Floyd. As a child, she identified Olivia Newton-John as a primary inspiration after viewing the film Grease. Later, she explored the music of the Moody Blues and Janis Joplin.
During her teenage years, she developed a deep interest in grunge music, particularly the Nirvana album Nevermind. This discovery led her to appreciate other bands like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam. She also found inspiration in the poetic lyrics of Tori Amos. For the sound of Within Temptation, she and Westerholt cited the album Gothic by Paradise Lost as a major influence, favoring its mix of heavy elements and operatic vocals.
Collaborations and solo work
Outside of her main band, Sharon engaged in numerous collaborations. She worked with artist Armin van Buuren on the trance song In and Out of Love, which won multiple dance music awards. She also participated in several rock and metal opera projects, providing vocals for Tobias Sammet's Avantasia releases and Ayreon's Into the Electric Castle.
Additional collaborations included working with Tarja Turunen, After Forever, Delain, and Dutch rapper Ali B. In 2020, she contributed vocals to the Evanescence track Use My Voice. In 2018, she launched a solo project titled My Indigo, which she initially created to process personal challenges and overcome writer's block. The debut album for this project was released in April of that year.
Birthday and age
Sharon den Adel was born on July 12, 1974, which makes Sharon 52 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Sharon shares the date with 38 other famous people.
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