She’s out on tour with Justin Timberlake. Their video together just went over the 6 million mark (in about 38 days).
Esmee Denters waking up on YouTube
July 9, 2007
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Esmee Denters in Norway (on YouTube)
July 2, 2007
She’s on tour with Justin Timberlake. It’s funny at the end when she says the band “A-ha” (who sang “Take on Me” in the 80s) would be music her father listens to.
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Esmee Denters update: 21 days, 5 million views
June 25, 2007News: Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake just went over the 5 million mark, in 21 days. That’s just amazing. I believe the most ever views for an amateur musician video on YouTube.
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Justin Timberlake EW interview, speaks about Esmee Denters
June 24, 2007Entertainment Weekly interviewed Justin Timberlake about his new record label. Full interview here.
How did you decide to sign 18-year-old Netherlands resident Esmée Denters as your first artist?
Being in the business for 10 years now, you look around and some people got it and some people don’t. I saw her on YouTube, got wind of what was happening — ”Hey, there’s this girl in Holland who’s got a phenomenal voice.” And the word ”phenomenal” in front of ”voice” doesn’t come often. Usually you hear, ”She’s pretty good, but there’s this great song,” which is usually a bunch of bulls—. And so I turned on YouTube and I was literally blown away — not only by her voice, but also her ear. I love the opportunity of discovering a talent that’s so raw. And now I can just kind of sit back and help her mold herself into a superstar.
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Justin Timberlake buys Esmee Denters ad on YouTube
June 20, 2007News: Justin Timberlake just bought a huge banner ad on YouTube for Esmee Denters. I’ve never seen a YouTube celebrity get her own ad on YouTube, until now.
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Esmee Denters’ first performance in Amsterdam
June 18, 2007
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Esmee Denters update: 14 days, over 4 million views
June 18, 2007News: Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake, “What Goes Around,” just went over 4 million views in 14 days. That’s a torrid pace. That’s even 1 million more than Justin’s own video version with Scarlett Johansson.
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Esmee Denters update: 9 days, over 3 million views
June 8, 2007News: Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake singing “What Goes Around” just went over the 3 million mark in 9 days. You can see the video here. I wonder how long it can continue to generate more viewers at this torrid pace. You probably would guess not too much longer.
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The significance of Esmee Denters
June 5, 2007Today, I have to confess I’m very happy, all because of this Esmee Denters record deal with Justin Timberlake. Like so many others in the YouTube community, I’ve been watching this 18-year-old girl on YouTube blossom into a singer and future star, while waiting for the day when some major label would sign her to a recording contract. The question back then was not if, but when. The when is today.
I first saw one of Esmee’s videos back in the fall of 2006. She had enough talent in her karaoke videos that I started following her videos regularly on YouTube. I still remember precisely the moment when I realized how good this young girl from the Netherlands really was. It’s the day she posted her cover of Mary J Blige’s “No More Pain.” I had seen the great Mary J in concert, so I didn’t think Esmee could handle this big vocal song. Thirty seconds, though—that’s all it took for Esmee to prove me wrong. I was blown away. And that’s when I started writing about Esmee on this blog because, as I said back then, Esmee could be ”the most talented, undiscovered singer on YouTube.”
Well, now that she’s been discovered by the music industry and signed by Justin Timberlake, what are we to make of the Esmee Denters phenomenon?
I don’t want to make more of the story than it deserves, but I do feel that what is transpiring with Esmee has some very important significance for YouTube. Terra Naomi was the first to show that undiscovered musicians can be discovered through YouTube. (Terra signed with Island Records and her first single “Say It’s Possible” comes out June 11!) I think Esmee Denters proves that YouTube is no fluke (or one-artist wonder), and that YouTube is fast becoming a major force in the music industry. Some critics might laugh at the idea. But name one other platform that has the ability discover an 18-year-old girl in a small Dutch town, who’s never had singing lessons or any performances in her life, and make her the most sought after young singer in the music industry?
Congratulations, Esmee and YouTube!
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It’s official: Esmee Denters signs with Justin Timberlake’s new label, Tennman Records
June 5, 2007News: Esmee Denters signed with Justin Timberlake’s new label, Tennman Records, and will perform as his opening act. So I predicted this last week, but it was pretty obvious from what happened. For more on Esmee, visit here. Below is the press release (I’m not sure why it goes out of the way to say it was “completely unpredicted news” because it really wasn’t—or am I just missing the irony, wink, wink):
Los Angeles, CA … Internet phenomenon and singer/songwriter Esmee Denters is the first signing to Tennman Records. “In completely unpredicted news to all YouTubers and bloggers, we are proud to announce Esmee Denters has signed to Tennman Records and she will be joining me on tour this summer. Esmee is the real deal and I cannot wait for the world to hear her, but all of her fans on YouTube should not worry…we will keep you in the loop every step of the way,” announced today by Justin Timberlake, Chairman/CEO of the label.
“Words can’t describe how amazing it is. I am so excited! It is something I have always dreamed of doing. I have to thank YouTube and its viewers for giving me the opportunity to show the world my voice. I also have to thank Justin, one of the biggest artists in the world, for believing in me and making my dreams come true,” says Esmee Denters.
Ken Komisar, President of Tennman Records, adds “Esmee is a remarkable talent with a story that anyone with a dream can relate to – it is no wonder she has such an enthusiastic following already. We will keep providing fans with a personal look into Esmee’s world throughout the entire creative process, as she continues to write songs for her debut album.”
Esmee Denters first began to gain awareness by posting cover performances of Beyonce, Alanis Morrisette and Alicia Keys on her YouTube page. 18 year-old Esmee Denters hails from Oosterbeek, Holland, where she has had 21 million views on her YouTube site since she posted her first performance less than 9 months ago. In addition, to being on tour (see tour dates below) this summer, she is currently writing/recording on her debut album which is slated for release later this year.
Esmee Denters Opening For Justin Timberlake – Tour Dates:
DATE / VENUE / CITY
June 16 / Arena / Amsterdam, Holland
June 19 / Gloave / Stockholm, Sweden
June 21 / Valhalle / Oslo, Norway
June 23 / Parken / Copenhagen, Denmark
June 25 / Scandanavian / Gothenberg, Sweden
June 27 / Sports Palais / Antwerp, Belgium
For the latest on Esmee Denters please visit www.esmeeworld.com or www.youtube.com/esmeedenters.
For more information on Tennman Records please visit www.tennmanrecords.com.
For further information on Esmee Denters please contact Hillary Siskind @ Hillary.Siskind@umusic.com and Neil Jacobson (International Press Only) Neil.Jacobson@umusic.com.
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Esmee Denters video goes over 2 million views on YouTube
June 5, 2007News: Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake just went well over 2 million views, amazingly in just 1 week. That’s pretty quick. For more about Esmee, visit here.
Esmee on YouTube
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Esmee Denters update: 4 days, over 1.2 million views
June 2, 2007News: Four days. That’s all it took for Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake to go over 1 million views on YouTube. It got a big boost from being on the front page of YouTube, though. I would’ve liked to see how quick it would have made it on its own.
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Esmee Denters hits front page of YouTube again
June 1, 2007News: Well, it didn’t take long before YouTube noticed the Esmee Denters-Justin Timberlake video. Now, it’s one of the featured videos on YouTube’s front page. Afer a little over 3 days, Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake hit 593,433 views, with 5890 comments and 2885 favorites. I have no doubt the video will hit a million views now. It’s only a question of when. This is the second time one of Esmee’s videos hit the front page of YouTube.
UPDATE: After 3 1/2 days, the video hit 782,968 views, 9425 comments, 4034 favorites.
For more about Esmee, visit here.
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Did Esmee Denters sign with Justin Timberlake’s new label?
June 1, 2007News: OK, first, Esmee Denters posts a video this week, with a surprise cameo appearance from Justin Timberlake, who plays piano and performs background for her. Then, today, Justin announces that he’s starting a new record label. “We are all excited about the talent we have to offer already on our roster, and I cannot wait to introduce the world to my new discoveries,” Timberlake said in a statement issued Monday.
Analysis: Hmmm. Is this pure coincidence? Or did Esmee sign with Justin’s new label? On Dutch TV, Esmee did admit she has already signed a U.S. recording contract — a real “shocker.” My guess is that it has to be with Justin Timberlake.
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Esmee Denters update
May 31, 2007At 8:30 p.m. (a little over 48 hours since 1st posting), Esmee Denters’ video with Justin Timberlake hit 442,445 views. (YouTube’s system of counting has a lag time, so the number is probably more.) But when will it hit a million?
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Esmee Denters update
May 29, 2007News: After 24 hours, the Esmee Denters-Justin Timberlake video on YouTube has hit the following marks (at around 2 pm):
1st Top Favorited video (today)
3rd Most viewed (recently) – 102,685 views in 24 hours
2nd Most Top Rated (today) – 1,550 ratings near 4 1/2 stars
2nd Most Discussed (today) – 1537 comments
UPDATE 2 (at 8 p.m.)
1st Top Favorited video (today)
3rd Most viewed (recently) – 221,557 views in a little over 1 day
3nd Most Top Rated (today) – 2,176 ratings near 4 1/2 stars
1st Most Discussed (today) – 2227 comments
2nd Most Linked (today) – 68,409 links
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Esmee Denters performs with Justin Timberlake on YouTube: “What Goes Around”
May 28, 2007Unbelievable. I hate to ruin the feeling of shock and amazement I had when first watching this video, but Justin Timberlake is playing piano and singing background for Esmee Denters. She really gets revved up with one minute left in the video. Justin says at the end, “She sings my own song better than me.” I agree. That was so unbelievably, mind-blowingly cool. I love it! Let’s see how long it takes for this video to get a million views.
Photo
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Esmee Denters recording in Sweden + Philly
May 9, 2007
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I am Esmee Denters, part 2: “press”
April 14, 2007
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I am Esmee Denters
March 30, 2007
Dutch singing sensation Esmee Denters introduces herself in this video and on her official website. Hello, world.
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New Esmee Denters video: tribute to Luther Vandross
March 19, 2007Here.
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Esmee Denters plays piano on YouTube, with better equipment
March 11, 2007
So here’s what Esmee Denters sounds like playing the piano on YouTube, recorded with better sound equipment. All I can say is wow. I knew she was good, but she’s even better than I thought. Amazing. This is the best video Esmee has made so far, by far.
For all of The Utube Blog’s posts on Esmee, visit here.
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The Esmee Denters interviews
March 4, 2007News: TV stations in the Netherlands have been lining up to interview Esmee Denters. In the past week, she’s already had four interviews. She must be becoming something of a national celebrity in the Netherlands.
1. Video of Esmee Denters interview (3 minutes)
2. Video of Esmee Denters interview, with family (6 minutes)
3. Video of Esmee Denters interview, with her singing (9 minutes)
4. Video of Esmee Denters interview, discussing her trip to US to negotiate record deals (5 minutes)
Analysis: One of the best parts of the first 2 interviews is the behind-the-scenes look at how Esmee Denters “records” her YouTube videos. It’s quite simple: sit in front of webcam with karaoke music and hit record. That’s it. That’s what’s great about being discovered on YouTube. It’s pretty cheap. The fourth interview talks more about Esmee’s negotiations with U.S. record labels; she hopes to secure the best deal that allows her the opportunity to write her own songs and call her own shots. She also says that she wants to continute to post on YouTube.
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Billboard/Reuters article on Esmee Denters and U.S. record labels — will she sign or won’t she?
March 3, 2007News: Antony Bruno has written an article featuring Esmee Denters, the 18-year-old YouTube singing sensation. It is feutured in this week’s Billboard magazine, with Esmee partially on the cover. It’s also published online for Reuters. The article, titled “YouTube stars don’t always welcome record deals, describes how U.S. record labels have been pursuing Esmee — basically like a pack of high school boys pursuing the prom queen — to sign her to a record label. You can find all of Esmee’s YouTube videos here. Atlantic Records called a local hotel in the small Dutch village where Esmee lives and had the hotel rep track down every single Denters in the phone book. Atlantic Records then called each one of the listings until the employee got Esmee’s surprised mother. According to the article, “Denters has since traveled to the United States and met a veritable who’s who of the music industry’s leading executives, from Jason Flom to Antonio “L.A.” Reid to Tommy Motolla. She has recorded demo tracks with Kelly Rowland and is fielding TV deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment.”
But, so far, Esmee wants to stay on her own. “We may decide not to get together with a label. We may try new stuff. I’ve already accomplished so much on my own, we’d like to see what we can do with that.”
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Esmee Denters reports back about NY meeting w/ music people
February 19, 2007
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Esmee Denters coming to U.S. to record her music
February 8, 2007On a blog post on January 22, I predicted “it won’t be long before Esmee [Denters] signs her first recording contract.” Well, Esmee revealed today she’s coming to the U.S. to record music with people who have worked with some great artists. She credits her success to YouTube and her subscribers.
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uTunes: “crazy place” by Esmee Denters
January 22, 2007
Esmee Denters is an 18-year-old Dutch singer, who has a huge following on YouTube. I’ve written about her several times already, but this original song probably best showcases Esmee’s vocals and potential. She also apparently put together the video herself! My guess (and it’s only a guess) is that it won’t be long before Esmee signs her first recording contract.
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Esmee Denters fansite purchases Google ad
January 6, 2007News: A fansite for Esmee Denters, the 18-year-old YouTube singer from the Netherlands, has bought a Top-of-the-page sponsored link ad on Google. If you google “Esmee Denters,” you will find the “esmee zone” fansite ad at the top of the Google search.
Analysis: Astounding. Esmee Denters, although talented, is still an unsigned, amateur singer. Yet someone has already taken out a Google ad for her fansite. Now that’s wishful thinking.
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Esmee Denters hits front page of YouTube
December 28, 2006So Esmee Denters is starting to hit it big, at least on YouTube. Today, YouTube selected Esmee’s new video of her original song as its top-of-the-page featured video. Unfortunately, the video quality is pretty shoddy, and it appears to stop every few seconds at least on my computer. (The video didn’t run smoothly for me, so I have no opinion on her latest song.) Hopefully, the New Year will bring better technology for Esmee’s music career.
UPDATE: According to one user of YouTube (who posted a video), the huge number of hits and comments on Esmee’s video on the front page of YouTube today shortly after YouTube posted it caused YouTube’s servers to become overloaded (even causing the site to go down for 5 minutes). I haven’t verified this claim, but I did see the message posted by YouTube this afternoon that some functions were temporarily unavailable (which is unusual for a weekday afternoon — most maintenance takes place late at night). And the views on Esmee’s video did go from 50,000 plus when posted to 236,000 plus right now, so there certainly was a lot of traffic to the video. But the even bigger story may be that it appears that a number of YouTube users are making videos of Esmee and her videos. Now that’s buzz, if not a bit overboard.
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What Esmee Denters really sounds like
December 27, 2006Esmee Denters, the YouTube singing sensation from the Netherlands, posts videos of herself singing on her low tech webcam. The sound quality on the webcam leaves a lot to be desired, so you can never really tell just how good Esmee is.
Well, now — finally!!– there are two new videos of Esmee singing parts of her original song, “Figure it out,” on professional equipment. The sound quality is worlds better. Esmee’s never had singing lessons, so just imagine her potential.
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