Born Roel van Velzen on March 20, 1978, in Delft, the Netherlands, he released "Baby Get Higher," a cover version of a moderate hit single from 2003 by British singer David Sneddon, as his debut single upon signing to the label T2 Entertainment, a division of Foreign Media Group. VanVelzen's version of "Baby Get Higher" was a Top 30 hit on the Dutch singles chart and paved the way for his solo album debut, Unwind (2007). Including the follow-up singles "Burn," "Deep," and "Shine a Little Light," Unwind debuted atop the Dutch albums chart and remained on the chart for a whopping 57 weeks overall. In the wake of his breakout debut success, VanVelzen was nominated for a bunch of awards in 2007, ultimately winning a 3FM Award for Best Newcomer of the Year and a TMF Award for Best Album of the Year. The following year he scored a Top Ten hit single with "When Summer Ends," which is featured on the soundtrack of the Dutch film Zomerhitte (2008). The song was later included on his second album, Take Me In (2009), along with the similarly popular singles "On My Way" and "Love Song." While Take Me In fell short of rivaling the remarkable success of Unwind, it was a success nonetheless, reaching the Top Ten of the Dutch albums chart. ~ Jason Birchmeier