Over the years I’ve linked to a number of amateur musicians who sing and play their hearts out on YouTube in the hopes that somebody out there will notice. I recently stumbled upon one who managed to turn a popular YouTube channel into a career.
Esmée Denters is a Dutch singer-songwriter who started posting songs (covers, mostly) on YouTube in the summer of 2006. She caught the attention of an artist manager who arranged an audience with Justin Timberlake. A smitten Timberlake signed her to his own label and had her open for a leg of his international tour.
Denters appears to be the first musician to go from YouTube to a world tour without passing Go. It’s like an American Idol success story without American Idol.
And without the ratings. Denters is a lucky young woman but hardly a household name. Her debut album, Outta Here, has been a moderate success overseas but that’s the extent of it so far. Perhaps she’ll make a big splash in the near future. Regardless, I’m sure she’s thrilled with how things have turned out.
For me, the one unfortunate part about this feel-good story is that Timberlake seems to have directed Denters into the same dance-pop ghetto where dozens of fresh-faced young women before her have gone to die. Denters’ YouTube clips show off her vocal range and her ear for a good tune. The two clips from her album — ‘Admit It’ and ‘Outta Here’ — are depressingly generic, the sort of thing Britney Spears pulls off despite her lack of vocal talent.
So I’ve chosen to feature one of Denters’ YouTube clips instead, a version of Alicia Keys’ ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me?’ sung to her own piano accompaniment.
And I still remember everything you said
I always thought our love was so right
I guess I was wrong
Always thought you’ll be by my side, papa
Now you gone
All I wanna know baby
If what we had was good
How come you don’t call me anymore?
Why don’t you call me no more?
Still light a fire on a rainy night
I still like it better when you’re holdin’ me tight
Everybody said that we should never part
Tell me baby, baby, baby, why…
Why you wanna go and break my heart?
Sometimes it feels like I’m gonna die
If you don’t call me, papa
Oh you got to try..
Gonna get down on my knees hopin’ you please…
Please won’t you call me sometime, papa?
I said why on earth can’t you just pick up the phone?
You know I don’t like to be alone
Why don’t you call me no more?
Meet Me In Montauk 
I would be interested to hear one of her original songs. She clearly has the vocal chops (unlike Rihanna:))
Here’s one of her produced songs:
I think she comes across much better in the amateur clip.
Oh, that’s her song! I know it well. That was a big hit.
See, now I can’t tell if you’re serious or not, as you’ve proved to be quite in tune with what the kids are listening to these days.
no, I was being serious. I’m not sure if the song was in rotation on Disney or The Pulse on satellite, but I know the song well.
No, he’s serious. We’ve heard it on one of the stations we listen to with the kids. I don’t know if the “big hit” label is sincere, though 🙂 I feel as though Maddie told me about another YouTube success story – Justin Bieber maybe? I can’t remember.
Anyway, I think it’s very cool that artists can find an audience through My Space or You Tube. The intersection with American Idol is happening this year with Andrew Garcia, who had a bit of a You Tube following before auditioning for AI. In fact, that following is likely keeping him in the contest, as he is getting votes from people who have far more faith in him from what they’ve seen off the Idol stage than what they’ve seen on it.
Here is just one example:
There are lots more like that. I say, go for it. I love that Garcia is using the combination of the two opportunites to get himself even greater exposure. Meanwhile, I’d like to hear an original song from this Esmee.
Maddie tells me it was Colbie Caillat who was discovered through YouTube. Bieber was discovered by Usher, but she’s not sure if it was through YouTube.