Wiki: Meau - upcScavenger

Meau Hewitt (born 10 May 2000), known mononymously as Meau (stylised in all caps), is a Dutch singer-songwriter from Weesp, North Holland.

Her 2022 song was a number-one hit in the Netherlands.

Early life

Meau Hewitt was born in Blaricum and grew up in Weesp. Her mother's family comes from Suriname and her ancestors on that side of the family were slaves on a plantation. Her Surinamese grandfather was also a musician, and played in the band Sonora Paranamera.

When she was eight years old, Meau performed in Kinderen voor Kinderen, a well known children's choir, from 2008 to 2011. In 2012 and 2013, Meau and her friend Alanis Blom tried for the Junior Songfestival, both solo and duet, though neither reached the finals. From 2013 to 2017, she went to Vechtstede College in Weesp. From 2018 to 2021, she completed her training at the Herman Brood Academie.

Career

Meau's first song "Kalmte" was released in 2020. In September 2021, she released the single "Dat heb jij gedaan", written about the emotional abuse she suffered in a toxic relationship. At first she considered the subject matter unsuitable for radio, but it reached number one on the Dutch Top 40 for eight weeks in 2022. At the time, she worked as an employee at the Rijksmuseum, but she would quit because of her fame.

In June 2022, she released a song with Racoon, "Dans m'n ogen dicht". In May 2023, she released her debut album 22, which released number nine on the Dutch Albums Chart. It won an Edison Award for best Dutch-language release. She participated in season 16 of the reality show Beste Zangers, which aired beginning in September 2023.

In January 2024, she released the song "Stukje van mij" in collaboration with telecommunication company KPN, about the consequences of sexting and revenge porn. It became her second top ten hit, and the music video won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Lions awards. In October 2024, she released "Het midden", a collaboration with Belgian singer-actress Pommelien Thijs. It reached number one in Belgium (Flanders).