Caro Emerald
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), formerly known as Caro Emerald and lately part of the music project The Jordan, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in several countries, including her native Netherlands.
Also recorded as Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw · Caroline van der Leeuw
Caro Emerald

Paul Luberti · wikiportret.nl · CC BY 3.0
- Full name
- Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw.
- Born
- 1981. · Amsterdam.
- Nationality
- Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- Occupation
- singer, musician and composer.
- Fields
- pop music, electronic music, electro swing and jazz.
- Education
- Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
- Honours
- Popprijs, Silver Harp, 3FM Serious Talent, Schaal van Rigter, The First Prize and Edison Music Awards.
- Languages
- Dutch and English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), formerly known as Caro Emerald and lately part of the music project The Jordan, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in several countries, including her native Netherlands.
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
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Authority files
gnd · 16331267-9 · wikidata · Q236510 · wikipedia · Caroline van der Leeuw
In this article
Early and personal life
Early and personal life
Her debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 29 January 2010. On 3 October 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch music prize Edison Award for Best Female Artist. In 2013 a second studio album was released titled The Shocking Miss Emerald. The album entered at number one in the Dutch and United Kingdom album charts.
Caro Emerald studied at Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The recorded working language is Dutch and English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are pop music, electronic music, electro swing and jazz. Distinctions recorded are Popprijs, Silver Harp, 3FM Serious Talent and Schaal van Rigter.
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw was born on 26 April 1981 in Amsterdam to a Dutch father and an Aruban mother. She started singing lessons at age 12 with James Gilloffo in Amsterdam and joined a girl vocal group, Les Elles, under his guidance. Following high school, she trained as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating in 2005. In March 2014, Van der Leeuw gave birth to her first daughter. She gave birth to a second daughter in August 2017.
2007–2008: Career beginnings
2007–2008: Career beginnings
In early 2007, Dutch producer Jan van Wieringen invited Van der Leeuw to sing the vocal on a track he was producing with producer/songwriter David Schreurs. The song, "Back It Up", had been written by Schreurs and Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio and was based around a hip-hop beat created by Robin Veldman and Jan van Wieringen. Van der Leeuw's jazzy vocal was considered a "perfect match" for the new song. The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but without result. The demo then reached public notice around the world online and radio stations started playing the song. Degiorgio, Schreurs, van Wieringen and Van der Leeuw realised their sound had potential and started working on a conceptual studio album with Van der Leeuw as "starring artist". Writing began in the summer of 2008 using the mix of "Back It Up", 1940s to 1950s jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, combined with infectious beats as a model. Adopting a sample based approach but with live instrumentation, the writing sessions drew from a wide range of influences including jazz organist Jackie Davis, exotica composer Martin Denny, mambo king Perez Prado, 1920s to 1930s jazz, and Van der Leeuw's own vocal inspirations of The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Their usual method would be for Schreurs to create the ideas and backing tracks, and then get together with top line writer and lyricist Degiorgio to write the songs. Van der Leeuw co-wrote several songs on the album, and van Wieringen co-created the tracks for "The Other Woman" and "Dr Wanna Do". Schreurs and Degiorgio are credited as "Creative Directors".
2009–2012: Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
2009–2012: Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
After record labels either refused or failed to sign the project, Schreurs set up their own label, Grandmono. "Back It Up" was released as debut single on 6 July 2009. The song gained airplay and popularity overnight and listed in the Dutch Top 40 for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 12. It became the most played song on 3FM in 2009. Emerald's debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 28 January 2010 in The Netherlands by Grandmono. It entered at #1 in the Album Charts and stayed there for weeks. By August 2010, the album had been #1 for 27 weeks, beating Michael Jackson's chart record for Thriller (26 weeks #1 in 1983). The album returned to #1, spending a total of 30 non-consecutive weeks on top spot of the Dutch Albums Chart. The album reached double platinum (>100,000 copies) status in the Netherlands on 5 July 2010. It reached triple platinum in August 2010, four times platinum (200,000) in November 2010, and sextuple platinum (>300,000 copies) in December 2011. Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was removed from the Dutch charts after 104 weeks due to a rule providing albums can't spend >2 years on the charts. Upon re-entry, the album climbed back to #8. The album's second single, "A Night Like This", was released in December 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Charts for 26 weeks peaking at #1 in January 2010. It was the most played song in The Netherlands in 2010. In 2011, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was released throughout Europe with great commercial success. It became a hit in the UK (1× platinum with sales exceeding 360,000, 8 weeks top 10 peaking at No. 4), Germany (1× platinum with sales exceeding 280,000, peaking at No. 5 and Platinum single for "A Night Like This" with sales exceeding 340,000), Poland (6× platinum with sales exceeding 60,000), Italy (Gold Single for "Back it Up"), and Austria (No. 1 with "A Night Like This"). In the UK, all six singles and the entire album were A-listed by BBC Radio 2. Over 1,400,000 albums have been sold in Europe. The cinematic sound of the project resulted in frequent use in TV series, movies and advertising. Selected credits include The Playboy Club, a brand campaign by Martini, 2 Days in New York, The Secret Circle, Wind Mobile, Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars, The Vampire Diaries, Agent Carter, Nestlé, Ferrero Rocher, Wrigley and Disney Nature film Chimpanzee. Due to its exceptional success, the album was included in an episode of the Dutch version of Classic Albums in April 2012. On New Year's Eve 2011, Caro appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny. In January 2011, Emerald won the Popprijs 2010 for Best Dutch Pop Act of 2010. In early 2012, Emerald won a Goldene Kamera for Best Musik International and an Echo Award for Best Newcomer International.
2013–2014: The Shocking Miss Emerald
2013–2014: The Shocking Miss Emerald
In April 2013, the second Caro Emerald studio album The Shocking Miss Emerald was released. It included the singles "Tangled Up" and "Liquid Lunch". The album went to #1 in the UK album chart. She performed in the UK at The BBC Radio Theatre; it was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Red Button. On 29 June 2014, she played the opening music set on the pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2014.
2015–2020: Emerald Island
2015–2020: Emerald Island
In April 2015, Emerald released a single, "Quicksand". In March 2017, Emerald released an exotica inspired EP, Emerald Island. It was released to accompany the Emerald Island Tour. In June 2020, Emerald released "Wake Up Romeo," her first single in three years.
2022–2025: The Jordan
2022–2025: The Jordan
On 23 August 2022, Van der Leeuw was revealed as the voice behind new act "The Jordan". Her debut album, Nowhere Near the Sky, was released on February 10, 2023 via Cooking Vinyl. The first three singles from the album are "You Don't Even Know Me", "Dancing Naked in the Sun", and "The Room". According to the official Caro Emerald website, "As of 2022, the Caro Emerald project and live act are dormant and no longer active."
2026-present: Caro
2026-present: Caro
On 18 February 2026 Van der Leeuw announced her return on her social media accounts and that she will release a new album. On 27 February 2026 she released the song "I Can't Win" under the name "Caro". Her YouTube account has been renamed from "The Jordan" to "Caro".
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q236510: Caro Emerald
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Caroline van der Leeuw”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
- Part Two: (Re)Generating the Jazz Past in the Vintage Remix of Caravan Palace and Caro Emerald, Remixing European Jazz Culture, 2019
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2019
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 16331267-9, Caro Emerald with The Grandmono Orchestra.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Awards
11 April 2010: 3FM Serious Talent Award 15 April 2010: Schaal van Rigter 26 April 2010: De Eerste Prijs 3 October 2010: Edison Award, Best Female Singer MTV Europe Music Award, Best Dutch and Belgian Act 12 January 2011: European Border Breakers Award 2011 15 January 2011: 3FM Mega Award 2010 15 January 2011: Popprijs 2010 3 March 2011: Zilveren Harp 2010 3 March 2011: Het Beste Nederlandse lied 2010 (Best Song of the Year 2010) 14 March 2011: NPO 3FM, Best Album and Best Female Singer 12 June 2011: TMF Award for Best Female Singer 4 February 2012: Goldene Kamera 2012, Best Music International March 2012: Echo Music Prize, Best International Newcomer

Caro Emerald - Leverkusener Jazztage 2017
Foto: Andreas Lawen, Fotandi
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Nu.nl. Caro Emerald verbreekt record Michael Jackson. 20 August 2010.
- 2.Caro Emerald wins Edison for Best Female Artist (In Dutch). 25 October 2010.
- 3.Caro Emerald Shines at No. 1 on U.K. Albums Chart, Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' Reigns Again. Billboard. 13 May 2013.
- 4.Grandmono Records, & Apple Inc. iTunes Preview. Riviera Life – EP Caro Emerald reviews. 2011.
- 5.Werman, Marco. Retro-Style Jazz Music from Dutch Singer Caro Emerald. The World from PRX. 2013-02-07.
- 6.Savage, Mark. How Caro Emerald dethroned the King Of Pop. BBC News. 2010-09-30.
- 7.nu.nl. Caro Emerald bevallen. 26 March 2014.
- 8.Opnieuw dochter voor Caro Emerald. AD. 2020-09-17.
- 9.HitQuarters. Q&A on Caro Emerald with songwriter David Schreurs. 23 September 2011.
- 10.Caro Emerald meest gedraaid op 3FM. de Volkskrant. 6 April 2010.
- 11.Double Platinum. January 2026.
- 12.4× Platinum NED. November 2011.
- 13.entertainmentbusiness.nl. Caro Emerald maakt zelfstandige oversteek naar VS. 22 August 2012.
- 14.publiekeomroep.nl. Classic Albums: Caro Emerald. 14 April 2012.
- 15.BBC Two - Jools' Annual Hootenanny, Jools' 19th Annual Hootenanny - 2011. BBC.
- 16.nos.nl. Caro Emerald wint Popprijs 2010. 15 January 2011.
- 17.Dutch singer Caro Emerald performs after being awarded in category "Best International Music Artist" during the 47th Golden Camera award ceremony in Berlin February 4, 2012. The Golden Cameras (Goldene Kamera) are awarded by a popular German TV-magazine honouring excellence in the areas of television, film and entertainment. REUTERS/Maurizio Gambarini/Pool (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT Stock Photo - Alamy. www.alamy.com.
- 18.Inbetweenie Caro Emerald wins ECHO AWARD. Style has No size. 2012-03-23.
- 19.Sexton, Paul. Caro Emerald Shines At No. 1 on U.K. Albums Chart, Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' Reigns Again. Billboard. 2013-05-13.
- 20.BBC Radio 2 - Radio 2 In Concert, Caro Emerald, Watch Caro Emerald Live!. BBC.
- 21.BBC Two @ Glastonbury. English National Ballet and Caro Emerald. 29 June 2014.
- 22.Eames, Tom. Caro Emerald announces new single and UK winter tour. Digital Spy. 21 April 2015.
- 23.Caro Emerald - The Emerald Island Tour - Visit Nottinghamshire. www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.
- 24.The Jordan announces Nowhere Near the Sky. www.totalntertainment.com. 23 August 2022.
- 25.About Caro Emerald. www.caroemerald.com.
- 26.van der Leeuw, Caroline. there was a room 80 people they heard it first they heard me say my name out loud Caro. Bluesky. 2026-02-18.
- 27.Caro Emerald Best Dutch and Belgian Act. de Pers. 8 October 2010.
- 28.Winnaars Buma Harpen Gala 2011 bekend!. Buma Cultuur. 8 October 2010.
- 29.De Jeugd, Go Back to the Zoo en Caro winnen 3fm Awards. nlpop.blog.nl. 14 April 2011.
- 30.Ben Saunders grote winnaar TMF Awards. De Telegraaf. 12 June 2011.
- 31.Preisträger der 47. GOLDENEN KAMERA – Caro Emerald. goldene-kamera.de. 25 January 2012.
- 32.Caro Emerald – Music Charts. αCharts.
- 33.dutchcharts.nl/ Hung Medien. Discografie Caro Emerald.
- 34.austriancharts.at/ Hung Medien. Discographie Caro Emerald.
- 35.ultratop.be/nl/ Hung Medien. Discografie Caro Emerald.
- 36.lescharts.com/ Hung Medien. Discographie Caro Emerald.
- 37.charts.de/ Hung Medien. Discographie Caro Emerald.
- 38.italiancharts.com/ Hung Medien. Search for: Caro Emerald – Albums.
- 39.FIMI - Pagina non-trovata - FIMI.
- 40.irish-charts.com/ Hung Medien. Discography Caro Emerald.
- 41.hitparade.ch/ Hung Medien. Caro Emerald.
- 42.Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com. Caro Emerald - UK Charts.
- 43.Caroemerald.com. Caro Emerald – NEWS – No. 8 ON THE UK ALBUM CHART. 21 June 2011.
- 44.Musikindustrie.de. Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank.
- 45.Gold in Switzerland.
- 46.caroemerald.com. Album Caro Emerald 1.000.000 keer verkocht. 6 December 2011.
- 47.zpav.pl/rankingi/wyroznienia/platynowe/index.php
- 48.Certified Awards.
- 49.italiancharts.com/ Hung Medien. Search for: Caro Emerald – Singles.
- 50.Peak position A Night Like This in Poland. 17 November 2010.
- 51.Peak position Back It Up and Stuck in Slovakia. 17 November 2010.
- 52.Peak position A Night Like This in Romanian Radio Airplay Chart. 31 December 2010.
- 53.Rádio Top 100 Oficiální
- 54.Gaon Singles Chart
- 55.CERTIFICAZIONI DOWNLOAD FIMI – Week 21- Ending: 29/05/2011.
- 56.Stuck.
- 57.Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Certificazioni - Archivio.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Part Two: (Re)Generating the Jazz Past in the Vintage Remix of Caravan Palace and Caro Emerald, Remixing European Jazz Culture, 2019Crossref registry
Verifiedauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 16331267-9, Caro Emerald with The Grandmono Orchestra.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q236510: Caro EmeraldWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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