by Steven Seedo
PARAMARIBO — “We would love to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary with our fans in Suriname. They too are part of the Re-Play story. But there are no concrete plans yet,” singer Sam de Wit of the Dutch R&B and soul group Re-Play tells the True Time. He is also responsible for the group’s marketing.
De Wit indicates that the group has often performed in Suriname over the years. “To be honest, I have forgotten the exact number, but we have many wonderful memories of it. The last time was about two to three years ago,” he remembers.
“The will to come to Suriname is certainly there”
Sam de Wit
Performing in Suriname is “always special” for Re-Play. “The warmth, the reception and the love of the audience make it special every time. It feels familiar and it is nice to experience how much our music means to the people there.”
But making a concert possible requires the necessary organization. “We need a good local organizer with whom we can develop the plans: a suitable location, a good production and a feasible budget. The will to come to Suriname is certainly there. We would like to enter into discussions with a serious party to jointly put on a great show for our fans in Suriname,” De Wit makes clear.
(Guest) appearances
Re-Play celebrated the anniversary on October 9 with a concert in Rotterdam. It was an evening full of energy, emotion and musical highlights. The group shared the stage with well-known artists such as Gordon, Trijntje Oosterhuis and Edsilia Rombley.
There were also two surprising guest appearances. Jonna Fraser, who previously revamped the classic ‘Nobody’ with Re-Play, unexpectedly appeared on stage to perform the song live.
The R&B group Roméo also made an appearance. Two years ago, Re-Play and Roméo toured Dutch theaters together with ‘The Legacy Tour’. “We look back on the show with a very good feeling. We only receive great reactions and we are still enjoying it ourselves,” says De Wit.
(read more below the photo)
Bond with fans
For him, the connection with the audience was the highlight of the evening. “To celebrate thirty years of Re-Play together and feel so much love made this evening very special. You are on stage, but you create such an evening together.”
The singers are grateful that the group can still count on a loyal following after three decades. “It is not a given that people continue to embrace our music and come to our shows. That love gives us energy to continue.”
Re-Play not only wants to continue performing in the Netherlands, but is also looking at opportunities in Belgium, England and Suriname. “We want to continue to perform, make new music and continue to build the bond with our fans,” says De Wit.
According to him, an international hit would be nice, but it is not a goal in itself. “For us, it starts with good music that fits Re-Play and touches people. If it also catches on internationally, that is a nice bonus!” he adds.
Breakthrough
Re-Play broke through in the 1990s with songs such as ‘Ala dey’ (‘I only live for you’) and ‘Never never again’. In 1994 the group gained national fame by participating in Henny Huisman’s Soundmix show. The formation finished in second place, after which the performances followed each other in rapid succession. “We came second and then it exploded. From nowhere we performed everywhere,” De Wit looks back with pleasure.
Initially, the group mainly sang English songs. During a tour in Gran Canaria, De Wit noticed how well Spanish-language R&B resonated with the audience. After all, artists like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira released music in both English and Spanish. That got Re-Play thinking about the possibilities of music in another language.
The group then decided to make Dutch-language songs. That was not an obvious choice within the local R&B scene at the time. “R&B in another language was used in the Netherlands as ‘not done’ seen. Other musicians looked down on that, but we still did it,” says De Wit proudly.
