Ruth Jacott

Ruth Jacott appears on 28 May 2026 at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht with a set that highlights her strengths as a storyteller and vocalist. Born in Paramaribo and moved to the Netherlands as a child, she developed her voice in the 1980s as a studio and choir singer and in musicals. Since her breakthrough with “Vrede” at the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest she has followed her own path between Dutch-language pop, soul and light jazz influences, with the more theatrical feel of Dutch cabaret.

Live, Jacott centers on the story within the song. Expect warm ballads alongside more driving numbers, in accessible arrangements that leave room for dynamics and for the lyrics. Themes such as relationships, everyday emotions and personal twists form the common thread: clearly sung, without ornamentation.

On stage she alternates well-known songs from her catalogue with more recent work and material from her thematic theatre tours, always with a focus on singing, phrasing and timing. A band that carries the melody, backing vocals that add colour, and a vocalist who comes close: pop with a soul edge, in Utrecht.