| Tatjana Šimić | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tatjana Šimić 9 June 1963 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Years active | 1986—present |
| Website | |
| http://www.tatjana.com/ | |
Tatjana Simić (born 9 June 1963, Zagreb, Croatia) is a Dutch-Croatian singer and actress. Better known as simply Tatjana, she moved with her mother and sister to Rotterdam in 1979.[1]
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In the 1980s, having won a national modeling contest, she commenced work as an actress and model. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, she remains known for her portrayal of the character "Kees Flodder", daughter of a dysfunctional and anti-social family engaged in a constant battle with the authorities, in several Dutch comedy films and television shows featuring the Flodder family in the 1980s and 1990s.[2] The original movie was popular in the Netherlands, reaching two and a half million viewers.[3]
Šimić, a sex symbol, has appeared on the cover of Playboy sixteen times; twelve times on the Dutch edition and four times on the German edition.[4]
She started a recording career in 1987 with her first single, "Baby Love". Her song "Chica Cubana" became a hit in Europe, followed a year later by "Awake Boy" in 1989. In 1992, she recorded a version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" with Dutch singer Gerard Joling. Her first album was released in 1993 and included the hit "Feel Good" which reached #25 in the Netherlands Top 40. Her best known song "Santa Maria" was recorded and produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken of Stock Aitken Waterman becoming an international dance hit.[5] It peaked at #40 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1996.[6] A follow up single "Calendar Girl" (1996) failed to attract the same success. A full album produced by Stock & Aitken's in house producers Dave Ford, Julian Gingell and Peter Day called New Look was released in Japan (titled Santa Maria) and the Netherlands. It included the singles, "Santa Maria", "Calendar Girl" and new singles "First Time" and "Sweet Sweet Smile". Since then she has released a number of dance singles, with "Baila Baila" reaching the Dutch Top 40 at #24 in 2001. In 2008, Tatjana made a comeback to the music scene with the Dutch language song "Ik Laat Je Gaan", which left her signature disco sound behind for a more rock pop style. The track was Tatjana's biggest Dutch hit to date reaching #11 in the Dutch Singles Chart.