Singer Hans de Booij (64), who became known in the 1980s with his song Annabel, suffered a lot from loneliness. He told that on Tuesday evening in the Valentine’s broadcast First dates: “I’ve had a huge loneliness attack.”
Hans de Booij doesn’t really believe in love anymore, but when the singer is given up for First dates by a friend, he doesn’t have to think long. Since De Booij spent eleven days in the hospital with corona last year and ‘looked the beast in the mouth’, he increasingly says ‘yes’ to things. Fortunately for pediatric nurse Irma (62) because she was allowed to go on a date with the singer – who she found an ‘attractive man’.
Irma was not fully aware of the singer’s career, but when de Booij says soberly that he used to have a number of hits, the penny drops. ,,How did it go again?” she begins, after which she starts to sing softly. ,,Annabel, it won’t work without you, Annabel.” When Irma then proudly says that she also likes to make music and has recently started taking ukulele lessons, the ice seems to be broken. Do you also play Dutch songs? Then you can too Annabel try”, jokes De Booij.
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Loneliness
Yet there is also time for a serious conversation, when De Booij talks about the work he is currently doing. He writes songs about loneliness. ,,I was with a friend in Malta for three months, I had a huge loneliness attack there. Then I started writing all kinds of things about that feeling.”
When Irma then asks whether De Booij calls himself lonely, he decides to share even more of himself. “I am my mother’s fifth child, but when I was born I was an only child. The four others were already dead.” His brother died as a child at the age of 3.5, the other children were stillborn. So the singer grew up alone. ,,From that loneliness you automatically write songs,” he jokes.
Fortunately, he and Irma don’t seem to have to be alone for the time being. The two would like to go on a second date with each other – without cameras. Irma is far from finished chatting with Hans de Booij. “I’d like to hear more about what’s going on with you.”
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