Antoon’s roots: how a sparkling child from Midwoud became a superstar

Midwoud has only 2,340 inhabitants. It is therefore quite crazy to think that later this year Ziggo Dome will be full twice with 17,000 enthusiastic Antoon fans. More than seven times the number of inhabitants of the West Frisian village per show.

hit after hit, millions of streams, a few gold records and sold-out shows. Antoon’s popularity knows no bounds at the moment. “My brother used to be in class with him,” says an employee of the snack bar next to the SPAR in Midwoud. A little further on is the former primary school of singer Antoon: De Koet.

“He was a very sparkling child,” says Nel Jonker, who is still a kindergarten teacher at primary school. “Tijn started here at the age of four, in kindergarten. He loved to build.”

The former teacher also remembers well that the singer excelled in communication from an early age. “The fact that Tijn is good at that is now also reflected in the word choices in his songs.”

Message

The former student impressed Miss Nel with the song ‘Onweer’. “The song is about his mother, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago,” she continues. “I liked it so much that I sent him a message. He appreciated that.”

The fact that singer Antoon is going like a supersonic rocket in the musical field is all the more apparent now that the second show on December 19 is also completely sold out. The inhabitants of Mid- and Oostwoud therefore hope that ‘their’ Antoon will be able to make room this year for the Snertpop festival in Midwoud, which will be held in September.

“I think Antoon has no idea what he brings up in many families”, laughs a mother of some fans from Oostwoud, who can sing along most of the songs. “It would be great if he came back to perform in his own village.”