Caro Emerald

Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), formerly known as Caro Emerald and lately part of the music project The Jordan, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with debut single, "Back It Up". Follow-up single "A Night Like This" topped charts in several countries, including her native Netherlands.

Her debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 29 January 2010. By August 2010, the album had spent its 30th week at number one in the Dutch album charts, setting an all-time record and beating Michael Jackson's Thriller by one week. On 3 October 2010, Emerald was awarded the Dutch music prize Edison Award for Best Female Artist. In 2013 a second studio album was released titled The Shocking Miss Emerald. The album entered at number one in the Dutch and United Kingdom album charts.

Early and personal life Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw was born on 26 April 1981 in Amsterdam to a Dutch father and an Aruban mother. She started singing lessons at age 12 with James Gilloffo in Amsterdam and joined a girl vocal group, Les Elles, under his guidance. Following high school, she trained as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating in 2005.

In March 2014, Van der Leeuw gave birth to her first daughter. She gave birth to a second daughter in August 2017.

Career

2007–2008: Career beginnings In early 2007, Dutch producer Jan van Wieringen invited Van der Leeuw to sing the vocal on a track he was producing with producer/songwriter David Schreurs. The song, "Back It Up", had been written by Schreurs and Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio and was based around a hip-hop beat created by Robin Veldman and Jan van Wieringen. Van der Leeuw's jazzy vocal was considered a "perfect match" for the new song.

The demo was pitched to various publishers and labels but without result.

Emerald's debut album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, was released on 28 January 2010 in The Netherlands by Grandmono. It entered at #1 in the Album Charts and stayed there for weeks. By August 2010, the album had been #1 for 27 weeks, beating Michael Jackson's chart record for Thriller (26 weeks #1 in 1983). It reached triple platinum in August 2010, and sextuple platinum (>300,000 copies) in December 2011. Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was removed from the Dutch charts after 104 weeks due to a rule providing albums can't spend >2 years on the charts. Upon re-entry, the album climbed back to #8.

The album's second single, "A Night Like This", was released in December 2009. It was listed in the Dutch Charts for 26 weeks peaking at #1 in January 2010. It was the most played song in The Netherlands in 2010.

In 2011, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor was released throughout Europe with great commercial success. It became a hit in the UK (1× platinum with sales exceeding 360,000, 8 weeks top 10 peaking at No. 4), Germany (1× platinum with sales exceeding 280,000, peaking at No. 5 and Platinum single for "A Night Like This" with sales exceeding 340,000), Poland (6× platinum with sales exceeding 60,000), Italy (Gold Single for "Back it Up"), and Austria (No. 1 with "A Night Like This"). In the UK, all six singles and the entire album were A-listed by BBC Radio 2. Over 1,400,000 albums have been sold in Europe.

The cinematic sound of the project resulted in frequent use in TV series, movies and advertising. Selected credits include The Playboy Club, a brand campaign by Martini, 2 Days in New York, The Secret Circle, Wind Mobile, Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars, The Vampire Diaries, Agent Carter, Nestlé, Ferrero Rocher, Wrigley and Disney Nature film Chimpanzee.

Due to its exceptional success, the album was included in an episode of the Dutch version of Classic Albums in April 2012.

On New Year's Eve 2011, Caro appeared on Jools Holland's Hootenanny.

In January 2011, Emerald won the Popprijs 2010 for Best Dutch Pop Act of 2010. In early 2012, Emerald won a Goldene Kamera for Best Musik International and an Echo Award for Best Newcomer International.

2013–2014: The Shocking Miss Emerald In April 2013, the second Caro Emerald studio album The Shocking Miss Emerald was released. It included the singles "Tangled Up" and "Liquid Lunch". The album went to #1 in the UK album chart. She performed in the UK at The BBC Radio Theatre; it was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Red Button.

On 29 June 2014, she played the opening music set on the pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2014.

2015–2020: Emerald Island

In April 2015, Emerald released a single, "Quicksand".

In March 2017, Emerald released an exotica inspired EP, Emerald Island. It was released to accompany the Emerald Island Tour.

In June 2020, Emerald released "Wake Up Romeo," her first single in three years.

2022–2025: The Jordan

On 23 August 2022, Van der Leeuw was revealed as the voice behind new act "The Jordan". Her debut album, Nowhere Near the Sky, was released on February 10, 2023 via Cooking Vinyl. The first three singles from the album are "You Don't Even Know Me", "Dancing Naked in the Sun", and "The Room". According to the official Caro Emerald website, "As of 2022, the Caro Emerald project and live act are dormant and no longer active."

2026-present: Caro On 18 February 2026 Van der Leeuw announced her return on her social media accounts and that she will release a new album. On 27 February 2026 she released the song "I Can't Win" under the name "Caro". Her YouTube account has been renamed from "The Jordan" to "Caro".

Awards 11 April 2010: 3FM Serious Talent Award 15 April 2010: 26 April 2010: De Eerste Prijs 3 October 2010: Edison Award, Best Female Singer MTV Europe Music Award, Best Dutch and Belgian Act 12 January 2011: European Border Breakers Award 2011 15 January 2011: 3FM Mega Award 2010 15 January 2011: Popprijs 2010 3 March 2011: Zilveren Harp 2010 3 March 2011: Het Beste Nederlandse lied 2010 (Best Song of the Year 2010) 14 March 2011: NPO 3FM, Best Album and Best Female Singer 12 June 2011: TMF Award for Best Female Singer 4 February 2012: Goldene Kamera 2012, Best Music International March 2012: Echo Music Prize, Best International Newcomer

Discography Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications NL AUS AUT BEL (FLA) FRA GER ITA IRE POL SWI UK Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor Release date: 29 January 2010 Label: Grandmono 1 — 3 23 79 5 14 39 3 10 4 BPI: Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWI: Gold NVPI: 6× Platinum ZPAV: 3× Platinum The Shocking Miss Emerald Release date: 3 May 2013 Label: Grandmono 1 69 3 31 166 3 21 71 17 3 1 BPI: Gold NVPI: Platinum "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released.

Live albums Title Details Peak chart positions BEL SK ROM SWI ZK "Back It Up" 2009 13 11 33 — 70 — — 53 — — 190 — — ITA: Gold Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor "A Night Like This" 1 10 52 — 4 1 2 — 1 9 65 — — ITA: Gold "Riviera Life" 2011 70 25 — — — — — — — — — — — "You're All I Want For Christmas"(with Brook Benton) 26 — — — — — — — — — — — — "Tangled Up"2013 6 13 62 — 81 — — — 53 — 77 9 — ITA: Gold The Shocking Miss Emerald "Liquid Lunch" — — 64 182 — — — — — — 70 — 89 "One Day" — — 75 — — — — — — — — — 152 "I Belong to You" 99 — 131 — — — — — — — — — — "Ne Me Quitte Pas"2014 — — — — — — — — — — — — — "Coming Back as a Man" — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Shocking Miss Emerald "Quicksand"2015 103 — — — — — — — — — — — — "Whatchugot"2017 — — — — — — — — — — — — — Emerald Island "Wake Up Romeo"2020 — — — — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released.