For many years, British-born (Kilmarnock, Scots father, Welsh mother), London-raised lyricist, Bruce R. F. Smith, has been active as a lyricist in Holland. In this time he has worked with the cream of Dutch composers and artists and enjoyed many Top 10 & 20 Benelux & international hits. Some of the names he has written for are: Rob van Leeuwen (who had a no. 1 world mega-hit with VENUS), Alvin Stardust, Madeline Bell, Laura Fygi, René Froger, Lee Towers, Trijntje Oosterhuis (Total Touch) Back in the U.K, Bruce a song (SUDDENLY!) recorded by ALVIN STARDUST on his latest album, "Still Standing". In 1997 Bruce wrote the lyrics for: FANTAISIE DU PRINTEMPS which featured significantly in the British movie: MONK DAWSON, starring MARTIN KEMP (Ex-SPANDAU BALLET), PAULA HAMILTON, MICHAEL CASHMAN (Ex-EAST ENDERS), RUPERT VANSITTART & JOHN MICHIE. MONK DAWSON This film had its first screening in April, '97 at The Odeon, Leicester Square. The song enjoyed considerable prominence in a Cannes Film Festival Special on SKY TV, and the film received its U.K. & World Premiere in October '97 at the Leeds International Film Festival. The London premiere took place at the Odeon, Haymarket on July '98.Bruce wrote the English version (HOLD ONTO LOVE!) for the Estonian singer MAARJA LIIS. MAARJA came in 7th. place with this song in the Eurovision Song Contest '97 in Dublin. This was released as a single on a world-wide basis, including Geffen Records in the U.S. and Mercury, Japan.HOLD ONTO LOVE has sold over 100.000 copies to date in Japan and was chosen as the theme song for the main evening news on NTV - the biggest Japanese TV network with 30 stations nationwide. Bruce has also penned the lyrics to SING WITH YOUR HEART, featured on Maarja's follow-up CD, which has already sold more than 30.000 copies in pre-sales in Japan. Bruce currently has holds in Nashville, New York & Budapest.Bruce also wrote the lyrics to a song (SOMETHING'S GOING ON!) for MADELINE BELL'S last album: YES I CAN (A Melting Pot) . This was a Carlo D'WYS composition.Going out on a semi-classical limb, Bruce co-wrote with composer BOB ZIMMERMAN the humorous: WHY EVER?, performed & recorded by JUDITH MOK & SUSANNA MONCAYA (Internationally renowned soprano & mezzo-soprano). It was received with great acclaim during its premiere at the famous EL COLON theatre, Buenos Aires in August '99. The song: WHY EVER? was later performed in the presence of H. R. H. CROWN PRINCE WILLEM-ALEXANDER & PRINCESS MAXIMA at Amsterdam's celebrated Concertgebouw theatre on March 23rd., 2002. Revista ClasicaBruce had 2 co-writes on TOTAL TOUCH's (Tjeerd & Trijntje Oosterhuis) last album: THIS WAY - HERE 'N' NOW & I WILL STAY AROUND In 1999 he again co-wrote with TOTAL TOUCH'S Tjeerd Oosterhuis, the song: KEEP THE FLAME ALIVE! This was commisioned by Amnesty International and was recorded by top Dutch R&B group: Roméo. They performed the song on May 5, '99 (Dutch Liberation Day) on Dutch TV and 5 festival venues. Bruce also had 3 cuts (FANTASY OF SPRINGTIME, YOU'RE THE ONE & THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH!) on MARK JENSEN'S (Composer of film score for MONK DAWSON) latest eclectic CD: ZOOM IN...THE ZEST ZONE.In August 1999, Bruce placed the beautiful ballad: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER! (co-written with composer Christan Grotenbreg) on the Summer '99 edition of the SongLink Song Seller CD. (Please check out: www.songshop.net) In the early months of 2000, Bruce co-wrote with composer MARK JENSEN the song: THE LONG WAY HOME. This was the theme song for the Harold Chapman movie: MAESTRO, which will be shown at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.In March 2000, Bruce wrote a promotional song: MY AMSTERDAM (commisioned by Transavia) with composer Christan Grotenbreg. The song was performed by Dutch mega-star: RENE FROGER. In August/September 2000, Bruce co-wrote with composer Bob Zimmerman 10 songs in the classical jazz genre. These were commissioned by American mezzo-soprano Gail Gilmore for her new theatre repertoire. ( Check out: http://sopranos.freeservers.com/gilmore.htm ) Gail Gilmore has performed the title roles in most of the major operas in principal venues all around the world e.g.: La Scala, The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall & The Bolshoi. She also sings gospels, spirituals and works by contemporary composers such as Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland & Barber. In September, 2000, Bruce also co-wrote with Bob Zimmerman the song: BACK TO SQUARE ONE!. This song was incorporated in the new theatre repertoire of the celebrated a-capella pop group: MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE. Montezuma Revenge's orchestral a-capella pop has now become a genre in its own right! In June 2001, Bruce co-wrote with Bob Zimmerman the song: WHO AM I?, which featured in the Anglo-Dutch movie, SNAP SHOTS, starring BURT REYNOLDS, JULIE CHRISTIE & CARMEN CHAPLIN. The Song was performed by talented newcomer, JUANITA. In January 2002, Bruce was approached by top producer Peter van Asten to collaborate on a CD project for international mega-stars TEN SHARP (over 16 million sales of their mega-hit single: YOU). Their epic song (7:39 minutes!) called THE MISSING CHAPTER forms a veritable piece de résistance on the last TEN SHARP album (STAY) and will be released as a single (SONY) sometime in June 2004. In May, 2003, another song (NEVER EVER SAY GOODBYE!), co-written by Bruce with producer Roy Beltman & Egbert Hartman & performed by the exciting girl-group, CHASTITY (fronted by dynamic Sylvia Bruens) was released both on CD & DVD - complete with MTV clip coverage.In the autumn of 2003, PETRA BERGER released BEYOND OUR DESTINY (which Bruce co-wrote with composers Henk Pool & Han Kooreneef) and THE GODDESS & THE SLAVE , co-written with Evert Abbing, on her new album, MISTRESS. Petra Berger www.petraberger.com, previously made her name as part of the duo CHESS, going on to star in the leading roles of international productions such as: Sondheim's Sweeny Todd, Beauty and The Beast & the Sound of Music. Petra's previous album: Eternal Woman, rapidly achieved gold status and international acclaim and it looks as if MISTRESS will rapidly follow suit- storming straight into the Dutch Album Top 10 within a month. In November 2003, Dutch mega-star, LEE TOWERS released: MY PORT OF ROTTERDAM, which Bruce co-wrote with composer, PETER GROENENDIJK. More than 60.000 copies were sold within a month of release! "MY PORT OF ROTTERDAM" was also included in Lee's latest album, "MY FAVOURITES", released in March, 2004.LEE TOWERSIn December 2003, Bruce was informed that two of his songs had made it through to the semi-finals of the Dutch National Song Festival, which determines who will represent The Netherlands in Istanbul in 2004. The two songs ,MISSISSIPI MISS (composed by PAUL MAYER & performed by the SUZY 'N' THE HI-ROLLERS) and ON A WING & A PRAYER (composed by CHRISTAN GROTENBREG & performed by ADRIANA ROMIJN) were performed live on Dutch National Television on February 5th, 2004. Remarkably, both songs went on to feature in the final, broadcast on TV on the 22nd of February!Bruce had a record-breaking SEVEN songs in the semi-finals of the 2005 Dutch National Song Festival!!! www.songfestival.nl. TWO of the songs qualified for the final - with one, "MY IMPOSSIBLE DREAM", (co-written with composer Robert D. Fisher & performed by the highly talented GLENNIS GRACE) becoming the outright winner!!! GLENNIS GRACE & "MY IMPOSSIBLE DREAM" represented the Netherlands at The European Song Contest in Kiev, (Ukraine) in May, 2005, making a lasting impression.In July, 2005, Czech Idol SuperStar, MARTINA BALOGOVA, recorded Bruce's, "SOMEONE LIKE YOU", co-written with ROBERT D. FISHER, for her album (Sony/BMG), "I AM NOT FROM HERE". The album was #1 in the Czech charts for several weeks!Slovakian SuperStars, KATKA KOSCOVA, and MARTIN KELECSENYI, have also recorded 4 of Bruce's songs: KATKA with "SOHO JOE" (Vanilkovy den), co-written with PAUL MAYER, & "KILLIN' TIME" (Svita), co-written with MARK JENSEN. Katka's debut album: "ESTE SA NEPOZNAME" ("We don't know each other yet"), sold over 10.000 copies in just 4 days after its release and was #1 in the album charts for several weeks!Superstar MARTIN recorded, "BETWEEN YOU & ME"(SEN), co-written with RALPH VAN MANEN and "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?"(IBA S TEBOU), co-written with Ralph & SUSANNA FIELDS."Between You & Me" is a duet with fellow Idol/Superstar, TOMAS BEZDEDA. The album (Sony/BMG) was released in October, 2005, rapidly reaching the #2 spot in the charts!SUSANNA FIELDS (aka Suzanne van der Velde) has also released "Where Do We Go From Here?" on her debut album: "All of This is Really Me", on sale from September, 2005.In October, 2005, Dutch-Maroccan Idols finalist, HIND released, "SWEET WOMAN-CHILD", on her latest album, "HALFWAY HOME" (Sony/BMG). Bruce co-wrote this number with Italian composer, LUCA GENTA. It was recorded in Madrid's famous CEZANNE STUDIOS, with production in the very capable hands of Cuban-born, YADAM GONZALEZ. The album also rose quickly in the Dutch album charts.Early in 2006, Bruce co-wrote 3 songs ("I Like It!", "Free As The Wind" & "How It Is!") with composer/producer, RON VAN DER TAK, for the new album of famous Dutch singer/entertainer, JEROEN VAN DER BOOM. The album will be released on the Red Bullet label in mid-March, 2006. Veteran record company boss, Willem van Kooten (Red Bullet) is reputedly ecstatic about the project...so watch this space!On March the 14th, Bruce, together with RALPH VAN MANEN, headed again for an extensive songwriting tour of Sweden. They wrote in Copenhagen, Malmö, Gotebörg (in the famous "BREW HOUSE"), Halmstad (home of ROXETTE) & Stockholm. The writers/producers teams, with whom they co-wrote, include the guys behind the BACKSTREET BOYS, BRITNEY SPEARS & ROXETTE. Bruce & Ralph wrote for Swedish Top-10 star: MAGNUS BACKLUND . Magnus will be releasing a single, penned by Ralph & Bruce, later this year and there are definite plans to write a duet single for Ralph & Magnus. Furthermore, they will be writing for REDNEX - the group made famous by their world-wide hit, "COTTON EYE JOE". All in all, this trip produced some pretty awesome songs! Bruce is also currently writing songs for a pop/dance project with ex-2Unlimited vocalist Marjon van Iwaarden. And for something completely different, another song of Bruce’s, “COMING HOMEâ€, co-written with composer Henk Pool, will be recorded this year by the famous METROPOLE ORCHESTRA, with vocals from Norwegian singing star, CECILIA. (See: www.ceciliasings.com) BRUCE penned the lyrics for "OCEANS OF LOVE, composed by Dutch/Armenian singer ARISTAKES. The song was handed to Oprah's husband, STEDMAN GRAHAM, when he was on a trip to the Netherlands in October, 2007. Soon afterwards came the invitation for Aristakes to perform"OCEANS OF LOVE" live on the OPRAH WINFREY SHOW in the beginning of 2008. Watch this space!Bruce Smith Contact address: Papaverstraat 7 1214HH Hilversum, The Netherlands E-mail address:
[email protected] Web; www.lyricalbruce.net
