Christiaan Hof

Christiaan Hof is a Dutch musician who writes songs about loneliness and longing. His 2004 single 'Alleen Is Maar Alleen' connected with listeners in the Netherlands, becoming a chart success. The song's straightforward title and direct emotional quality seemed to capture something specific about solitude.

He grew up in Leerdam and started writing music as a teenager, drawn to artists like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. That early interest in folk and blues storytelling shows up in his own work, which tends to stay personal and unadorned. He has released several albums since, including 'In De Buitenlucht' in 2006 and 'Liever Weg' in 2009.

Hof has spoken about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2010, and that experience has informed some of his writing. He performs as a solo artist but works with other musicians for recordings and shows. His music doesn't try to resolve the feelings it describes, which might be why it continues to find listeners.