Sharon Janny den Adel was born on July 12th, 1974. She is a Dutch singer, composer, songwriter, and co-founder of Within Temptation.
Within Temptation[]
Together with her partner, Robert Westerholt, den Adel is one of the founding members of Within Temptation. She has defined their work as "epic" and "cinematic". Her vocals play a major role in the band's sound, despite having never received formal vocal training. Den Adel has a mezzo soprano type of voice and a vocal range of five octaves. She can reach very high notes but with the same ease, she can also reach very low notes. Her vocal quality is light, ethereal, and lyric. Before Within Temptation had formed, she worked for a fashion company but left after the band had become successful with their single "Ice Queen" in 2000. She utilizes her fashion expertise by designing her stage costumes and the band's merchandise. She has been described by About.com as "a versatile and skilled singer who is equally adept at singing powerfully with a full orchestra and choir as she is at singing quietly with just a piano."
Collaborations with other artists[]
Sharon den Adel has performed on stage and in the studio with several notable bands, including Armin van Buuren, After Forever, De Heideroosjes, and Delain. She sang the part of Anna Held in Tobias Sammet's Avantasia projects, and the part of the Indian on Ayreon's rock opera Into The Electric Castle. She provided the vocals for Timo Tolkki's song: "Are You The One?". She also co-wrote and provided the vocals for the track "In and Out of Love" from Armin van Buuren's 2008 album Imagine. She also supplied some vocals for the track "No Compliance" on Delain's album Lucidity, as well as working with the band Voyage on the track "Frozen" (not to be confused with Within Temptation's track of the same name).
Full collaboration discography[]
- Voyage - "Frozen" (Embrace, 1996)
- Silicon Head - "Hear" (Bash, 1997)
- Ayreon - "Isis & Osiris", "Amazing Flight", "The Decision Tree", "Tunnel of Light", "The Garden of Emotions", "Cosmic Fusion", "Another Time, Another Space" (Into The Electric Castle, 1998)
- De Heideroosjes - "Regular Day in Bosnia" (Schizo, 1999), "Last Call to Humanity" (Fast Forward, 2001), "Candy (Iggy Pop cover)" (Live at Pinkpop 2005)
- After Forever - "Beyond Me" (Prison of Desire, 2000)
- Avantasia - "Farewell" (The Metal Opera, 2000), "Into The Unknown" (The Metal Opera Part II, 2002)
- Orphanage - "Behold" (Inside, 2000)
- Paralysis - "Fly", "Architecture of the Imagination" (Architecture of the Imagination, 2000)
- Aemen - "Time", "Waltz" (Fooly Dressed, 2002)
- Timo Tolkki - "Are You The One?" (Hymn to Life, 2002)
- Delain - "No Compliance" (Lucidity, 2006)
- De Laatste Show-band - "Crucify" (live Tori Amos cover, 2007)
- Armin van Buuren - "In and Out of Love" (Imagine, 2008)
- Agua de Annique - "Somewhere (Within Temptation cover)" (Pure Air, 2009)
- John Miles, Katona Twins and Sharon den Adel - "Stairway to Heaven" (Night of the Proms 2009)
- Oomph! - "Land Ahead" (Truth or Dare, 2010)
- Ruud Jolie - "Keep Breathing" (For All We Know, 2011)
Robin Aiden Westerholt
Personal Life[]
Sharon den Adel and her long-term partner Robert Westerholt have a daughter, Eva Luna, who was born on December 7, 2005, and with whom she was pregnant during The Silent Force Tour. They currently live near Hilversum, Netherlands. On February 22, 2009, den Adel announced that she was pregnant with her second child. Robin Aiden Westerholt, whose birth was announced on the band's official website on June 1, 2009. Going by the name of Aiden, he was born prematurely at 32 weeks and 6 days. On November 26, 2010, den Adel announced that she was expecting another child which, due to complications with her previous pregnancies, led to the rescheduling of the band's 2011 tour dates, which were postponed from Spring to Autumn. The birth of her son, Logan Arwin, was announced on March 21, 2011.