This singer-songwriter topped the charts for two months with his single Close To You after winning the second edition of tv-show The Best Singer-Songwriter From Holland last year. It's a first highlight in the carreer of the 27 year old from Haarlem, who quit school at the tender age of fifteen to focus solely on music. His influences prove he's raised the bar for himself; when he plays guitar you can hear echoes of Nick Drake, when he plays piano the influence of Tom Waits is easy to recognize. But above all Michael Prins has his own distinctive sound, as his debut album Rivertown Fairytales proves. The release party in October was followed by a sold out club tour.