On Monday, October 2, the annual Buma NL event took place, culminating in the Buma NL Awards ceremony at the vibrant Poppodium 013 in Tilburg. The event honors the Dutch-language music scene, and the evening was made particularly memorable for Marco Schuitmaker, who emerged as the big winner.
During the ceremony, various talents in the genre of levenslied (Dutch life song) were celebrated, but Marco Schuitmaker stole the show by taking home two prestigious awards. He was recognized with the prize for the most successful single of 2023 and also received the Xenox Award for the most successful pub hit of the year. Both awards were given for his song Engelbewaarder, written by Pierre Kartner, which spent an impressive 25 weeks in the Top 40.
The Xenox Award was presented in collaboration with Buma Cultuur and is based on download and streaming data from our music and media systems in Dutch hospitality venues between June 1, 2022, and June 1, 2023.
Buma NL is known as an annual event where interactive panels, discussions, masterclasses, showcases, and the Buma NL Awards ceremony come together. The event serves as the professional epicenter for anyone involved in Dutch-language music. This year, the focus was on connection through creation, highlighting the authors and composers of Dutch-language works.
Most Successful Singles of 2023
Covers and adaptations made a strong return in this year’s Top 10 Dutch songs. Mart Hoogkamer appears twice. The Top 10 most successful singles of 2023 are:
- Engelbewaarder – Marco Schuitmaker
- Vanavond (Uit M’n Bol) – Kris Kross Amsterdam, Donnie & Tino Martin
- In Spanje – Mart Hoogkamer
- Dat Interesseert Me Echt Geen Ene Reet – René Karst
- Turk Uit De Kroeg – Ammar
- Amalia – Wesly Bronkhorst
- Diamant – Mart Hoogkamer
- Kies Je Nog Voor Mij – John West & Bizzey
- We Dansen Op De Mambo – Django Wagner
- Mijn Liefste – Tino Martin
Buma NL is a joint initiative of Buma Cultuur and BumaStemra. It is a conference and festival dedicated to Dutch-language music. The organization also highlights the nominees with events such as the karaoke-bus. Read more about Buma NL.