OG3NE

Pop veterans with a ten-year career under their belts while still only in their early twenties, Dutch group O'G3ne, consisting of three sisters, started their career representing the Netherlands in the 2007 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Ten years later they would perform in the contest proper, having in the meantime won the popular TV talent contest The Voice of Holland and scored a number one album.

The three Vol sisters were born in Dordrecht -- Lisa in 1994, and twins Amy and Shelley a year later -- and brought up in the nearby small town of Fijnaart. Both parents were musical: their mother was a dance teacher, their father a bandleader. The sisters' musical career began in 2007 when they entered their self-penned song "Adem In, Adem Uit" ("Breathe In, Breathe Out") to the Junior Songfestival competition. Performing under the name Lisa, Amy & Shelley, they won, becoming that year's entry to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, where they finished in 11th place. At the time, Lisa was 13, and the twins just 12. They were signed to EMI, releasing the chirpy dance-pop song as their debut single. It was swiftly followed by an album, 300%, which reached number 26 in the Dutch charts. The girls' major-label career was short-lived, however. Three years later, having been dropped by EMI, they signed to Dutch dance music giant Cloud 9 for the release of their second album, Sweet 16. It also charted, but only at number 45.

Recognizing the precarious nature of a music career, the girls decided to finish their education in order to have something to fall back on; Amy qualified as a hairdresser, Shelley in hospitality, and Lisa in entertainment management. Not particularly interested in global fame, they pragmatically viewed music as a career choice that would be fun as long as it lasted. In 2014 they rebranded themselves O'G3ne, the name a reference to their mother's blood type, the fact that they were genetically related, and that there were three of them. Under this name they entered the fifth season of The Voice of Holland, the Dutch version of the Voice TV talent franchise. Their lush harmonies, down-to-earth natures, and bubbly personalities endeared them to viewers, and they won, becoming the first group ever to do so. Snagging a deal with BMG, they released their debut album as O'G3ne, We Got This, in 2016. The album, their first in English, went to number one in the Dutch charts, giving them their biggest success to date. Their biggest single was 2014's "Magic," which went to number three. Late in 2016 it was announced that they would represent the Netherlands in the following year's Eurovision, exactly ten years after they had competed in the junior contest. ~ John D. Buchanan, Rovi