Damaru (singer)

Damaru
Damaru
Background information
Birth name	Dino Orpheo Canterburg
Born	July 2, 1986 (1986-07-02) (age 25) Paramaribo, Suriname
Genres	Hip Hop, Pop, Reggae
Occupations	Singer, rapper, film director
Labels	TopNotch
Associated acts	Jan Smit
Website	http://www.damarumusic.com/

Dino Orpheo Canterburg (born Paramaribo, 2 July 1986), better known by his stage name Damaru, is a Surinam singer and rapper. He is best known for his song "Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" with Dutch singer Jan Smit.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Damaru grew up in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, in a family with six children. When he was thirteen years old, he started rapping and singing. His singing talents were a great success. Before he started his solo career, he was member of the bands "Lava Boys" and "New Jack Boys". Damaru derived his stage name from his idol Tupac Shakur: the second name of this American rapper was "Amaru". Damaru added the letter D, from his name Dino, and his stage name was born.^[1][2]

Suriname

In Suriname, Damaru scored several hits, like "Yu Na Mi Engel" (English: You Are My Angel), "Hey Baby" and "Sranang Koningin" (Surinam Queen). In 2007, he scored his biggest hit with "Mi Rowsu" (My Rose), a song he had written for his daughter Denoura. It spent nine weeks at the peak position of the Surinam charts. In 2008, Damaru released his first movie: "Mi Rowsu The Movie".

The Netherlands

In 2009, Damaru went to The Netherlands, in an attempt to get a break through. He toured the country three months, appeared on television and eventually got a recording contract with the major Dutch hip hop label TopNotch. He released "Mi Rowsu" in The Netherlands and the song reached the 7th position in the Mega Single Top 100 and the 14th position in the Dutch Top 40.

Together with famous Dutch singer Jan Smit and DJ Rudy Mackay, Damaru recorded a new version of "Mi Rowsu": "Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" (My Rose (Garden In My Heart)). This song reached the peak position in both the Single Top 100 and the Dutch Top 40. In September 2009, the song reached the platinum status (20,000 singles sold). "Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" also won the "Sterren.nl Award" for "Best Song of 2009" and the "100% NL Award" for "Biggest Hit of 2009".

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions
		NL	SU
	Mi Rowsu	-	-
	The Best of Damaru	-	-
2009	Schatje Lief	-	-

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions
		NL Top 40	NL Top 100	SU
	"Yu Na Mi Engel"	-	-	-
	"Hey Baby"	-	-	-
	"Sranang Koningin"	-	-	-
2007	"Mi Rowsu"	-	-	1
2009	"Mi Rowsu"	14	7	-
2009	"Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" (featuring Jan Smit)	1	1	-

Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2009	"Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" (featuring Jan Smit)	Sterren.nl Award for Best Song of 2009	Won
	"Mi Rowsu (Tuintje In Mijn Hart)" (featuring Jan Smit)	100% NL Award for Biggest Hit of 2009	Won

References

1. ^ "Damaru discography" (in Dutch). www.surinamstars.com. http://www.surinamstars.com/Damaru.html. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
2. ^ "Damaru interview" (in Dutch). www.easybookings.nl. http://www.easybookings.nl/nieuws/200908053740.damaru.wil.nederland.veroveren.html. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Damaru
Alternative names
Short description	Rapper
Date of birth	2 July 1986
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Suriname
Date of death
Place of death