Artist
Follow That Dream
Why we feature this artist A pop group made in public Follow That Dream belongs to an early chapter of Dutch television-created pop. The audience was invited to watch a group take shape, then hear the result as a finished single. The self-titled record capture…
- From
- Netherlands
- Sound
- Pop
- Active
- 2000–2001
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
The artist, in context
The story of Follow That Dream
Why we feature this artist
A pop group made in public
Follow That Dream belongs to an early chapter of Dutch television-created pop. The audience was invited to watch a group take shape, then hear the result as a finished single. The self-titled record captures that moment when a programme's story had to become something that could stand on the radio by itself.
From the audition room to the single
The group emerged in 2000 from RTL 4's Alles Voor de Band: Follow That Dream, presented by Manuela Kemp. The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision describes a programme following young performers through auditions and studio work with Bolland & Bolland, with the first single's launch forming the finale. Ben and Dean Saunders were among the members, years before their separate solo breakthroughs.
The resulting Follow That Dream single credits Rob and Ferdi Bolland as writers, producers and mixers, with Hans Weekhout, John Kriek and Sander Bos among the engineers. Released by Dino Music, it reached number twenty-five in the Dutch Top 40. Those credits help distinguish the roles behind the public story: the performers supplied the group identity, while an experienced studio team gave the song its finished shape.
What remains after the programme
The record's straightforward, affirmative pop language suits the circumstances of its release. A clear title and an easily recognised refrain could connect the musical product to the idea viewers had followed on television. The group itself was short-lived, ending in 2001 after a further single and album, but that does not make the original recording merely a footnote. It documents a particular way of introducing performers before televised talent formats became an even more familiar part of the release calendar. The lasting point of interest is the meeting of public expectation and studio construction. A programme could explain why the audience should be curious; the single still had to provide a tune, a performance and a reason to keep listening once the screen was switched off.
Essential releases
Follow That Dream
The Dino Music single, written and produced by Bolland & Bolland, gives the television-created group its defining recording.