Singer Mark Ambor very popular in the Netherlands: ‘You stand behind me’ | Music

“I have the feeling that you are behind me,” the American artist tells NU.nl with a smile, the day after his performances in the Melkweg and on 538 King’s Day in Breda. That last show in particular will stay with him for a while.

“The crowd was endless, by far the biggest I’ve ever had,” Ambor says of the 40,000 people at 538 King’s Day. “And they also sang along. They knew the songs, that orange mass. Also in the Melkweg, by the way, the Dutch audience is so energetic.”

Those are hits BelongTogether and Good To Be being sung along word for word is not surprising. Dutch radio stations can’t get enough of it and both songs have been in the top 50 of most listened to songs on Spotify in the Netherlands for some time now. Ambor receives the most Spotify streams worldwide in Amsterdam and Rotterdam is also in the top 5.

Ambor thinks out loud about why his music is such a hit in the Netherlands. “I have the feeling that people enjoy life here. The standard of living is high, people like to be outside, cycle and walk a lot.”

“Maybe my image is somewhat colored by King’s Day,” he laughs. “But Amsterdam has a nice energy. I try to make music that is optimistic and warm and creates solidarity. I think your culture fits in well with this.”

Positivity is central to Ambor’s music. His Spotify biography consists of one striking sentence: “I’m probably laughing right now.” The singer assures that his optimism is not an act. “My mother taught me to see the good in everything, even if you hate something. You will always find an aspect that you do like.”

Yet Ambor also has a bad day sometimes. “I’m only human and I have my insecurities, but I can also express that in my music.”

Ambor usually lays the foundation for his songs while sitting on his bed and looking out the window with his guitar in his hand. Nowadays he tries to make his lyrics more specific, so that they say more about him as a person. “I dig deep for sentences that move me. Then I know it really means something.”

He prefers to package this in a big sing-along chorus. “I love that. Coldplay always makes great songs that people like to sing along to. That’s my goal.”

Ambor has built up a large following on TikTok. He doesn’t have the key to success on the app. “I can only recommend writing music that is honest and authentic. People want to hear the truth.”

Even though his fan base is growing larger and more fanatical, Ambor tries to divide his attention fairly among all his admirers. “I want to make sure that every fan feels seen. Because I really appreciate them. I also try to answer every message, but that is becoming increasingly difficult. But I keep trying between the companies.”