Grandmono

Grandmono is a Dutch independent record label associated most prominently with the early recording career of Dutch singer Caroline van der Leeuw, who performed under the name Caro Emerald. The label was established by producer and songwriter David Schreurs after the project built around the song “Back It Up” had not secured a conventional record-label deal. Rather than abandon the material, Schreurs and the wider creative team used Grandmono as the vehicle for releasing the music themselves. The label’s breakthrough came with “Back It Up,” released in the Netherlands in July 2009. The single received rapid radio attention, entered the Dutch Top 40, and helped establish the project’s distinctive combination of jazz and easy-listening influences, orchestral Latin and exotica textures, live instrumentation, and contemporary beat production. Grandmono subsequently issued Caro Emerald’s debut studio album, Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, in the Netherlands in January 2010. The album entered the Dutch album chart at number one and became one of the country’s most commercially successful releases, spending a record-setting total of 30 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Dutch album chart. It was certified at multiple platinum levels in the Netherlands and later achieved substantial sales across Europe. Grandmono’s role extended beyond simply distributing recordings. The label supported a carefully defined artistic concept: a cinematic, retro-styled pop and jazz identity built around Emerald’s vocal performance and the production and songwriting of Schreurs, Vince Degiorgio, Jan van Wieringen, and their collaborators. The project’s songs also gained broad exposure through radio, television, films, advertising, and branded entertainment, increasing the international visibility of both the artist and the label’s catalogue. The label was also associated with Emerald’s second studio album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, released in 2013. That record continued the project’s vintage-inspired aesthetic and reached number one in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Later Emerald releases included the Quicksand single and the Emerald Island EP, although the available reference material does not establish the precise commercial or contractual role Grandmono played in each release. The Caro Emerald project and live act were described as dormant from 2022, when Van der Leeuw began releasing music through the separate project The Jordan. The available material does not clearly document Grandmono’s present operating status, ownership, roster, or current release schedule.

Grandmono emerged from the production process behind the Caro Emerald project. In 2007, singer Caroline van der Leeuw was invited to record vocals for a track being developed by producer David Schreurs and producer Jan van Wieringen. The resulting song, “Back It Up,” combined Van der Leeuw’s jazz-oriented vocal delivery with a hip-hop-derived beat and became the foundation for a broader artistic concept. Schreurs, Van der Leeuw, Van Wieringen, Canadian songwriter Vince Degiorgio, and other collaborators developed a body of material drawing on mid-century jazz, easy listening, orchestral Latin, mambo, exotica, and contemporary production. The project initially struggled to obtain a deal from established publishers and record companies. Schreurs responded by setting up Grandmono as an independent label. The label released “Back It Up” in July 2009, and the single’s radio and online momentum gave the project a commercial foothold in the Netherlands. A second single, “A Night Like This,” followed in late 2009 and became a Dutch chart-topper. Grandmono released Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor in January 2010. The album entered the Dutch chart at number one and remained exceptionally durable, spending 30 non-consecutive weeks at the summit. Its success led to multiple platinum certifications in the Netherlands and an international rollout during 2011. The album also performed strongly in the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Austria, and other European markets. Its songs were widely licensed or featured in television, film, advertising, and branded media, giving the label’s catalogue exposure beyond conventional radio and retail channels. The next major album linked to the label was The Shocking Miss Emerald, released in 2013. It continued the retro-cinematic sound and reached number one in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Subsequent releases connected with the Caro Emerald identity included the 2015 single “Quicksand,” the 2017 Emerald Island EP, and the 2020 single “Wake Up Romeo,” although the supplied sources do not specify Grandmono’s exact involvement in every release. From 2022, Van der Leeuw pursued the separate project The Jordan, and the official Caro Emerald website described the earlier Caro Emerald project and live act as dormant. The available references do not provide reliable information about Grandmono’s current ownership, staff, active roster, or whether it continues to release music. Grandmono is therefore best documented as an independent label created to develop and publish the successful Caro Emerald catalogue, with its later status requiring verification.

• 2013

  Release of The Shocking Miss Emerald

  [1]Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org

  The second Caro Emerald studio album reached number one in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• 2011

  European expansion

  [1]Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org

  The debut album received a broader European release and achieved substantial chart positions and platinum certifications in multiple territories.

• 2010

  Release of Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor

  [1]Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org

  Grandmono issued the debut album in the Netherlands. It entered at number one and eventually accumulated 30 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Dutch album chart.

• 2009

  Grandmono releases “Back It Up”

  [1]Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org

  The label released the debut single of the Caro Emerald project in the Netherlands, where it gained significant radio attention and charted in the Dutch Top 40.

• 2007

  Early development of the Caro Emerald project

  [1]Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org

  Caroline van der Leeuw recorded vocals for a production developed by David Schreurs and Jan van Wieringen, leading to the track that became “Back It Up.”

Independent Dutch record label focused on artist-led releases, particularly jazz-influenced and retro-styled pop recordings.

• Single · 2009

  Back It Up

  The debut single of the Caro Emerald project, released by Grandmono in the Netherlands in July 2009. The song combined a jazz-influenced vocal with modern rhythmic production and became the project’s initial radio and chart breakthrough, reaching the Dutch Top 40.

• Studio album · 2010

  Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor

  Caro Emerald’s debut studio album, released in the Netherlands by Grandmono in January 2010. Built around retro jazz, easy-listening, Latin, and orchestral influences alongside contemporary beats, it topped the Dutch album chart for 30 non-consecutive weeks and later achieved major European success.

• Studio album · 2013

  The Shocking Miss Emerald

  The second studio album associated with the Caro Emerald project. Released in 2013, it developed the project’s cinematic and vintage-inspired pop-jazz sound and reached number one on the album charts in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• Extended play · 2017

  Emerald Island

  An exotica-inspired EP released in 2017 to accompany the Emerald Island Tour. The available reference material identifies it as part of the later Caro Emerald catalogue but does not establish the precise release arrangement with Grandmono.

• 2009

  Create an independent label for the Caro Emerald projectStrategy

  Background

  The project’s early recordings had not secured a conventional label agreement despite attracting attention online and from radio stations.

  Action taken

  Producer David Schreurs established Grandmono to release and develop the recordings independently, beginning with “Back It Up.”

  Aftermath

  The single and subsequent album became major Dutch and European successes, establishing Grandmono’s identity around the Caro Emerald catalogue.

  Source

1. 1Caroline van der Leeuwen.wikipedia.org