Eloi Youssef
Singer Eloi Youssef is leaving the popular Dutch rock band Kensington. The reason is that he has “a different vision of the future”. “I’ve performed everywhere I wanted to perform. I’ve been through everything I had to go through.”
There is no arguing or disagreement, a statement on Instagram said. Singer and guitarist Casper Starreveld, drummer Niles van den Berg and bassist Jan Haker still want to dedicate their lives to Kensington, they write, but singer Eloi no longer wants this.
“I’ve learned everything there is to learn. It’s time for a new chapter,” said Eloi Youssef on his own Instagram account.
In 2013, the Utrecht band broke through with the hit Home Again. In that year they also won the 3FM Awards for Best Live Band and Best Album with their second album Vultures. In 2017 Kensington received the Popprijs, the prize for the musician or band that made the most important contribution to Dutch pop music that year.
Kensington collects the Popprijs in 2017:
The band writes on Instagram: “We understand that this can be a lot to process for everyone who has put so much time and love into our band. We certainly do not take this lightly ourselves. It is and remains an honor to share our music with to share with you. We have had amazing and unforgettable moments over the past fourteen years and we will always be very grateful to you for that.”
The singer of the Utrecht band will not stop immediately, but in September 2022. A few more major performances are planned for next year, including in a sold-out Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.
The other band members therefore have to look for a new frontman: “What this means for the future, we don’t know at the moment. We do know that Kensington will not end.”
