Dotan

Dotan Harpenau was born on October 26, 1986, in Jerusalem, Israel. He moved to Amsterdam at the age of one, living with his mother after his parents’ divorce. During his school vacations, he frequently visited his father in Israel, becoming fluent in Hebrew. In his teenage years, Dotan developed an interest in classic singer-songwriters such as Van Morrison and James Taylor. He taught himself to play the guitar and performed his first show at age 18 during a school event. While attending college, Dotan supported himself by playing in cover bands, and he eventually began writing his own music.

His career advanced when he sent demos to producers Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek. This led to recording sessions in London at Terefe’s Kensaltown Studios and a record deal with EMI. In 2010, he released his debut album, “Dream Parade.” Dotan achieved mainstream success in 2014 with his second album, “7 Layers,” which was self-produced and released on January 31, 2014. The album reached number 2 on the Dutch Top 100 Charts and achieved Double Platinum status by October 2015. The single “Home” from the album spent four weeks at number 1 on the Dutch MegaTop50 and reached Triple Platinum status by December 2014. “Home” also peaked at number 1 in Belgium.

In 2015 and 2016, Dotan toured the United States twice with Ben Folds. In January 2016, he launched the “7 Layers Sessions” in Amsterdam, a concert series designed to promote new national and international musicians. The series also expanded to a festival in 2016. On August 4, 2016, Dotan released the single “Shadow Wind,” which was chosen as the 2016 Olympic Games anthem and peaked at number one on the airplay chart. Following multiple sold-out tours across Europe, Dotan sold out the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam in 2018. He released the EP “Numb” on May 22, 2020.