Astrid Nijgh was born Astrid Maria Nijgh-de Backer on 16 april 1949 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She has been a singer for almost her whole life. Blessed with a very low contralto voice, she has her own unique sound. After several years of professional singing lessons and performing in several bands, (including two English singles), in 1973 she recorded 'Ik doe wat ik doe' (I do what I do), which became a big hit in the Netherlands. The lyrics were written by her ex-husband Lennaert Nijgh (famous for working with Boudewijn de Groot