De Toppers (Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈtɔpərs]), also known internationally as the Toppers, is a Dutch supergroup, consisting of René Froger, Gerard Joling, Jeroen van der Boom and Jan Smit. Gordon Heuckeroth, one of the founding members, left the group in 2011. The group has performed a series of concerts every year since 2005 in the Johan Cruyff Arena. Their repertoire consists mainly of a mix of covers and original material. Toppers in Concert, with more than 40 sold-out shows, is the longest running concert series in the Benelux. In 2008, the Toppers were selected to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow, Russia, with the song "Shine".[1] They failed to qualify for the final.
Gerard Joling and Gordon Heuckeroth formed as a guest band in a Rene Froger concert, which turned into a successful concert series. In 2005, the first two concerts were held at the Johan Cruyff Arena. In 2008, Joling left the Toppers and was replaced by Jeroen van der Boom. In 2010, Joling re-joined the group. They performed as a quartet before Heuckeroth departed in 2011.
In September 2016, Jan Smit stated he was interested in joining the group. A few hours later, van der Boom posted a video on Facebook[2] of himself and Joling "auditioning" to join the band. Smit's addition was formally announced on February 21, 2017.[3]
In 2017, the Toppers received a Special Achievement Award, selling more than 1.5 million copies of Toppers in Concert (CD + DVD). During the 2018 edition, they broke the world record in Canon Singing with 198.000 spectators during three concerts.[citation needed]
Toppers in Concert is an annual Dutch concert series by the Toppers, held in the Johan Cruyff Arena since 2005. Toppers in Concert is the longest running concert series in the Benelux. At the tenth edition in 2014, De Toppers welcomed their two millionth concert visitor. In 2016, the Toppers presented their first Christmas edition of Toppers in Concert in Rotterdam Ahoy.[citation needed]
