Nicolaas Maria "Nick" Schilder, born on November 6, 1983, in the town of Volendam, is a Dutch singer-songwriter renowned for his musical partnership with Simon Keizer in the Palingsound duo Nick & Simon. His journey into music started at the age of 8 when he learned to play the guitar, eventually meeting Simon Keizer at school and collaborating on their first song, "Do You Know What I Mean," while still in their teens. Nick's music career, however, faced a significant hurdle following his injury during the Volendam New Year's fire disaster in 2001. After spending 23 days in the hospital battling several lung injuries, he used singing lessons as a recovery method, which helped him to recuperate while honing his craft. His musical breakthrough came with participation in the Dutch version of American Idol, Idols, in which he secured eleventh place. Despite Simon Keizer's early elimination, the duo were subsequently signed by Volendam Music, officially launching their professional career. Together, Nick & Simon have achieved impressive successes, including significant hits like "Rosanne," "Kijk Omhoog," and "Pak maar m'n hand," the latter of which appeared in the soundtrack in the 2008 film De Scheepsjongens van de Bontekoe. Over the following years, Nick Schilder became a judge on the singing competition The Voice of Holland, hosted the show Talenten Zonden Centen along with Simon Keizer, and participated in the Dutch version of the music reality program The Masked Singer. "Shatterproof", his first official solo track, was released in 2023 and peaked at number 31 in the Dutch Top 30. It was followed by "Realize" (number 35) and "Up All Night", before the release of the dance pop-oriented album Shatterproof in 2024.
