Dear John

Dear John are dynamic duo Dirk-Jan ‘DJ’ Smit and Ruud Bos, two Dutchies whose music sounds nothing like the local weather. With melodies like early morning birdsong and lyrics like the sunset, Dear John lifts your spirit like a summer breeze. Whatever gets you down, it’s little things of beauty that get you back up. This essential approach to life is true for all of their songs, centered on the simple combination of two acoustic guitars and DJ’s soulful voice. Where DJ is the singer-songwriter, Ruud is the crayon, adding splashes of color with his vibrant guitar play. Dirk-Jan and Ruud first connected during college in a band named Rosewood. Rosewood eventually withered but the two friends stayed in touch, playing together on most Friday nights. Meanwhile, DJ created a solo persona, Dear John. In November 2013 he reached the semi-finals of the 'Grote Prijs van Nederland' and self-released his debut EP ’When the Morning Comes'. Fast forward a couple of years and the two friends are still jamming. In April 2019 they released 'Things Will Change', their first duo-release under a single name. The track was produced by Dutch music legend Laurens Joensen and celebrates the life lived positively. In 2020 Dear John teamed up with groove-maestro Sebastiaan Weerman (from the duo Jack and the Weatherman) to produce their new material. The first result is a sun-drenched reggae-pop song called 'Read Between the Lines'. A track they released in November 2020.