Jamai Johannes Loman (born 30 June 1986) is a Dutch singer, musical actor and presenter who was the winner of the first series of '' Idols'', the Dutch variant of ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

''.

Biography

Loman, who grew up in

Schoonhoven Schoonhoven () is a city and was a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Since 2015 it has been a part of the municipality of Krimpenerwaard, before it had been an independent municipality. The former mu ...

with his parents and two elder sisters, Naomi and Chantal, began his artistic journey by participating in a school musical. His passion for performing led him to showcase his talents at the school's "Shownight" in 2000, as well as being a member of the school

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

band called 8CC. In 2003, he entered the Dutch Idols competition. To his surprise, he progressed through each round and ultimately emerged as the winner. However, at the 2003 World Idol, he only received 36 points and came in last, facing a critical assessment from the jury. Following the release of his third single, Loman made a pivotal decision to transition from the music industry to acting. He found success in various musical productions, including ''Doornroosje'' (Sleeping Beauty), '' Hello, Dolly!'' and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

''. In January 2007, he took on the role of the Wiz and alternated as the Scarecrow in the musical ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

.'' In 2008, Loman played the role of Marius in the Dutch revival version of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'', for which he received a John Kraaijkamp Musical Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in a large musical production. In 2009, Loman is set to play the part of Bobby Strong in the M-Lab production of ''

Urinetown ''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bur ...

''. Since 2016, he is one of the jury members of Idols 2016. The other jury members are

Eva Simons Eva Maria Simons is a Dutch singer-songwriter and music video director from Amsterdam. She is best known for her song "Policeman (Eva Simons song), Policeman" and collaborations with artists such as Afrojack; in 2012, Simons broke through interna ...

, Martijn Krabbe and Jeroen Nieuwenhuis. In 2021, Loman was the winner of the third season of the Dutch version of '' The Masked Singer'' as Cupido. In 2022, he was a co-presenter of the third season of the show '' Lego Masters''.

Personal life

In late 2003, Loman publicly revealed his sexual orientation during an appearance on Ruud de Wild's radio program confirming his suspicions that he is gay. He stated that he was in a relationship with Boris Schreurs, one of his dancers. Subsequently, Loman was in a relationship with Ron Link which lasted nearly two years before their breakup in November 2008. In 2010, Loman was in a relationship with actor Michael Muller, which ended in April 2012 after more than two years together. In 2018, Loman had a kidney transplant due to kidney failure.

''Dutch Idols'' Performances

* Top 30: Always on My Mind by

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

* Top 10: Everything I Do, I Do It For You by

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

* Top 09: Love Is All Around * Top 08: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

* Top 07: De Vleugels Van Mijn Vlucht * Top 06: Relight My Fire by

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

* Top 05: Always * Top 04: Angels by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

* Top 04: Let's Get Loud by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

* Top 03: If You Don't Know Me By Now by

Simply Red Simply Red are an English soul music, soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thir ...

* Top 03: Celebration by Kool and The Gang * Finale: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by

* Finale: Your Song by

* Finale: Step Right Up

Discography

* 2003 ''Step Right Up'', Single * 2003 ''Greatest Moments'', Idols Album * 2003 ''Jamai'', Album * 2003 ''When you walk in the room'', Single (ft. Dewi, 4th place Idols) * 2004 ''Wango Tango'', Single * 2005 ''Super Guppie zingt'', Album starring different artists, in connection with the Dutch "Children's Books Week" * 2006 ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', Dutch Original Cast Album * 2018 ''Genoeg Te Doen'', Album

Theater

*2003 ''Bij Paul op de koffie'', Theater tour with Dutch artist Paul de Leeuw *2004 Musical ''Doornroosje'' (Sleeping Beauty), Jonathan, Nationale Tour, Studio 100 *2004–2005 ''Hello, Dolly!'', Barnaby Tucker, Dutch tour *2005–2006 ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', Simon Zealotes, Nationale Tour, Joop van den Ende theaterproducties/Stage-entertainment *2006 ''Musicals in Ahoy –

Rotterdam Ahoy Rotterdam Ahoy (formerly known as Ahoy Rotterdam or simply as Ahoy) is a multi-purpose complex with a convention centre and an indoor arena located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Opened originally in 1950, the current complex consists of three main ...

*2006–2007 ''The Wiz'', Scarecrow en The Wiz, Beatrix Theater Utrecht, Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties/Stage Entertainment *2008 ''Les Misérables'', Marius, Luxor Theater Rotterdam – Royal Theatre Carré Amsterdam, Joop van den Ende theaterproducties/Stage-entertainment *2009 ''Urinetown'', Bobby Strong, M-Lab *2009–2010 ''Disney Musical Sing a long'', Soloist. *2010 ''Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat'', Alternate Joseph, Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties. *2010–2011 ''Urinetown'', Bobby Strong, Nationale Tour, Joop van den Ende theaterproducties/Stage-entertainment *2011 ''Maria!'', Teunis, M-lab Amsterdam *2011–2012 ''De Winnaar'', M-Lab Amsterdam *2012 ''Droomvlucht'', Krakeel, Theater De Efteling, Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties/Stage Entertainment *2012 ''Miss Saigon'', Chris, Beatrix Theater Utrecht, Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties/Stage Entertainment *2012–2013 ''Shrek'', Heer Farquaad, RAI Theater Amsterdam en Nationale Tour, Albert Verlinde Entertainment

Awards

* In 2003, Loman won the "Gouden Vedel", a price awarded by the Dutch Association of Dancing Teachers to artists who release a good dance record. He received this award for his single ''Step Right Up'', used in dancing classes for learning the cha-cha-cha. * Loman won the "John Kraaijkamp Musical Award 2005" for Best Upcoming Talent, for his role of Barnaby Tucker in ''Hello, Dolly!''. The Award includes a scholarship of

Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

10,000. * Nominated for the "John Kraaijkamp Musical Award 2006" for Best Male Supporting Role for Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar. * In 2008, Loman won the "John Kraaijkamp Musical Award 2008" for Best Male Supporting Role for Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables.

Miscellaneous

* In October 2006, Loman started presenting the children's Television program ''Jetix Max'', together with actress Nicolette van Dam. * In December 2006, he dubbed the voice for penguin Mumble in the animated movie ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 animated jukebox musical comedy film directed and produced by George Miller and written by Miller, John Collee, Judy Morris and Warren Coleman. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hug ...

''. * Loman has been an Ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the Netherlands since May 2004. * In July 2009, Loman was announced the winner of the fourth season of the Dutch ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

.'' * From July till August 2009 Loman is also co-presenting the "waar is Elvis" (where is Elvis) television show for RTL4.

References

External links

Official Website
* Jamai Loman a
IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loman, Jamai 1986 births Living people Dutch male musical theatre actors Dutch people of Indonesian descent Dutch pop singers English-language singers from the Netherlands Dancing with the Stars winners Contestants on Dutch game shows People from Gouda, South Holland People from Schoonhoven Masked Singer winners Gay singers Dutch gay musicians Dutch LGBTQ singers 21st-century Dutch male singers Idols (Dutch TV series) winners