Giovanca

Giovanca Desire Ostiana ( Alkmaar , March 22 , 1977 ), known as a singer as Giovanca , is a Dutch singer , lyricist , actress , presenter , model , and entertainer of Curaçaoan descent.

Biography

Giovanca's parents moved from Curaçao to the Netherlands to study. Giovanca grew up in Amstelveen and attended gymnasium at Keizer Karel College and obtained her master's degree in special education from the University of Amsterdam in 2007.

She performed as a backing vocalist for ten years and worked in the studio with various acts, such as Izaline Calister, Rootsriders, Jhelisa Anderson, Benny Sings (who later became the producer of her albums, Noisia and Wouter Hamel . Since 2006 she has increasingly stepped out of the shadows, initially in collaboration with other artists. In early 2007, she was one of the singers on the National Pop Institute's CD The Mighty 8.

In late 2007, Giovanca reached the Dutch charts with "As long as we're in love," a duet with Wouter Hamel. Throughout 2007, she appeared several times on national television (including " De Wereld Draait Door" and "Pauw & Witteman "), in newspapers (including "Het Parool "), and in magazines (including "Nieuwe Revu ").

In March 2008, her solo debut album, titled Subway Silence, was released on the label Dox Records. The first single from this album, On My Way , led to live performances on shows including GIEL , Raymann is Laat , and Goedemorgen Nederland .

Giovanca received a Silver Harp from Frank Boeijen on March 3, 2010. On March 26, 2010, her second album While I'm awake was released, with the song Drop it becoming the first single. With this album, she was nominated for an Edison in the Jazzism Audience Award category. On September 20, 2013, her third album, Satellite Love, was released.

From January 2017 to December 2019, Giovanca presented the VPRO program Vrije Geluiden , succeeding Melchior Huurdeman .

From January 2020 to April 2023, Ostiana and Tijs van den Brink formed one of the five presenting duos for the talk show Op1 on NPO 1. They presented this program for the Evangelical Broadcasting Corporation.

Giovanca also provided the voice of Diane Foxington (also known as "The Crimson Paw") in the Dutch dubbing of the 2022 American animated film The Bad Guys and its 2025 sequel.

She has also dedicated herself to charitable causes. As an ambassador for Plan Netherlands, she has been active in Sierra Leone, among other places.