Biography
Jaco Van Staden – Singer.

Jaco was born on July 05 , in Pretoria, South Africa. The youngest of three children, he grew up in a close-knit musical family. His parents got married a week after they met and lived happily ever after. His Father being Jaco’s biggest critic passed away suffering from a heart attack on a tour bus while holding his wife’s hand.

At the age of seven, Jaco sang the leading female vocals of: “The King and I” sitting next to the stage while the actress was playing the part! He was described by the media as a “little nightingale”.
By the age of twelve, Jaco joined the Drakensberg Boys Choir, traveling and touring throughout South Africa, Namibia and Malawi. He stayed there untill the age of fifteen. As a twelve year old boy, Jaco sang at the opening of the Maharani Hotel in Durban.

In 1979, Jaco started his high school career in Nelspruit, where he carried on with voice training under Isabel Aybers and received his certificates for Studying Music and singing from the University of South Africa. He soon became popular and well known as someone with a warm and powerful voice getting several A+ and B++ certificates at the yearly Eisteddfod’s. Jaco received a prestige award in his final year of schooling and was described as one of South Africa’s best voices!

Jaco studied Opera under Emma Renzi, and sang professional for two years singing the leading tenor roles in Le Nozzi di Figaro, Bastien und Bastienne, Die Taube Flute as well as solo lieder performances as a Lyric Tenor.

Jaco soon realized that there is little future in South Africa in Opera singing and started singing Ballads. The singer made his debut on SABC TV with Casper de Vries and recorded his First Single CD through Vandor Record Company. Sharing his amazing talent with the rest of the world got him a big fan base in the Netherlands and Los Angeles CA.

Jaco recently released a new CD called “Wit Warm Strande” with both English and Afrikaans sound tracks.
He landed himself on the TOP 20 of HOSA radio in Holland with the very popular Afrikaans song “Kinders van die wind” and was number ONE on the TOP 20 for thirteen weeks.
When asked the question, why carry on singing with the music industry in South Africa being so difficult, Jaco said: “ It’s who I am” .