Marco Borsato

Marco Roberto Borsato (Dutch: [ˈmɑrkoː roːˈbɛrtoː bɔrˈsaːtoː], Italian: [ˈmarko roˈbɛrto borˈsaːto]; born 21 December 1966) is a Dutch former singer. Born in Alkmaar, North Holland, he started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He is one of the most successful and best-selling musicians of all time in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Borsato achieved 15 number-one singles in the Netherlands, the second-most all-time behind The Beatles' 16. In 1994, his song "Dromen zijn bedrog" spent a then-record 12 weeks at number one, a feat which stood for 17 years. It still remains the longest-running Dutch language number-one song ever. Between 2003 and 2008, Borsato became the first artist to record nine consecutive number-one singles on the Dutch charts. He is the most successful Dutch artist of all time according to the Dutch Top 40, and was the most successful overall male artist in the history of the chart for over a decade.

Borsato also has recorded 11 number-one albums in the Netherlands, all certified at least Platinum, with every eligible studio album of his from 1995 to 2013 debuting at number one on the Dutch album charts. Borsato also has six number-one albums in Belgium.

From 2021, Borsato was publicly accused of sexually abusing several minors, including allegations relating to the Voice of Holland scandal, leading to his music being banned by Dutch radio stations amid other public backlash. He was charged with child sexual abuse in September 2023, and acquitted in December 2025 due to lack of supporting evidence.

Marco Roberto Borsato was born in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Alkmaar as the son of Roberto Borsato and Mary de Graaf. He has a brother, Armando, and a sister, Sylvana. His father is Italian and after their divorce, the family moved to Italy, where the father started a restaurant in Garda. Borsato spent a significant amount of time in Italy and speaks fluent Italian.

When Borsato was twelve years old, he decided he wanted to be a sushi chef. Borsato, though brought up with Italian cuisine, felt a great love for this cuisine. When he was older, he went to school during the week and worked in a restaurant during the weekends. During his conscription, he was bound to the cavalry, where he was conscripted as a NCO.

Borsato's career as a musician debuted in 1990, when he won the Dutch talent show Soundmixshow hosted by Henny Huisman with his rendition of Billy Vera's "At This Moment." At the time, he was still working as a chef. The accomplishment allowed him to sign a record deal, where he released three albums sung in the Italian language: Emozioni, Sento and Giorno per giorno (excluding the track Opa which is the only Dutch-language song in the album, also a Dutch version of the track A mio nonno).

Borsato earned newfound popularity in 1994, when he began to sing songs in Dutch, as recommended by his songwriting partner John Ewbank. His first Dutch-language single "Dromen Zijn Bedrog" ("Dreams Are Deceptive”) reached number one in the Netherlands and stayed there for 12 weeks, selling over 240,000 copies. It broke the record for longest time spent at number one on the Dutch chart. Borsato held the record until 2011, when "Balada" by Gusttavo Lima spent 13 weeks at number one. His second single "Waarom Nou Jij" also reached number one on the Dutch Top 40.