Arnoldus Ignatius Maria Josephus (Nol) Havens, born on 3 December 1959 in Tilburg, is well known to everyone. Nol's career began in 1983 when Ferdie Lancée discovered him at Studio Chateau in Tilburg. Not long after, the idea arose to form a new Dutch-language band. The first single released by VOF de Kunst in 1983 was 'Suzanne', which shortly afterwards reached number one in the charts. An English translation was made by Mark Foggo, and within six months 'Susanna' topped the charts in seven countries. Outside the Netherlands and Belgium, VOF de Kunst became known as 'The Art Company'. The Art Company sold millions of copies of 'Susanna'. 'Oude Liefde Roest Niet', 'Retour Sneek', 'Dikkertje Dap' and 'Eén Kopje Koffie' are other well-known hits by VOF de Kunst.
In 1989, Nol Havens was invited to sing a number of Annie M.G. Schmidt's songs with VOF de Kunst on the television programme 'Sesamstraat'. These songs received new VOF arrangements and thus a new lease of life. That year, many requests came to the management and also to Sesamstraat from parents who wanted the songs on CD. When 'Dikkertje Dap' was finally released after a year, the CD stayed in the Album Top 100 for a year. More than 300,000 CDs were sold that year. From 1995, Nol performed with VOF de Kunst and Erik van Muiswinkel for eight years in sold-out theatres, playing more than 700 family shows. The success of these performances lay in the fact that strong, recognisable pop music was made, while Erik, as a comedian, took care of the stories and jokes for children and parents. The formula was new, and to this day 'Mijn Eerste Popconcert' and the name VOF de Kunst are associated with this form of children's theatre. Erik van Muiswinkel has been part of the VOF de Kunst lyricists since 1987 and wrote, among others, 'Eén Kopje Koffie' and 'Retour Sneek'.
Nol feels the need to keep a balance between adult and children's repertoire by working on both. In 2006, Nol was the initiator of 'Suzanne voorbij', a performance with students from the Rockacademie Tilburg and the Toneelacademie in Maastricht, with the theme of surviving as an artist. In 2006, Nol started 'De Kunst'. De Kunst develops multimedia for book publishers, television broadcasters and retail chains.
Besides music, photography is his great passion. Since 2005, alongside music, he has been involved in professional photography and has his own photo studio. 'The balance between music and photography ensures constant creativity and interesting cross-pollination.'
Nol has released 3 solo albums. His latest production "Doe Mij Maar Alles" came out in 2021 and is also available on vinyl.
The album (LP) will be one of the first in the Netherlands to be released on Green Vinyl Records®. Green Vinyl Records® are high-quality, environmentally friendly produced records. The records have the same authentic sound as regular vinyl but are produced without PVC, and with a much more energy-efficient production process. The production process is based on injection moulding instead of pressing. The vinyl component is replaced by more environmentally friendly materials.