Pieter van Jaarsveld, professionally known as Bobby van Jaarsveld, (born 6 March 1987) is a South African Afrikaans-language pop singer-songwriter and actor.
Early life
Van Jaarsveld, who was nicknamed "Bobby" after his father, was born on 6 March 1987 in Paarl, Western Cape.[1] He is the second of three children and has two sisters, one of whom is also a singer (Karlien van Jaarsveld). As a child, he attended several primary schools before matriculating from Brits High School.[1]
Career
Music
Van Jaarsveld started his professional singing career in high school when he was offered singing record, and he released his first solo album in his last year.[1] He won the award for Best Newcomer at the Huisgenoot Tempo Awards in 2006[2] after receiving three nominations from the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Vonk (a local music magazine) and Huisgenoot Tempo magazine. As the winner of this category, Van Jaarsveld performed at the Skouspel Extravaganza hosted at Sun City, and continued to do until 2011.
In November 2006, Theuns Jordaan Productions offered Van Jaarsveld a recording contract. His first album, 'n Duisend Ure, was released later that year and album sales reached gold status.[1] His second album, Net Vir Jou, was released in 2009 by Coleske Artists. Van Jaarsveld wrote and composed each of the tracks on the album. Album sales reached platinum status within eight weeks, and have since reached double platinum status with sales of 83,000 units.[1] Songs from the album include Spieëltjie and Net Vir Jou.[3][4]
In January 2010, Van Jaarsveld was awarded the Viewers' Favourite Artist award for 2001 on DKNT, a local music program on DStv. That same year, "Spieëltjie", a song from his second album, won Best Afrikaans Song at both the Huisgenot Tempo and Vonk Awards. He went on to release two more albums, "Wat Geld Nie Kan Koop Nie" and "Maak 'n Wens" in 2012 and 2014, respectively.[5]
In February 2016, his single "Middernag Serenade" peaked at number 2 on the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart of the top-selling Afrikaans singles in South Africa.[6] In the same year, his single "HOLY" topped the South African iTunes chart.[7] In 2018, he released a new single, "Die Land", with Steve Hofmeyr, Bok van Blerk, Jay, and Rohan du Toit. The song peaked at number 2 on the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart.[8] In December 2019, his single "Ek weet al kanal", a duet with Demi Lee Moore, topped the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart.[9] In October 2020, his single "Sprokie", a duet with Early B, peaked at number 11 on the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart.[10] In August 2023, his single "Toe, nou en altyd", also peaked at number 11 on the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart.[11]
In December 2024, he released a new single, "Niks Soos Liefde Nie" (Nothing Like Love), which reflects on the end of his marriage.[19] The song debuted at number 18 on the Maroela Media Afrikaanse Top-20 chart.[20]
Film and television
Van Jaarsveld played the lead character in the Afrikaans film Liefling – Die Movie, which was released in November 2010 by Hartiwood Studios South Africa and fetched R16 million at the local box office.[21] He also starred in the film As Jy Sing in 2013.[22][23]
In 2022, he was cast in the fourth season of the South African crime drama anthology television series Spoorloos.[24]
In 2024, he starred in Eksie Perfeksie, an Afrikaans comedy on Showmax.[25]
Reality TV
In 2016, Van Jaarsveld began appearing as a judge on the local singing competition The Voice SA.[26]
Between 2017 and 2019, he and his sister were the subjects of the Showmax reality series Bobby & Karlien: In Jou Skoene. In each episode, the siblings spend 48 hours with people that have fallen on hard times or face other immense challenges in their lives.[27]
In 2024, he participated in the new season of Tropika Island of Treasure in Zanzibar, which his sister, Karlien, won the previous year.[28] In the same year, he appeared as a contestant on SABC's local version of Masked Singer. He used the alter-ego "Mielie" for his performances.[29]
Accolades
Bobby has received numerous awards and nominations (Award names kept in original language).[30]
Year
Organization
Award
2006
Huisgenoot Tempo Toekennings
Beste Nuweling
2010
KykNet DKNT
Gunsteling Kunstenaar vir 2009
SAMA Toekennings
Beste Afrikaanse Kontemporêre Album: Net Vir Jou
Huisgenoot Tempo Toekennings
Beste Afrikaanse Liedjie: Spieëltjie
Beste Afrikaanse Kontemporêre Album: Net Vir Jou
Vonk Toekennings
Beste Manlike Kunstenaar
Beste Afrikaanse Kontemporêre Album: Net vir jou
Beste Oorspronklike Liedjieskrywer
Beste Afrikaanse Liedjie: Spieëltjie
2011
MK Toekennings
Beste Solo Album: Net Vir Jou
Beste Kontemporêre Liedjie: Spieëltjie
Huisgenoot Tempo Toekennings
Mees Gewilde Manlike Kunstenaar
Jacaranda 94.2 Toekennings
Mees Gewilde Manlike Kunstenaar
2012
Ghoema-toekennings
Liedjie van die Jaar: Kan Ek Met Jou Praat
90.6 FM Stereo Toekennings
Top 15 Kunstenaar
Huisgenoot Tempo Toekennings
Mees Gewilde Manlike Kunstenaar
2013
Ghoema-toekennings
Beste Musiekvideo: 'n Vrou Wil Dit Hoor
Beste Manlike Kontemporêre Album: Wat Geld Nie Kan Koop Nie
Manlike Kunstenaar van die Jaar
Liedjie van die Jaar: 'n Vrou Wil Dit Hoor
Huisgenoot Tempo Toekennings
Album van die Jaar - Wat Geld Nie Kan Koop Nie
Musiekvideo van die Jaar - 'n Vrou Wil Dit Hoor
Liedjie van die Jaar - 'n Vrou Wil Dit Hoor
2014
Ghoema-toekennings
Beste Musiekvideo - EENS IN ‘N LEEFTYD met Riana Nel
Van Jaarsveld is a professed Christian. He and his wife Annatjie van Jaarsveld, whom he married in January 2011,[21] have two sons, Sion and Leben [31] and a daughter named Armani [32] In 2018 van Jaarsveld and his family decide to leave their home in Pretoria and relocated to Ballito.[33] On 24 November 2024, van Jaarsveld revealed that he and his wife were getting divorced.[34][35]
In 2016, he was named by Cosmopolitan (South Africa) as "the sexiest man in South Africa".[36] In 2017, the Afrikaans women's magazine, Sarie named him as "South Africa's most beautiful man".[37]
