Biography
1976 - present
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1976: FORMATION
Formation of Luv' (featuring José van de Wijdeven, Marga Scheide and Patty Brard) by Dutch record producers Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer, assisted by manager Han Meijer.
1977: DEBUT
"My Man" (first single released in May 1977) peaked at #12 in the Netherlands and #10 in Belgium. "Dream, Dream" (second single released in November 1977) flopped.
EARLY 1978: WALDOLALA
Breakthrough in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium)
In March 1978, the single entitled "U.O.Me" (theme from the Dutch high-rated TV series "Het is weer zo laat!" (aka Waldolala) reached the Top 3 in Benelux and sold 150.000 copies. In May 1978, the group chose a new manager: Pim ter Linde who ran Interlinde Management, the House of Dutch Stars (Bonnie St. Claire, Lee Towers, Saskia & Serge, Ciska Peters...).
1978: LUV' INTERNATIONAL
The follow-up single "You're the Greatest Lover" was released in July 1978. It was the group's international breakthrough in the autumn of 1978 (#1 in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain, #2 in Austria, #19 in Israel, #21 in France, #26 in Finland and #15 in South Africa). This million-seller became Luv's signature song and was certified platinum in Holland and gold in Germany.
1978: WITH LUV'
Luv's Debut Album
The debut album "With Luv'" came out in late August 1978. It went platinum in the Netherlands and reached silver status in Denmark.
WINTER 1978 - 1979
The International Triumph of Trojan Horse
In late 1978 and early 1979, Luv' conquered the charts with "Trojan Horse" (another million-selling record which hit the number one spot in the Netherlands and Belgium, the Top 5 in German-speaking countries and Denmark, the Top 10 in New Zealand, Argentina and Norway, the Top 20 in Finland, South Africa, Israel and Zimbabwe, the Top 50 in France and Australia as well as the Top 100 in Canada). This single went platinum in Holland as well as gold in Belgium and Austria.
1979: HEYDAY
The singles "Casanova" (April 1979), "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" (August 1979), and "Ooh, Yes I Do" (late October 1979) helped maintain Luv's popularity in the aforementioned countries. Their studio albums, "Lots of Luv'" (May 1979) and "True Luv'" (December 1979), were successful on the charts, and the group continued to earn gold and platinum records. On December 31, 1979, they were awarded the Conamus Export Prize for being the "best-selling Dutch export act" of that year, having sold 2 million records outside the Netherlands.
1980: TRANSITION
Popularity of the singles "Ann-Maria" (February 1980) and "One More Little Kissy" (May 1980). Luv' embarked on a promo tour in May 1980 in Mexico where they received gold records for "Si, Que Si" (the Spanish version of "Ooh, Yes I Do") and the True Luv' album.
In July 1980, Patty Brard left the group and was replaced by Ria Thielsch.
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1980: WELCOME RIA!
In autumn 1980, the renewed trio enjoyed success with the "My Number One" single and the "Forever Yours" album. Before Christmas 1980, the group had to stop its activities due to Marga's burn-out.
1981: GOODBYE LUV'!
Luv' disbanded in early March 1981. The trio appeared at the Efteling theme park during a summer multi-sport event featuring Dutch celebrities, to the public's great surprise, on June 18, 1981.
Luv' gave a farewell performance on July 22, 1981, on "Nederland Muziekland" (a TV show on Veronica channel) by singing "Tingalingaling" (which was released as a single). Then the compilation album "Goodbye Luv'" came out. It was the end of a brief and intense international success story (1977-1981). 12 singles, 4 albums, 14 gold and platinum records, a string of hits scored in eighteen countries, one Dutch export award (Conamus Export Prize), 7 million records sold, TV shows, magazine covers...
1985: FIRST REUNION
In early 1985, Dutch celebrity gossip magazine Story brought the original trio together for a photo session and an interview.
1988: REUNION ON SAMEN
On October 27, 1988, Luv' reunited for a one-off performance on "Samen", a TV charity show hosted by Mies Bouwman on AVRO. They later planned to record a comeback album with British producers "Stock, Aitken & Waterman" (famous for the hits of Bananarama, Mel & Kim, Rick Astley and Kylie Minogue), but this project never materialized.
1989 - 1990: MARGA'S LUV'
In 1989, Marga Scheide trademarked Luv's name and formed a new trio with Michelle Gold and Diana van Berlo. This new line-up, nicknamed "Marga's Luv" by fans, achieved moderate success with their hit "Welcome To My Party," which reached #22 in the Netherlands and #28 in Belgium during the autumn of that year. Luv's mini-album "For You" was released by High Fashion Dance Music/Dureco in November 1989, featuring four tracks: the chart hit "Welcome To My Party" (October 1989), "I Don't Wanna Be Lonely" (December 1989), "Girl Like Me" (released only in Japan in 1990), and "Medley" (1990).
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In December 1989, Luv' collaborated with several other Dutch pop acts, such as Desirée, Justian & Mandy, MC Miker G, Marjon, Nando, Oscare, and Sisters, for the "All Stars" project aimed at raising funds for children in third-world countries. They covered "Starmaker," a song originally performed by The Kids from Fame in 1982, and released it as a charity single that peaked at #57 on the National Hitparade in the Netherlands.
1990 - 1992: MARGA'S LUV' (PART 2)
In June 1990, Michelle Gold left Luv' and was replaced by Carina Lemoine. Although chart success was a distant memory, the ladies toured the club circuit and performed on TV. In October 1990, the group put out the single "Hasta Mañana". In December 1990, Luv' entertained the Dutch marines based in Dubai and involved in the Gulf War. March 1991 saw the release of "Jungle Jive" as a single. One month later, the album "Sincerely Yours" came out and included four songs released as singles: the above-mentioned "Hasta Mañana" and "Jungles Jive" as well as "The Last Song" (June 1991) and "He's My Guy" (#75 on the Dutch Single Top 100 in October 1991). In early 1992, the trio covered the Motown classic "This Old Heart Of Mine", which didn't chart. In late 1992, Marga's Luv' disbanded.
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1993: LUV' GOLD
In 1993, the original Luv' girls (Patty Brard, José Hoebee and Marga Scheide) got together. A compilation (Luv' Gold) was released and peaked at #14 on the Dutch albums chart. It sold 40.000 copies in the Low Countries. A megamix also came out and reached the 23rd position on the Dutch Top 40. The trio went on a promotional tour through the Benelux, German-speaking countries, and Denmark.
1994 - 1996: ALL YOU NEED IS LUV'
Luv's studio album entitled "All You Need Is Luv'" was released in February 1994 and was only available in Kruidvat shops (a chain of Dutch drugstores). It sold 50.000 copies. The group did sporadic gigs and disbanded in late 1996.
2003: 25 JAAR NA WALDOLALA
Universal Music put out a double CD compilation (25 Jaar Na Waldolala) to celebrate Luv's 25th anniversary. This anthology featured smash hits, album songs and bonus tracks. Photo below (from left to right): René Moonen (conceiver of the compilation), José Hoebee, Hans van Hemert and Ria Thielsch at the release party of 25 Jaar Na Waldolala in October 2003.
2005: LUV'S TRIBUTE TO HANS VAN HEMERT
On April 7, 2005, Luv' gave a surprise performance at the 60th birthday party of Hans van Hemert. This event made front-page news in the Netherlands.
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2006: BACK IN LUV'
In 2006, the girls reunited once again. A reality TV show (Back In Luv') about their comeback was broadcast on RTL 5 in Holland and on VTM in Flanders. A DVD (also entitled "Back In Luv'" and including TV archives from the trio's heyday) came out. With the help from the official fan club, Universal Music released "Completely In Luv'", a box set including their entire repertoire from the 1977-1980 period with bonus tracks and remixes. On May 26, 27 and 28, 2006, the three singers and Bobby Farrell (of Boney M.) made a guest appearance on the mega shows of De Toppers (a group formed by Gordon, René Froger and Gerard Joling) at the Amsterdam ArenA. In addition to TV performances, Luv' were booked for discos, festivals, private parties and corporate events.
2007 - 2012: THE FINAL YEARS OF LUV'S ORIGINAL TRIO
Between 2007 and 2012, Luv' performed on stage occasionally. On March 12th, 2012, Marga Scheide confirmed the definitive break-up of the group on NOS/Radio 1. The ladies took this decision without anger. They gave their so-called final live performance on August 11, 2012, at the Dutch Valley Festival in Spaarnwoude, the Netherlands.
2013: BRIEF REUNION OF LUV'S 1980-1981 LINEUP
José Hoebee, Marga Scheide and Ria Thiesch were reunited at a fan club meeting in Eindhoven on May 25, 2013.
2015: THE STORY OF LUV'
In 2015, Peter Boonstra published the long-awaited photo book entitled "The Story of Luv'", including exclusive pictures and a CD compilation (with their greatest hits as well as remixes of "Trojan Horse" and "Life Is On My Side" by highly acclaimed remixer-producer Matt Pop). Marga Scheide and José Hoebee supported this initiative.
On May 1, 2015, the press launch of "The Story of Luv'" took place at the Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands. The author of the book, José Hoebee, Marga Scheide, Ria Thielsch, Hans van Hemert and Dutch illusionist Hans Klok (who hosted the event) were present.
One day later, a meet-and-greet afternoon with fans, combined with a release party, was held at the same location.
Former Luv' singer Patty Brard wanted to ban the book. Shortly afterwards, Peter was obliged to stop the book's sale due to copyright issues about some photographs. This cruel decision led to great disappointment and provoked (once again) a feud between Patty and her ex-colleagues.
2015: COMEBACK?
In late October 2015, the media speculated about a comeback of Luv'. A German talent agency announced on its website that Marga Scheide and José Hoebee could be booked as Luv' for live shows. In interviews, the ladies remained vague about plans to reactivate the group.
2016: RESURRECTION
On March 16, 2016, a dream came true when Marga Scheide, José Hoebee and Ria Thielsch announced their comeback in De Telegraaf (Holland's most-read newspaper) and its sister magazine Privé. This great news generated publicity in the media (radio interviews, articles in the tabloid press and news websites...). The ladies toured the nostalgia circuit in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) until late 2018.
2017: 40TH ANNIVERSARY
In July 2017, the ladies celebrated their 40th anniversary with fans at the Quatre Bras restaurant in Best, the Netherlands.
2019: A SURPRISING LINE-UP CHANGE
On January 4, 2019, the group announced an unexpected line-up change in De Telegraaf: media personality Chimène van Oosterhout replaced Ria Thielsch. This surprising news boosted Luv' in the media. In addition to the usual articles in the tabloid press (Privé, Weekend, Story and Party), Luv' appeared on Dutch national television again (RTL Boulevard, Shownieuws, Tijd voor Max, 6 Inside...).
2019: LUV' GOES LATIN
In May 2019, the Luv' ladies went to Miami, Fl, to record a new song with producers and sound engineers Keith Morrison and Manuel Garrido-Lecca. Henk Schorel, CEO of the multimedia company "Viva Canal", linked Luv' with a team of talented music professionals. In addition to the recording sessions, Luv' also gave interviews on American channels (CBS, Azteca 48 WWHB Palm Beach, Beach Channel, Space Coast TV...).
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On June 30, 2019, Luv' revealed their Latin pop-reggaeton single, "With Him Tonight," at a fan club meeting at the Quatre Bras restaurant in Best, the Netherlands. On July 4, 2019, the track was available on digital platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, Amazon and YouTube). "With Him Tonight" entered the Dutch iTunes Top 100 at #54 on July 9th, 2019. Four days later, it was no longer on the chart.
2020: LUV'S END
On February 7, 2020, Luv' (which had not performed since September 2019 due to José Hoebee's illness) informed the media and the public about the interruption of their activities.
2021: REMIXES & REISSUES
In February 2021, Hans van Hemert productions and the YesterMix's YouTube channel presented the 2021 Uptempo Remix of "Ooh, Yes I Do" by DJ WR (Wouter Reinders) and DJ BarFeet (Maarten Bervoets). Shortly afterwards, the Spanish version of this remix entitled "Si Que Si 2021 (Versión Uptempo)" came out.
2021 also saw the reissue of two albums and several singles on digital platforms: "All You Need Is Luv'" (April 2021), "Sincerely Yours" (June 2021) and the four singles/maxi-singles taken from it: "Hasta Mañana", "Jungle Jive", "The Last Song" and "He's My Guy" as well as "This Old Heart Of Mine" (October 2021).
2022: Trojan Horse (Kav Verhouzer Remix)
On February 11, 2022, Cloud 9 Music released "Trojan Horse (Kav Verhouzer Remix)" as a digital single. Two days later, this remix entered the Dutch iTunes Top 100 at #10. One week later, it dropped out of this chart. The music video for Trojan Horse's remix featured three models as Luv's lookalikes lip-syncing to the original trio's vocals: Maruschka Sahiboe as Patty Brard, Linsey Fauve as Marga Scheide and Angelique Van Dinter as José Hoebee. Kav Verhouzer Remix eventually racked up over 1 million streams on Spotify.
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2023: Trojan Horse (Yestermix Remix)
On May 18, 2023, YesterMix's YouTube channel presented "Trojan Horse (Yestermix Remix)" by DJ WR (Wouter Reinders) and DJ BarFeet (Maarten Bervoets).
2024-2025: All You Need Is Luv' – Remastered & Expanded Edition + Ladies on Mars remixes
"All You Need Is Luv', the group's final album, initially released in 1994, was reissued on a double CD and digital platforms by Hit It Music! (Casper Janssen's label) on March 14, 2025, in a "Remastered & Expanded Edition". It featured the original tracklisting on CD 1 and the Ladies on Mars remixes on CD 2.
​In anticipation of this long-awaited reissue, seven Ladies On Mars remixes were released as digital singles between October 2024 and March 2025:
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Luv' Medley (Ladies On Mars Re-Touch Remix) - released on October 25, 2024
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Don't Stop Now (Ladies On Mars Remix) - released on November 15, 2024
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Don't Stop Now (Ladies On Mars Extended Remix) - released on November 29, 2024
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You're The Greatest Lover (Ladies On Mars Re-Construction Mix) - released on January 17, 2025
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You're The Greatest Lover" (Ladies On Mars Re-Construction Extended Mix) - released on January 31, 2025
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Let's Go To The Paradise Of Love (Ladies On Mars Remix) - released on February 21, 2025
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Let's Go To The Paradise Of Love (Ladies On Mars Extended Remix) - released on March 13, 2025
Moreover, "All You Need Is Luv' – Remastered & Expanded Edition" was also re-released exclusively for Record Store Day 2025 on April 12, 2025, as a limited edition release on pink and blue vinyl.
2025: Only Luv' – The Matt Pop Remixes
On May 24, 2025, the remix album "Only Luv' – The Matt Pop Remixes" was released, featuring remixes of Luv's greatest hits by producer Matt Pop, using original master tapes provided by Hans van Hemert and Universal Music. The album was available on CD and in a limited-edition double vinyl (pink and blue).
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CD Edition: 17 remixes + a bonus extended remix of Tingalingaling, with a 20-page booklet of rare photos.
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Vinyl Edition: Exclusive 12 extended remixes with a 4-page insert of unpublished photos.
The album included contributions from Luv’ members, project initiator Peter Boonstra, and photographers Karel Helmers and Didi Zill.
Ahead of the release, two singles and an EP were available on digital platforms:
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"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (Matt Pop Album Mix)" - released on April 25, 2025.
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"I.M.U.R. (Matt Pop Album Remix)" - released on May 9, 2025
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"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe / I.M.U.R. / Si Que Si – The Matt Pop Remixes EP"- released on May 23, 2025
A release party was held on May 24, 2025, at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, featuring Luv’s Marga Scheide and José Hoebee, Matt Pop, and Peter Boonstra.
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The full remix project will be available on all major streaming platforms, following its initial physical release on CD and vinyl:
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"Only Luv – The Matt Pop Album Remixes" will be released on June 20, 2025.
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"Only Luv – The Matt Pop Extended Remixes" will follow on August 15, 2025.
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​​​To support this project, the website onlyluv.nl was launched.
