Dutch ‘Omni-Pop’ formation The Elated was formed in 2020 by vocalist Ebru Yoldaş. Alongside Yoldaş, the line-up consists of drummer Koen Schoutrop, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Toshiro Polak, and versatile bassist Don Gerritsen. While their music is firmly grounded in Pop, The Elated draw inspiration from a wide palette of musical genres, styles, and traditions including R&B, Funk, Disco, Jazz, Rock, and Middle Eastern folk music. The quartet enjoys playing and recording with a wide range of guest musicians.
On February 11th, 2022 The Elated released their debut single titled ‘Head Up’. This hard-hitting R&B anthem urges listeners to stand tall against judgment, abuse, and (self-)doubt and to keep their “head up high”.
The Elated dropped their debut album ‘Harbor’ on March 17th, 2023.
Ebru Yoldaş
Lead singer, songwriter and The Elated founder Ebru writes multilingual music for the band in Dutch, English, and Turkish. Ebru was immersed in music by her father, who is a professional musician. Ebru started out as a mezzo-soprano in a choir. At the young age of 15, she started writing her own repertoire. She played piano and studied singing, dance and theatre at the Academy for Light Music (AVLM) in Lelystad. She quickly gained experience in live performance and studio recordings.
Toshiro Polak
Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer Toshiro got his start in music as a teenager producing hip-hop beats in his childhood friend’s attic. Having studied keys from 10 years old, he also picked up the electric guitar while in university. Around the same time he joined contemporary acapella group SingerG as a tenor and later as a musical director. As a member of the Elated, Toshiro looks to apply his broad musical palette and skillset to create a lush sonic bed underneath Ebru’s vocals.
Koen Schoutrop
Koen started playing drums at the age of 16 and joining bands soon thereafter. Versatility is what describes him best. This really shines through in his musical expression. The music of The Elated fits him perfectly, because he doesn't like to be limited by genres. Although Koen’s drumming is influenced by jazz, rock and world music, his way of playing has turned into a strong grooving funk based style. He together with Don, tries to rhythmically elevate the music into something highly groove-a-licious!
Don Gerritsen
Funk bassist extraordinaire Don started out studying classical music on the cello at a very young age. Inspired by early funk and soul records as well as classical and jazz music, he started branching out into bass guitar and upright bass. Over the past fifteen years, he had the pleasure of recording and performing with artists like Christina Branco and Apes in the Orange Grove. Don considers himself a supportive band member first and foremost. He takes pride in writing subtle basslines that provide a solid foundation and amplify the song’s core.