Hermelink was born in Oldenzaal and grew up in a Catholic family of five children. At the age of seven, he received his first piano lessons. At the age of ten, he made his debut on the church organ of the Holy Trinity Church. He attended the HBS(-B) at the Carmellyceum in Oldenzaal and then followed the 1st year of the mechanical engineering course at the HTS in Enschede. He then went to the Agricultural University in Wageningen, where he studied landscape architecture and planning, completing his studies in 1980. Hermelink founded the pop group Toontje Lager in 1978 together with Bert Vermaas, Huub van Melick, Joost Witte and Jan Verver. This happened after he and Bert Vermaas had performed once with the occasional band Maandverband. Witte and van Melick came up with the idea of taking this more seriously. Hermelink was the band’s keyboardist and initially wrote the songs together with Bert Vermaas. In 1980 singer Bert Vermaas and guitarist Jan Verver were replaced by Erik Mesie and Gerard de Braconier respectively. The band disbanded in 1985. Hermelink continued as a cabaret performer and reached the finals of the Leiden Cabaret Festival in 1998. Between 2005 and 2016 he released several solo albums, including Dingen te doen, Zoiets moet het zijn, Pantoffelheld op oorlogspad, Daarom, Grijs and Luxeproblemen. He also worked as a producer and songwriter for other artists, among them Martin Groenewold. In 2020 he returned to the spotlight with his new band Plan D, marking a shift back to a band‑oriented sound after years of solo work. His music is often described as personal, warm, slightly melancholic and touched with dry humor.
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Van Plan – Stel je voor
Plan D – Ik doe het ermee
Plan D – Stil in huis
Plan D – Bang
Plan D – Voor Ik in Slaap Viel
Plan D – Iemand Zijn
Daarom
Fijne dagen
Zoveel te doen
Net als in de film
Stiekem gedanst
Het doet pijn
Ben Jij Ook Zo Bang
Ja verrek
Niks Na De Dood
In Gedachten
Vroeg of laat
Nooit Meer Zeuren