Comedian Nadine Froughi's viral hits blend Dutch directness with her "outsider" view
Nadine Froughi describes herself as "spiritually" Dutch, yet her comedy thrives on the friction between her adopted home and her complex, international roots. This week on Dam Yankee, the comedian sits down with host Zack Newmark to discuss her sudden ascent from the local Amsterdam scene to viral social media stardom.
For years, Froughi shared clips to a modest audience, but everything changed this past October when she tapped into a specific micro-annoyance of Dutch life. "I kept noticing when I was ordering in Dutch in cafés, people were speaking back to me in English," she sayws. "Dutch friends of mine would be irritated. 'I can't order a coffee in Dutch?' And I made like a little video about that," she explains.
"I just did an impersonation of a Dutch person realizing they have to order in English, and they're kind of annoyed about it," she continues. "And that really struck a nerve with people." The video grew her fanbase 30-fold, proving that her "outsider" observations resonate deeply with both locals and expats.
Born in England to an Iranian father and an American mother, Froughi moved to the Netherlands at age 16. She jumped right in to higher education, eventually earning a master’s degree at the University of Amsterdam. "It started to feel like home to me because I really made a choice," she says of her decision to stay and naturalize.
Now a fluent speaker, she occupies a rare space in comedy, noting: "I'm making fun of a culture and a society that I have made an effort to integrate into and be a part of."
Beyond her viral skits, Froughi is preparing to debut her new hour-long show, Daydreamer, next month, Froughi sat down with host Zack Newmark to discuss her sudden rise both online and in venues, her unique background, and her first comedy hour, premiering March 14 at Volta in Amsterdam-West. The show promises a "musical-comedy romp" exploring the no-man's land between real life and her daydreams.
Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee on all major podcast platforms, or watch the full videos on YouTube.
Nadine Froughi frequently adds dates to her performance calendar, and can be found on Instagram and TikTok.
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Amsterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht, Nadine Froughi, Iran, United Kingdom, England, Scotland, comedy, sketch comedy, family, Stand-up Comedy, Zack Newmark, Dam Yankee, podcast, Podcast Interview, entertainment, social media, multicultural, ethnically diverse, diversity, naturalization, University of Amsterdam, Haagse Hogeschool, marketing, communications, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland
