Made in Belgium: Kate Ryan
In a shopping center in Moscow, on jeep safari in Cyprus, on an outside bar in Egypt, .... whenever I travel I hear Kate Ryan. Not surprisingly she's the best selling artist from the Benelux and if you surf to her Myspace page you see an endless list of scheduled concerts in Poland, Russia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Canada, .... She surely made it in the international music scene with her pop/dance music.
Her first singles sounded like just one more of the many commercial dance acts that we had in abundance at the end of last decade/start of this one. After covering "Libertine" from the French super start Mylène Farmer, Kate conquered Europe with the dance cover from "Désenchentée" also originally from Mylène Farmer. Although I like the original without the unneeded extra beats a lot more, Désenchantée is simply a hit. I guess I've heard it so often on parties that my brain now automatically thinks "oh cool, party time" when it's on :).
In 2006 Kate won the Flemish pre-selections for the Eurovision songcontest and although we all absolutely loved her song, it shockingly didn't even pass through the semi-finals. Boohoo.
In the last years either Kate's music has been less successful in Belgium, either I don't listen as much to commercial radio stations anymore :p. ....or we know the originals of what she brings too well to appreciate her versions of it. She has a beautiful voice, she can truly sing and she's the sweetest down-to-earth girl (despite her "big star attitude" she picks up in Eastern Europe in order to be taken seriously over there.....an attitude that would get punished with 'arrogance' in Belgium really)....but it's so tiring and pitiful that she always brings covers and often harms them with added beats. "Voyage Voyage" from Desireless, "Ella elle l'a" and "Babacar" from France Gall.....am I too old if I love the originals far better??
Only "Evidemment" makes me dream away, not surprisingly as she has kept this France Gall song as pure as the original.
I happen to read on her wikipedia page that her latest album with French covers would be the last cover album and that from now on she'd only bring own original music anymore. Well, that's about time Kate. I'm sure she can do it.
Désenchantée - 2002
Je t'adore - 2006 - Eurovision song contest
Ella elle l'a - 2008
Evidemment - 2009
Her first singles sounded like just one more of the many commercial dance acts that we had in abundance at the end of last decade/start of this one. After covering "Libertine" from the French super start Mylène Farmer, Kate conquered Europe with the dance cover from "Désenchentée" also originally from Mylène Farmer. Although I like the original without the unneeded extra beats a lot more, Désenchantée is simply a hit. I guess I've heard it so often on parties that my brain now automatically thinks "oh cool, party time" when it's on :).
In 2006 Kate won the Flemish pre-selections for the Eurovision songcontest and although we all absolutely loved her song, it shockingly didn't even pass through the semi-finals. Boohoo.
In the last years either Kate's music has been less successful in Belgium, either I don't listen as much to commercial radio stations anymore :p. ....or we know the originals of what she brings too well to appreciate her versions of it. She has a beautiful voice, she can truly sing and she's the sweetest down-to-earth girl (despite her "big star attitude" she picks up in Eastern Europe in order to be taken seriously over there.....an attitude that would get punished with 'arrogance' in Belgium really)....but it's so tiring and pitiful that she always brings covers and often harms them with added beats. "Voyage Voyage" from Desireless, "Ella elle l'a" and "Babacar" from France Gall.....am I too old if I love the originals far better??
Only "Evidemment" makes me dream away, not surprisingly as she has kept this France Gall song as pure as the original.
I happen to read on her wikipedia page that her latest album with French covers would be the last cover album and that from now on she'd only bring own original music anymore. Well, that's about time Kate. I'm sure she can do it.
Désenchantée - 2002
Je t'adore - 2006 - Eurovision song contest
Ella elle l'a - 2008
Evidemment - 2009
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