Kate Ryan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Ryan
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Ryan performing in Szczecin, Poland in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Katrien Verbeeck |
| Also known as | Kate Ryan |
| Born | 22 July 1980 Tessenderlo, Belgium |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | EMI (2002–06) ARS Entertainment (2007–12) Nextar Entertainment (2013–present) CNR Music (2015-present) |
Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck, on July 22, 1980) is a talented singer and songwriter from Belgium. She won a World Music Award for her music.
Kate started her singing journey in 2001. She quickly became famous for her dance songs. Many of these were "covers," which means she sang her own versions of popular songs by other artists. Some of these famous covers include "Désenchantée" and "Ella, elle l'a". She also released many original songs. In 2006, Kate Ryan represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Je t'adore".
Contents
About Kate Ryan
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Kate Ryan was born in a small village called Tessenderlo in Belgium. She grew up in a family that loved music. When she was eight years old, she started learning to play the piano and guitar. Her aunt, who taught at a music school, gave her singing and piano lessons.
Kate also went to an art school. There, she focused on designing jewellery. As a teenager, she often performed in local bars and cafés. One night, she was offered a chance to record her music.
At 16, Kate joined a pop group called Melt. The group was active for two years but did not release any songs. Later, she met a music producer named Andy Janssens. She left Melt and started writing music with him.
Becoming a Star: Different (2001–2004)
Kate Ryan and Andy Janssens released their first song, "Scream for More", in 2001. It quickly became a hit. Her second song, "UR (My Love)", also did very well in Belgium.
Kate became known around the world with her cover of "Désenchantée". This song was a big hit across Europe. She then signed with EMI, a major music company. In 2002, she released her first album, Different, in Europe. The album sold over 250,000 copies and became very popular in many countries.
Two more songs from Different were released: "Mon cœur résiste encore" and "Libertine". Both were successful. Her music was also released in the United States.
More Success: Stronger and Alive (2004–2007)
In 2004, Kate released her second album in Europe, called Stronger. It continued her popular dance-pop style. The first song from the album, "Only If I", was quite successful.
Her cover of "The Promise You Made" became the second single and was even more popular. She also recorded a French version called "La Promesse". The song "Goodbye" was released as the third single and was also a hit.
In 2006, Kate Ryan took part in Eurosong '06. This competition chooses who will represent Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest. She won the final on March 9, 2006. Kate then sang "Je t'adore" at the Eurovision semi-final in Athens on May 18, 2006. She finished 12th and did not make it to the final. However, she was voted the best-dressed performer for her amazing outfit!
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Her next song was "Alive", from her album of the same name. This album also included French versions of some songs. Even though critics liked the album, it did not sell as well as her first two.
New Music and Awards: Free and Essential (2007–2008)
In 2007, Kate had success with two songs released together: "Voyage, voyage" and "We All Belong". "Voyage, voyage" was a cover of a hit song from 1986. "We All Belong" became the official song for the EuroGames 2007 in Antwerp.
In 2008, Kate released two more songs: "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" and "Ella, elle l'a". Both of these songs were included on her album Free, released in the middle of that year. The album also featured a song with Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas.
Kate's first "best-of" album, Essential, came out in July 2008. It included many of her earlier songs. In August, she performed at the Sopot Hit Festival in Poland. There, she received a Gold award for her Free album. On November 9, 2008, she won a World Music Award for being the best-selling artist from the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg).
French Songs and New Directions (2009–2011)
In 2009, Kate released a special album called French Connection. This album was a collection of only French-language songs. It included her past French hits and some new recordings. Two new songs, "Évidemment" and "Babacar", were released as singles, but they did not become big hits.
Kate announced that French Connection marked the end of an era for her. She decided that from then on, she would only release songs that she had written herself. She also received a Multi-Platinum award from Spain for selling over 300,000 digital songs there.
Electroshock and Singles (2011–Present)
Kate Ryan shared on Facebook that her next album, Electroshock, would be released in 2011. The first song from it was "LoveLife". Another song, "Broken", came out in October 2011.
The album Electroshock was released on June 25, 2012. All the songs on this album are in English, and it does not include any cover versions. Before the album, another song called "Robots" was released in May 2012.
After Electroshock, Kate decided to release only single songs instead of full albums. She felt that the music industry was changing, and people were buying fewer full albums. Since then, she has released several non-album singles. These include "Light in the Dark" (2013) and "Heart Flow" (2013). "Heart Flow" was also the official song for the World Outgames 2013.
In December 2013, she recorded a Catalan-language cover of Bob Sinclar's song "World, Hold On (Children of the Sky)". In September 2014, she released "Not Alone," a song that mixes French and English.
In August 2015, Kate released "Runaway (Smalltown Boy)". This was a cover of the song "Smalltown Boy" by the British band Bronski Beat. In January 2016, she released another cover, "Wonderful Life", originally by the singer Black. In June 2016, she released "Comment te dire adieu", a French cover of an English song.
Kate Ryan's Albums
Studio albums
- Different (2002)
- Stronger (2004)
- Alive (2006)
- Free (2008)
- Electroshock (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Kate Ryan para niños
