Kathleen Aerts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kathleen Aerts
Background information
Birth name	Kathelijne Elisabeth Maria Aerts
Born	(1978-06-18) 18 June 1978 (age 47) Geel, Belgium
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer, actress, host, musicalactress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Studio 100, Sony BMG (with K3)

Kathleen Aerts, born on June 18, 1978, in Geel, Belgium, is a talented Belgian singer, actress, and TV host. She is best known for being one of the original members of the very popular girl group K3.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Kathleen Aerts was born in Geel, Belgium. She loved singing and music from a young age. Between 1992 and 1995, she sang in a group called Wonderful Game. She also appeared twice on the Flemish TV show Soundmixshow. In 1995, she placed third with a song by the Belgian pop group Pop In Wonderland [nl]. In 1997, she reached the semifinals with a song by Middle of the Road.

Her Music Journey

Becoming a Star with K3

From 1998 to 2009, Kathleen was a member of the super successful girl group K3. The group was first imagined as a Flemish version of the Spice Girls. It had three young women: Kathleen Aerts, Karen Damen, and Kristel Verbeke.

K3 became very famous after their song "Heyah Mama" was released. In 2002, their manager sold the group to Studio 100. This company helped K3 become even bigger. They released many things like merchandise, movies, TV shows, and books.

Kathleen's Solo Career

In 2009, Kathleen decided to leave K3 and start her own music career. Her first solo song was "Zumba Yade." She worked with Unicef on this song. The song became very popular, reaching the top 3 in the Dutch Single Top 100 in July 2009. It also made it into the top 20 in Flanders. She sold over 10,000 CDs in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In November 2009, Kathleen released her first solo album, Kathleen in symfonie. This album had twelve songs, including a duet with Danny de Munk. Kathleen made sure that some of the money from the album went to Unicef. She decided this after visiting South Africa.

Back to Children's Music

In 2010, Kathleen joined the KetnetBand [nl]. In the same year, she also returned to making music for children. She released a song called "Boerderij blues" (which means "Farm blues"). She released three more songs for kids. In 2007, a wax figure of Kathleen Aerts was shown at the Madame Tussauds museum in Amsterdam. It was placed next to the figures of the other two original K3 members.

Singing in Afrikaans

In 2016, Kathleen released "Die roos." This was her first song in Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa. It was a new version of a hit song by Ann Christy. A year later, she recorded another Afrikaans song called "Afrika." This song was also part of the movie F.C. De Kampioenen 3: Forever (2007).

TV Appearances

In 2020, Kathleen took part in the TV show The Masked Singer as the character "Mermaid." In this show, judges try to guess who the masked singer is. She was reunited with Karen Damen, who was a judge on the show. Karen correctly guessed that Kathleen was the Mermaid.

Personal Life

Kathleen Aerts married Steven van Hoof, who is a police officer, in 2010. Their first son was born on January 26, 2011. Their second son was born in December 2013. In 2015, Kathleen moved with her husband, sons, and mother to Paarl, South Africa.

Books by Kathleen Aerts

Kathleen has also written several books:

• 2009: Mijn leven als K1 (My Life as K1)
• 2015: Voor altijd mijn mama. Leven met jongdementie (Forever My Mom. Living with Young Dementia)
• 2017: Lilly en Max in de wereld van Oma (Lilly and Max in Grandma's World)

Musicals

Kathleen Aerts has performed in several musicals:

• 1998: Sneeuwwitje (as Snow White)
• 2002: Doornroosje (as one of the good fairies in Sleeping Beauty)
• 2003: De drie biggetjes (as Knorri, one of the Three little pigs)
• 2005: De kleine zeemeermin (as The Little Mermaid)
• 2007: De drie biggetjes (as Knorri, one of the Three little pigs)

Films and Television Shows

Discography

Singles

Albums