Selah Sue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Selah Sue
Selah Sue in Nuremberg, Germany, in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Sanne Greet A. Putseys
Born	(1989-05-03) 3 May 1989 (age 36) Leefdaal, Belgium
Origin	Leuven, Belgium
Genres	Soul reggae pop R&B
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar vocals

Selah Sue at the Zelt-Musik-Festival 2018 in Freiburg, Germany

Sanne Greet A. Putseys (born May 3, 1989), known as Selah Sue, is a Belgian singer and songwriter. Her first album, Selah Sue (released in 2011), was very popular. It sold over 720,000 copies in Europe, with 320,000 sold in France alone.

In 2011, she had several hit songs like "Raggamuffin", "Crazy Vibes", and "This World". Selah Sue also won a European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) in 2011. In January 2012, she received the EBBA Public Choice Award at the award ceremony.

Her first album was released in the United States on August 28, 2012. It received good reviews there. Over 400,000 downloads were counted in just one week. Rolling Stone magazine even called Selah Sue one of the new faces to watch in 2012.

Early Life and Music Journey

Sanne Putseys was born in Leefdaal, a town near Leuven in Belgium. When she was fifteen, she started learning to play the acoustic guitar. She also began writing her own songs.

At seventeen, a Belgian music producer asked her to sing some demo songs. A record company called Universal then offered her a contract. However, she said no because she wanted to sing her own music. Around the same time, she performed at an open-song contest in Leuven. She was the youngest and only female artist there.

The organizer of the contest, singer Milow, noticed her talent. He asked her to perform as a supporting act for his shows. Selah Sue managed to work on her music career while also studying psychology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. She believes that studying psychology helped her understand human emotions better. This understanding also helped her with her music.

Later, she continued to perform as a warm-up act for artists like Jamie Lidell in London and Paris. She also played with the Belgian band Novastar in Amsterdam.

Selah Sue often sings cover versions of songs by artists like Erykah Badu and The Zutons. But she has also written many of her own songs. Two of her well-known acoustic songs are "Mommy" and "Black Part Love". She has said that artists like Lauryn Hill, M.I.A., and Erykah Badu have influenced her music.

Music Success and Albums

Selah Sue's first music collection, called an EP, was released in January 2009. It was titled Black Part Love. From September 2008 to August 2009, Selah Sue received guidance from the Belgian musical theater, Ancienne Belgique. This program helps new artists who do not have a record company yet.

In 2009, Selah Sue performed at big music events like the North Sea Jazz Festival and Lowlands. She also appeared on TV shows in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Sue performing with Triggerfinger in 2010

In 2010, she played at many major festivals in Belgium, including Les Nuits Botaniques and Pukkelpop. She also performed at international festivals like Lowlands in the Netherlands and Sziget Festival in Hungary. Her second EP, Raggamuffin, came out in October 2010. On November 8, 2010, she opened for the famous musician Prince at his concert. After that, she went on a tour in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, performing songs from her upcoming first album.

On March 4, 2011, Selah Sue released her first full album, named Selah Sue. The album quickly reached number one on the music charts in Belgium. It also did well in the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland. Besides popular songs like "This World" and "Crazy Vibes", the album also included a duet with Cee Lo Green called "Please". On December 10, 2011, she won three awards at the Flemish Music Industry Awards.

On October 20, 2012, Selah Sue performed at a royal wedding in Luxembourg. She also recorded a version of the song "Spoonful" for a Häagen-Dazs ice cream commercial. This commercial featured actor Bradley Cooper.

Sue during her concert at the Jval Festival in Switzerland, August 31, 2014.

On October 27, 2014, Selah Sue released a new song called "Alone". This song was very successful. It reached number one in Wallonia (a region in Belgium) and was a top 10 hit in Flanders (another Belgian region) and France.

Her album Reason was released on March 30, 2015. This album included a song called "Together" with American musician Childish Gambino. It also featured a collaboration with Scottish producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke. The album reached number one in both Flanders and Wallonia, as well as in the Netherlands. She was nominated for three awards at the 2015 Music Industry Awards. She won the award for Best solo female artist for the fifth time.

Selah Sue helped write Belgium's song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The song was "What's the Pressure", performed by Laura Tesoro. It finished 10th in the competition. In December 2016, a song called "Bang Bang" was released. It was a collaboration by DJ Fresh and Diplo, and featured Selah Sue's vocals, along with R. City and Craig David.

In 2020, after a five-year break, Selah Sue released the EP "Bedroom" on May 15. The song "You" was the first official single from the EP, released on April 17, 2020. She dedicated this song to her family. Before the EP came out, Selah Sue hosted online concerts from her bedroom called "Lullaby Sessions" because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal Life and Awareness

In May 2014, Selah Sue shared publicly that she has experienced depression. She spoke about this on a Flemish talk show. She has supported campaigns in Flanders that aim to help young people dealing with depression. In 2016, she was the godmother of "Te Gek!?", a campaign in Flemish schools to raise awareness about depression among young people.

In October 2016, Selah Sue announced that she was expecting her first child. In March 2017, she shared that her first son, Seth, was born. In March 2019, her second son, Mingus, was born.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Remixes albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist