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Kate RyanDésenchantéeElla Elle L AVoyage Voyage
Ryan was born in the small village of Tessenderlo, Belgium. She grew up in a musical family, and reflected a talent for music at a very early age. At eight years old she learned to play piano and guitar. She received singing and piano lessons from her aunt who teaches at a conservatory. She studied at an art school, specialising in jewellery design. Ryan played frequently in bars and cafés as a teenager, and one night she was offered a recording deal. She became a member of a pop group called Melt at the age of 16.[2] The group was active for two years, but they did not release any material commercially. When she met producer Andy Janssens, she left Melt and the pair began to write music together. Their debut single "Scream for More" was released in 2001, and it became a chart success. Later that year Ryan's second single, "UR (My Love)", cemented her position in Belgian charts. She gained international prominence with a cover
of Mylène Farmer's "Désenchantée", which was a hit in various European pop music charts. She signed in with Belgian
department of EMI and released her first album Different in 2002
exclusively in Europe. The album went Gold and Platinum in a number
of countries, selling more than 250.000 copies throughout Europe.
Two final singles off Different, "Mon cœur résiste encore" and "Libertine" (the first one being a French version of "Scream for More", the latter a second cover of Farmer's number) also turned out a chart success.
Kate's records were released in the USA under Robbins Entertainment
label. In 2004, Ryan released a second album in Europe, entitled Stronger, that also contained her remarkable dance-pop style. The album's lead single, "Only If I" met with a modest success across Europe. A cover of Cock Robin's "The Promise You Made" became the second single, earning even greater success. It was also recorded in French as "La Promesse". Pop ballad "Goodbye" was released as the third single, meeting with considerable success. In 2005 Kate Ryan's music appered in North America on Water Music Records. In 2006 the singer participated in Eurosong '06,
the national final to select the entrant for Belgium in the Eurovision
Song Contest 2006. She was selected as the entrant after placing
first in the Eurosong final on 9 March 2006. Ryan represented Belgium
at the Eurovision semi-final held on 18 May 2006 in Athens singing "Je t'adore". However, she did not qualify for the final, finishing two places outside the
advancing Top 10 (12th) with 69 points. She was later voted best
dressed performer by Eurovisions independent website esctoday.com
for her 14.000 € outfit, later sold to raise charity funds.[3]
The following single was "Alive", taken from the album of the same name, which also featured French versions
of several tracks including "Je t'adore", "Alive", and the third single "All for You". The album, although critically acclaimed, didn't repeat the success of two
previous ones. In 2007, she had some success with the double-sided
single "Voyage Voyage"/"We All Belong". The track "Voyage Voyage" was a cover of the 1986 European smash hit by Desireless, and "We All Belong" was selected as the official anthem for the EuroGames 2007 in Antwerp. In 2008,
Ryan released two singles: "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" and then "Ella, elle l'a", a cover of France Gall's song. Both tracks (as well as "Voyage Voyage" and "We All Belong") were included on her album Free, which was released in the middle of the year.
The album included also a duet with Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas.
Singer's first best-of album Essential was released in July. It
included songs recorded throughout her EMI period. In August Kate
took part in Polish Sopot Hit Festival. During the show she received
Gold award for the Free album in Poland. On 9 November 2008 in
Monaco, Kate Ryan won the World Music Award as The Best Selling
Benelux Artist. Two more singles promoted Free, including "I Surrender". 2009 saw the release of the concept album French
Connection. It was a compilation consisting of French-language-only
material, including Ryan's previous hits recordings, and adding
some new recordings. "Évidemment" and "Babacar", both from France Gall's repertoire, were released as singles, but only met
with limited success, as did the album. The singer announced that
French Connection was the end of an era, and from now on she will
only release material written by her. She received a Multi-Platinum
award from Spain for selling more than 300.000 digital songs. Ryan confirmed via Facebook that her next album,
Electroshock, will be released in 2011, preceded by a single "LoveLife".[4] It will contain English and French songs and will not have any cover version. First Studio album 8 23 14 15 26 17 88 18 22 36 POL: Platinum[16] Stronger Second Studio album 22 14 13 10 43 — — — — — POL: Gold[18] Alive Third Studio album 13 73 73 — — — — — — — Forth Studio album 4 47 96 20 — 35 66 — — — POL: Gold[18] Compilations Released: June 2008 88 23 — Released: October 13, 2009 21 — 89
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