Katrien Verbeeck, known professionally as Kate Ryan, is Belgium’s dance-pop queen, and her story is as electric as her music. By age eight, Kate was already playing multiple instruments, and before she could even drive, she was performing in local bars and cafés. It didn’t take long for a manager to spot her talent, and the rest is history.
At 16, Ryan joined a pop group called Melt, but that chapter was short-lived. Teaming up with producer Andy Janssens was when things really took off. Their first single, “Scream for More,” hit the airwaves in 2001 and was an unexpected success. Suddenly, Kate Ryan was everywhere.
The singer/songwriter’s big breakthrough came in 2002 with her cover of Mylène Farmer’s “Désenchantée.” The song went platinum in Belgium and dominated European charts for months. It helped make her debut album “Different” a massive hit, selling over 250,000 copies. Even American dance-pop fans hunted down import versions of the album just to get a taste of her sound.
In 2004, she released her second album, “Stronger,” which included catchy tracks like “Another Day” and “The Rain.” Despite some struggles with promotion, her songs were climbing the dance charts.
Then came 2006, when Kate took the big stage at the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Belgium with the song “Je t’adore.” Although she didn’t make it to the final, finishing 12th in the semi-final, she made her mark on millions of viewers. That same year, she released “Voyage Voyage,” a cover of Desireless’ 1987 smash, and “We All Belong,” which became the anthem for the EuroGames in Antwerp.
Kate continued her winning streak in 2008 with her album “Free,” featuring hits like “L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)” and a cover of France Gall’s “Ella, Elle L’a.” The album was a hit across Europe, and she even earned a Gold certification for sales in Poland. Later that year, she dropped “Essential,” a greatest hits album, and won the prestigious World Music Award for Best-Selling Benelux Artist.
In 2009, she went all-in on her French roots with the release of “French Connection,” an album filled with French-language covers and new tracks. But it wasn’t until 2012 that she released her highly anticipated fifth album, “Electroshock,” which featured fan favorites like “Lovelife,” “Broken,” and “Robots.”
As the music world shifted to digital platforms, Kate adapted. She embraced releasing non-album singles, starting with “Light in the Dark” and “Heart Flow,” which became the anthem for the 2013 World Outgames. She didn’t stop there, dropping more singles like her 2015 cover of Bronski Beat’s “Runaway (Smalltown Boy)” and her 2016 take on Françoise Hardy’s “Comment te dire adieu.”
Through it all, Kate Ryan has continued to evolve while staying true to her dance-pop roots. From her early covers to her Eurovision run and beyond, she remains a force to be reckoned with, blending nostalgia with fresh energy that keeps fans dancing year after year.
