Kate Ryan

Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck, 22 July 1980) is a Belgian singer-songwriter known for her dance-pop hits and vibrant performances. She began her music career in 2001 with the debut single “Scream for More”, which became a chart success in Belgium. A follow-up single, “UR (My Love)”, further established her in the Belgian charts. Ryan’s breakthrough came in 2002 with a dance cover of Mylène Farmer’s “Désenchantée”, which gained international attention and became a hit across Europe. That year she released her first album Different (2002) on EMI Belgium, featuring dance-pop tracks and French-English lyrics. Different earned Gold and Platinum certifications in several countries, selling over 250,000 copies in Europe. Besides “Désenchantée,” the album produced successful singles like “Mon cœur résiste encore” (French version of “Scream for More”) and “Libertine” (another Farmer cover), making Ryan a rising name in European pop.

In 2004, Ryan released her second studio album, Stronger, continuing her signature blend of uptempo pop and dance beats. The album included singles such as “Only If I” and a dance remake of Cock Robin’s “The Promise You Made”, the latter of which became a sizable hit (also recorded in French as “La Promesse”). By this time, her music was reaching audiences beyond Belgium, and some of her tracks appeared on North American dance compilations. In 2006, Kate Ryan entered Eurosong ’06, Belgium’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She won the national final on 9 March 2006, earning the right to represent Belgium at Eurovision in Athens. Her entry was “Je t’adore”, an up-tempo pop song which had been a chart-topping hit in Belgium prior to the contest. At the Eurovision semi-final6, Ryan delivered a high-energy performance of “Je t’adore”. Despite being considered a strong contender, she narrowly missed qualifying for the final, finishing 12th in the semi-final. Her stylish performance was still noted – she was even voted the best-dressed act of the 2006 contest by an independent fan site. Following Eurovision, Ryan released the album Alive (2006), which included “Je t’adore” and French versions of several songs. However, Alive did not achieve the same commercial success as her previous albums.

Ryan’s career regained momentum in 2007 with new singles that cemented her international popularity. She scored a hit with a double A-sided single release: “Voyage Voyage”, a cover of Desireless’s 1986 synth-pop classic, and “We All Belong”. Notably, “We All Belong” was chosen as the official anthem for the EuroGames 2007 held in Antwerp. That year Ryan performed at the EuroGames opening ceremony, further boosting her profile in Europe. In 2008, she continued her string of successful French-language covers with “L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)” and “Ella, elle l’a”, a tribute to French singer France Gall. Her upbeat rendition of “Ella, elle l’a” became one of her biggest international hits, reaching the top ten in charts of countries including Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and Spain. These songs were featured on her third studio album Free (2008), which also included a duet with Spanish pop star Soraya Arnelas. In the wake of this success, a greatest-hits compilation Essential was released later in 2008. That year proved significant for Ryan’s recognition beyond the charts: in November 2008 she received the World Music Award for Best Selling Benelux Artist, presented in Monte Carlo. She also achieved Gold record status in markets like Poland, where Free earned a Gold certification and she won an award at the Sopot Hit Festival.

In 2009, Ryan released a concept album titled French Connection, consisting entirely of French-language material. The album compiled her earlier French covers and added new recordings of classics like “Évidemment” and “Babacar” (both originally by France Gall). Although French Connection had only modest commercial impact, it marked a turning point in Ryan’s artistic direction. Upon its release, she announced it would close the chapter on her era of cover songs, stating that going forward she would focus on original material written or co-written by herself. Around this time, Ryan was honored in Spain with a multi-platinum award for selling over 300,000 digital singles, reflecting her strong fan base in the European dance music scene.

Entering the 2010s, Kate Ryan embraced a more contemporary electro-pop style and adapted to changes in the music industry. She began recording her next studio project, announcing via social media that the album Electroshock would be released in 2011. Production delays pushed the release to mid-2012, but the album eventually came out in June 2012. Electroshock represented a new phase: it was composed entirely of original English-language songs. The record spawned singles like “LoveLife” (2011) and “Broken” (2011), followed by “Robots” in 2012, though these had moderate chart success. After Electroshock, Ryan responded to shifting trends by moving away from full albums. In 2013 she announced she would primarily release standalone singles, noting that fans were increasingly consuming individual tracks in the digital era.

Over the next several years, Ryan released a series of non-album singles and collaborations, maintaining her presence on the European dance charts. In 2013 she put out “Light in the Dark” and “Heart Flow”, the latter serving as the anthem of the World Outgames 2013 in Antwerp. She continued to alternate between original songs and inventive covers – for instance, “Runaway (Smalltown Boy)” (2015) reimagined the Bronski Beat synth-pop hit, and “Wonderful Life” (2016) was a dance cover of the 1980s pop classic. In 2014, she participated in Eurosong again, as a (masked!) singer of the group Day One. She did not reach the final of the contest with the song “Whoever You Are”. Only 6 years later she confessed she was the singer.

Demonstrating her enduring ties to 1980s music, in 2016 she also released “Comment te dire adieu”, singing in French on a cover of the Françoise Hardy song. Ryan has also collaborated with notable DJs and producers in recent years: in 2019 she teamed up with Dutch DJ Sam Feldt on the single “Gold”, and her 2002 hit “Désenchantée” was remixed by EDM producer Oliver Heldens in 2023, introducing her music to a new generation of club listeners. She has continued to tour and perform at festivals and 2000s nostalgia events across Europe. In late 2019 Ryan released the solo single “Wild Eyes”, followed by “Holiday” in 2020, both under the dance label Spinnin’ Records. As of the mid-2020s, Kate Ryan remains active in music. With a career spanning over two decades, she is recognized for blending European pop and club styles and for bringing French-language hits into the international mainstream.