Angèle, Brussels' rising pop star

This Belgian pop musician has only just turned 23. Even so, Angèle Van Laeken, or Angèle for short, is already a huge success both at home and abroad. With her song lyrics, which are humorous and put things into perspective, her gentle voice and colourful melodies, Angèle is currently one of the most promising Belgian artists around.

Angèle Van Laeken was born on 3 December 1995 and grew up in Linkebeek in an artistic family. Indeed, her father Serge Van Laeken (artist name: Marka) is a singer-songwriter known, among other things, as band member of the group Allez Allez, her mother is a comedian and her brother none other than the famous Brussels rapper Roméo Elvis. Angèle was encouraged by her father to play the piano from a young age. The young girl from Brussels also continued to develop her artistic skills as a teenager. Her studies began at the École Decroly and continued with lessons at Antwerp's Jazzstudio.

Angèle started her musical career with small performances in Brussels' cafés. Instagram is the main reason behind her becoming a big hit. She used this to post various videos featuring charming covers of famous artists. She stands out on social media thanks to her humour and the way she blends music and comedy. In January 2019, the young artist exceeded the mark of one million followers.

Her first single, ‘La Loi de Murphy’, was launched in 2017 and was immediately viewed millions of times on YouTube. Her second single, ‘Je veux tes yeux’, also received many positive reactions. In October 2018, she launched her debut album ‘Brol’. It was a tremendous success, not only in Belgium, but also beyond the borders. In her aim to promote the album, Angèle toured Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and France.

Angèle sings in both French and English. She is inspired by different types of music, including French chanson, electronic music and rap. She is a great admirer of Belgian artists, such as Stromae, Christine and the Queens and the Belgian rapper, Damso. She also claims to get her inspiration from the work of various international artists, including Beyoncé, Ella Fitzgerald and Hélène Ségara.

In November 2018, Angèle was named ‘Artist To Watch’ by the famous American media platform Vevo. “Angèle has adult and honest lyrics covering themes such as youth and femininity. Her debut album ‘Brol’ reveals an artist who can put heavy topics to cheerful pop tunes,” according to Vevo. The French music magazine Les Inrocks also voted her "the great hope” for 2018.

Picture © Melanie Lemahieu / Shutterstock