Lou Deprijck, musically versatile

On 11 January 1946, in the Hainaut town of Lessines, a boy named Francis saw the light of day. That boy would go on to leave his mark on Belgian pop, and the world would eventually come to know him as Lou Deprijck.

Before he became as famous and successful as he did, Lou Deprijck was a civil servant, working for the Régie des Télégraphes et Téléphones (RTT) in Brussels. While living in the capital, young Lou hungrily explored the night scene that he would eventually become an unmissable part of.

His first major group was Two Man Sound, which, ironically, was a trio with Sylvain Vanholme and Yvan Lacomblez. They were heavily inspired by Brazilian styles like samba and bossa nova. Hits included Charlie Brown and Disco Samba.

The other group he was known for was Lou and the Hollywood Bananas, created in 1978. Fans will remember Kingston, Kingston as this band’s greatest hit, coming out in 1979. These Hollywood Bananas consisted of a frequently changing duo of female backing singers. Those included Viktor Lazlo – a pseudonym for Sonia Dronnier --, a Belgian-French singer whom Deprijck would go on to produce two albums for.

Perhaps Deprijck’s most famous song is one that, for the longest time, wasn’t attributed to him, and it goes back to 1977. The world knew that he’d written and composed Plastic Bertrand’s hit song, Ça plane pour moi, but less known was the fact that Plastic Bertrand was lip-syncing : Lou had also sung his track.

All of these different projects make it clear that Lou was impossible to label, as he himself has said. He lived a life of note and of variety.  That variety includes Thailand, where he moved in the 2000s. So enamoured was he with Pattaya that he even changed the words to his hit Kingston, Kingston in homage to the town.

Lou Deprijck passed away on 19 September 2023, after having been admitted to a hospital in Anderlecht. He was due to get married later that month for the fifth time.

Rest in peace, Lou Deprijck. The world will miss you!