Kate Ryan
- biography -
At just 23, and with over a million record sales under her belt, Kate Ryan is a hot young singersongwriter with a passion and ability to match her success. In a time of instant celebrity and pop idol style fame, hers is a refreshing story of achievement through sheer talent and hard work. It became obvious at a young age that Kate had a natural flair for music; born in a small village in Belgium to a musical family, she would entertain everyone with her impressions of Madonna, complete with red Spanish La Isla Bonita dress lovingly made in miniature by her grandmother. Whilst everyone in her family played an instrument, by age eight Kate had mastered both the piano and guitar, finding that she could play anything that she heard on the radio almost immediately. In addition to lessons in piano and singing techniques from her aunt, a teacher at the prestigious Conservatory, Kate studied at art school, specialising in jewellery design. In her (very limited!) spare time, she still makes rings and trinkets for her friends, who often ask her to design pieces for them. She’s also designed a best selling range of the clubber’s essential – sunglasses – as she’s a bit of an eyewear addict herself.
But it was always Kate’s dream to become a singer, and she could frequently be found armed with a guitar and singing in bars, cafes, and clubs. It was at one such gig, aged 16, that she was approached by a manager who wanted her to record in the studio. She consequently became a member of a pop group, Melt, performing soft rock and pop, something that she absolutely loved. But after two years composing and recording with them, nothing was released commercially. A twist of fate saw Kate meet with her current manager, and quit Melt. He introduced her to producer Andy Janssens, and the pair began to write together, everything from ballads to pop, R&B and trance oriented tracks. Their debut single was the aptly titled Scream For More - it shot to Number 2 in the charts, something virtually unheard of for a teenage newcomer.
“I was really surprised to go top 5 in Belgium, for an unknown artist it’s just great. People didn’t know me, and to be honest, I was just really happy the first time I heard my voice on the radio! I couldn’t believe it.