THE BELGIAN PRESELECTION 2004

SECOND SELECTION
Sunday 25 January 2004

PARTICIPANTS:

1. QUATRO - "Never say goodbey"
   (text : Gregory Bilsen - music: Marc Paelinck)

   In 2000 a group was made by a television program called 'popstars'. De group was called VandaVanda and was made by Hans Dejonghe (22/12/1977), Karolien Quintens (01/06/1977), Frédéric Godecharle (28/12/1977), Tiziana Scapin (18/04/1980) and Iris Van Hoof.  They had a lot of hits and already paricipated at Eurosong 2003.  In the summer of 2003 Iris left the formation and a new band, called Quatro, was made.

2. KURT - "My heart"
   (text & music: Kurt Lotigiers)

   Kurt Lotigiers is born on the 6th of January 1973 in Sint-Amandsberg (Gent). At the very young age he knew that he was made for singing as his wellknown brother Helmut Lotti.  At the age of 10 he participated at several play-back contests as Billy Joel and Rod Stewart.  During the months April and Mai 2003 he has been in the studio to record his first single.

3. SOFIE VAN MOLL - "Kerosene"
   (text & music: Piet Van Den Heuvel)

   She comes from Overpelt and is born on the 20th of Febraury 1984. At the age of 13 she went to Leuven to a boarding school where she studied wordart and tragedy.  At the age of 17 she was hired by the theatre-academy in Maastricht.  Since October 2001 Sofie is a Ketnet-wrapster and leadsinger in the Ketnetband.  She plays in the televisionsoap "Spring".  And every Saterdaymorning she presents teh HIT50 at Studio Brussel.

4. RAF VAN BRUSSEL - "Chemistry"
   (text & music: Raf Van Brussel)

   Raf Van Brussel was born on March 23, 1971 in Mortsel in Belgium but lives in Lint with his wife Ine Van Den Brande. His father, Dirk Van Brussel, has a company and his mother, Els, is a nursery-school teacher. Together with his sister, Sabine, he grew up in a normal, happy family in Berchem.  Raf went to the 'Sint-Stanislas college'. In the 3rd and later in the 5th class, Raf had to stay down the class. The man himself says: "It wasn't because I was stupid or something, I just had a lot of fun and I've never felt sorrow about that." The real reason was that during that time Raf had become more interested in music. Although he never learned any staff notation, he was playing in a band with some friends and they were rehearsing as often as possible.  At the age of 15, Raf was playing theatre for kids. He got the role of Gnome Kappons, which was really difficult, because he had to respond on the reaction of the audience (=the children) reacted. Raf's parents often visited some friends in the Netherlands, but there wasn't much to do for a teenager like Raf. But he could surf there, which he really enjoyed. When he was about 16 years old, he didn't come with them anymore and that was also the end of his surfing.  Raf had 2 uncles who worked at the air force, so in his youth he sometimes watched the planes. He really got fascinated into planes. At the age of 20, he learned to be a pilot but he didn't pass through his entrance exam, cause there were too many people who had the same ambition like Raf. He was so unhappy when he heard this that he went to a party of regents with a friend. He was really excited about that, so he decided to learn to be a teacher English – History - Geography. His parents thought he was crazy, when they first heard about this. Again his passion for music was there to destroy his plans. In the meantime Raf and some schoolmates had started a band, called ‘Liquid’. Raf didn't finish his studies, because he spent more time with his mates. A few years later he started working as a representative in the company of his father and in a company of cleaning products. The clients loved him, especially the female part.  In the meantime Raf was playing in a band with some schoolmates called "Liquid". Later he heard about Claus Jacobs and Danny Dickers searching for a singer for their band "Sunny Side Up" and solicited for the job of front man. After a few tests he got the job and after been searching for a record company who was interested, it went fast.  In the summer of 1998, Danny and Claus decided to leave the band and Raf released one more single under the band's name: "If You Could See Me Now". But this one wasn't a success. Raf needed some time sit back and think about his career. In the meantime he started singing in the cover band Plane Vanilla that existed of Robert Mosuse (The radios, Robbie Crown), Vincent (Dinky Toys) and some great musicians. Raf was one of the guest singers. In the summer of 1999 Raf was back again with his first solo single ‘Running down the road’.

5. CLIC - "Vieze ouwe venten"
   (text & music: Alain Vande Putte & Tracy Atkins)

   CLIC is a girlsband formed by Stéphanie Vloeberghs (27/08/1983), Sandra Paelinck (02/12/1985), Liselot Vandenbroucke (14/10/1984) and Claudia Peuken (06/02/1986).  Stéphanie has been born in Antwerpen en played already on the piano when she was five years old.  She has been singing in several bands as Scaldis Cantat and I Fiamminghi.  At the age of 16 she has been participating at the Baccarabeker.  Last year she was a member of the group Sunday Blues.  Sandra comes from Mortsel and started at the age of nine in the world called opera.  As member of a childchoir she has been singing a lot of classics.  Liselot comes from Kortrijk and went to the conservatory of Kortrijk to learn to play the flute and to sing.  She has been playing the leading part in the musical 'Carrousel'.  At the age of seven Claudia entered the locale music-school in Rekem.  She learned to play piano and clarinet, but her biggest love was singing.

6. BIBA BINOCHE - "Je chante pour toi"
   (text & music: Marianne Velvekens, Marc Requile & Frank Jordens)

   Biba Binoche is the artistname of Betty Owczarek.  She's born on Mai 22th 1976 and comes from Lier. She became fames after her participation at the television program 'Big Brother'.  She has been singing songs under her own name.  In November 10th 2003 she released her first album 'Initials BB'.

7. ELSIE MORAÏS - "Amore loco"
   (text & music: Piet Van Den Heuvel & Roel De Ruijter)

   Elsie Marina Moraïs is the fullname of the next artist.  Born on November 25th 1986 and comes from Antwerpen. She has a Belgian mother but her father comes from Kape Verde.  Elsie got two brothers.  Her father sings and plays the piano, her brother Nelson (20) is a Beat-Boxer.  Elsie is studying tourism.  As a little child Elsie was singing before the mirror.  Later on she participated at several contests with lots of succes.  This succes made her to go to the musicacademy in Antwerpen where she learned to sing, play flute and piano.

   THE RESULTS

   Artists/Jury Professional Jury (*) Radio 2 Radio Donna Euro-Jury Televoting TV1-Jury TOTAL PLACE Quatro 4 5 5 4 8 26 4 Kurt 2 1 1 3 2 9 7 Sofie Van Moll 3 9 9 5 10 36 3 Raf Van Brussel 7 7 7 7 14 42 2 Clic 1 3 2 2 4 12 6 Biba Binoche 5 2 4 1 6 18 5 Elsie Moraïs 9 4 3 9 18 43 1

   (*) Professional jury contains: Dana Winner, André Vermeulen, Marcel Van Thilt and Serge Simonart.