Kate Ryan is the stage name of Katrien Verbeeck. She was born on July 22, 1980 in Tessenderlo, Belgium. At eight years of age she had learned to play the piano and guitar. She had singing and piano lessons from her aunt who teaches at a conservatory, but had other interests too. She studied at an art school, specialising in jewellery design. She also lived some time in Meerhout, a small village near Tessenderlo. Kate Ryan played frequently in bars and cafes as a teenager, and one night a manager approached her, wanting her to record a song in a studio. She became a member of a pop group called Melt at the age of 16. The group was active for two years, but they did not release any material commercially. When she met with producer Andy Janssens, she left Melt and the pair began to write music together. Their debut single "Scream For More" was released in 2001, and it became an unexpected chart success. She gained international prominence with a cover of Mylčne Farmer’s "Desenchantee", which was a hit on various European pop music charts. She signed with EMI Belgium and released her first album Different in 2002 exclusively in Europe. The album went Gold, selling more than 250,000 copies throughout Europe. Kate Ryan has since released three more albums.
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