Angèle

Angèle Van Laeken is a Belgian singer-songwriter, musician, pianist, record producer and actress from Uccle in the Brussels-Capital Region. She is the daughter of singer Marka and actress Laurence Bibot. Her father encourages her to learn piano from an early age, and this shapes her interest in music.

Early life and training

Angèle has a difficult adolescence at a strict Catholic school before moving to the Decroly School, where the artistic options help develop her musical skills. She later studies jazz at the Jazz Studio Antwerp and then joins her father’s band. She also gives her first live performances in cafés around Brussels.

Career

She first draws wider attention through a cover of Dick Annegarn’s “Bruxelles” and through Instagram videos that combine singing and comedy. In 2017, she performs as support act for Ibeyi and for Belgian rapper Damso, and she also appears on Damso’s album Lithopédion.

Her first single, “La Loi de Murphy”, is released in 2017 and gains millions of views on YouTube. She follows it with “Je veux tes yeux” in 2018. Both videos are directed by Belgian photographer Charlotte Abramow.

Style and influences

Angèle’s music draws on a range of styles, from French song to electronic music and rap. She is a fan of Ella Fitzgerald and Hélène Ségara. She becomes more influenced by rap while performing with her brother Romeo Elvis and with the rappers Caballero and JeanJass.