Wim Soutaer

Flemish pop vocalist Wim Soutaer (born in Halle, 1974) began his career performing covers of Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana classics in a band called State of Mind before he finished fourth in the 2000 series of Soundmixshow with a rendition of Faith No More's "Easy." Three years later, he went one better when he placed third in the Belgian version of Pop Idol, landing a record deal with BMG in the process. In the same year, he achieved a massive number one with "Allemaal," and a chart-topping debut album, Een Nieuw Begin, which was followed by 2004's Twee and 2008's Dichterbij. He has since scored hit collaborations with Willy Sommers ("Heel de Zomer Lang") and Tom Helsen ("Voorbij"). ~ Jon O'Brien