Bow down to the beat: the Belgian Dynasty reigns in stereo. This playlist is so Belgian, it should come with a crown and a waffle👑🧇. Call it The Belgian Dynasty’s unofficial soundtrack. Long live the groove! 🇧🇪
| Title | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| The Revelation | Lalalover | Written and performed by Belgian singer Tom Kestens, formerly of Das Pop. “The Revelation” reflects his transition from band life to solo artistry, an introspective, soulful pop song about rediscovering purpose and emotional truth. Entirely original, it captures Kestens’ signature blend of melodic warmth and thoughtful lyrics. Backing vocals are from Stef Caers, known professionally as Gustaph (stylised as GVSTΛPH), at the time a band member. |
| Le Monde Tourne Mal | Axelle Red | Written by Belgian singer Axelle Red (Fabienne Demal, born on February 15, 1968 in Hasselt) with her long-time collaborators. The title means “The world goes wrong.” It’s a social commentary disguised as pop, a lament about injustice, apathy, and the decline of empathy. 100% original, and quintessentially Axelle Red: warm vocals with conscience-driven lyrics. Axelle received the highest artistic honour, becoming Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Commandeur in the Belgian Order of the Crown for her social commitment. |
| Envoi | Absynthe Minded | Inspired by Hugo Claus’s poem, the song’s title ‘Envoi’ (in English “Dispatch” or “Message”) evokes farewell and introspection. Written by Bert Ostyn, it blends poetic lyrics with jazzy rock textures. Original and one of the band’s signature tracks. |
| Raggamuffin | Selah Sue | Written by Belgian singer Selah Sue (Sanne Putseys) as a declaration of self-confidence and resilience. The term “raggamuffin” refers to someone scrappy but authentic. It’s a hybrid of reggae, soul, and funk — her breakout single and a defining anthem of empowerment. |
| Bandy Bandy (ft. Erykah Badu) | Zap Mama | Created by Belgian singer Marie Daulne (Zap Mama) and featuring American R&B/Soul singer, Erykah Badu, this cross-Atlantic collaboration mixes African vocal polyphony with neo-soul. The song’s title refers to the Bandy-bandy snake — symbolising transformation and feminine power. Entirely original, from Ancestry in Progress. An active humanitarian, Daulne devotes much of her time working to protect human rights and fight global poverty with organisations such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, CARE, and the United Nations. |
| Ghost In Your Heads | Sweet Coffee | Written and performed by Belgian duo Patrick Bruyndonx and Ruben Vermeulen, this soulful downtempo track uses ghost imagery to symbolise lingering emotions. Entirely original, part of the early-2000s Belgian lounge wave featuring the vocals of Bibi Diabokua, a purser at Brussels Airlines and M.I.S.T.A. (René C. Phillips). |
| Estupendo | Arsenal | Belgian electronic band Arsenal wrote and performed this track, which blends Latin grooves with trip-hop textures. The Spanish word “estupendo” (“wonderful”) frames lyrics about fleeting happiness and sun-drenched escapism. Original and typical of the band’s global fusion style. |
| Trippin’ | Wizards of Ooze | Belgian cult funk-jazz band Wizards of Ooze (Bart Maris, Stef Kamil Carlens, et al.) released this psychedelic funk track full of tongue-in-cheek weirdness. The lyrics riff on sensory overload and playful disorientation — original and proudly eccentric. |
| The Flow | Melanie De Biasio | Written and performed by Belgian jazz vocalist Melanie De Biasio. A hypnotic, meditative song about surrender and creative fluidity, “the flow” as a state of emotional truth. Original; often compared to Billie Holiday and Portishead’s minimalism. In 2014, De Biasio was born in Charleroi (12 July 1978), to a Belgian mother and an Italian father. Melanie De Biasio became the second Belgian artist to play on Later… with Jools Holland, after Zap Mama almost 20 years earlier. |
| Blissful Sigh | Pia Salvia | Belgian harpist and composer Pia Salvia merges jazz, pop, and world influences in this ethereal piece about peace and release. Award-winning Belgian harpist and vocalist Pia Salvia is a unique artist in the world of modern harp. She composes, arranges and performs original compositions that feature the harp in different settings and styles of music. She recently moved to Los Angeles where she performs with her music. |
| I Love You | Sofie | Belgian singer-songwriter Sofie (Sofie Verbruggen, born in Antwerpen, 8 mei 1956) performs this tender jazz-soul track. A minimalist love declaration with bittersweet undertones, built around smoky vocals and sparse arrangements. When Sofie decided to launch a solo career in 1981, she represented Belgium at the Korean Song Festival and received an award for the best performance of the song “He Loves Me”. |
| Ready for Your Love (High) | Sioen | Written and performed by Frederik Sioen, a Ghent-based songwriter blending pop and folk. In South Korea Sioen became a star (Breaking New Artist) when his song ‘Cruisin’ was used for a commercial with American actress Gwyneth Paltrow. In 2018 Sioen was chosen ‘Ambassador of Team Belgium’ at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. |
| As Long As It Takes | Isbells | Written by Gaëtan Vandewoude, the founder of Belgian band Isbells. A warm, introspective folk song about patience, time, and quiet devotion. Original and emblematic of the Belgian indie-folk wave. |
| Hot Hotter Hottest | Zita Swoon | Written by Stef Kamil Carlens, this playful funk track explores desire, intensity, and emotional temperature. Original and a fan favourite for its sly, sensual groove. This song appeared on their 2009 album ‘A BAND IN A BOX’. Zita Swoon is the continuation of the bands A Beatband and Moondog Jr.. Moondog Jr. had to change their name after the US artist Louis T. Hardin (Moondog) had filed a lawsuit against the so-called use of this name. Moondog Jr. became then Zita Swoon. |
| Gloria (ft. The Gospel Queens) | Black Box Revelation | Written and performed by Jan Paternoster and Dries Van Dijck with powerful backing from The Gospel Queens of Brooklyn. A raw blues-rock track celebrating rebellion and salvation through music. Original. |
| Two Tides of Ice | The Van Jets | Written by Pieter Van Dessel and bandmates, this song merges glam rock with melancholic introspection — a metaphor for emotional distance (“two tides”) within relationships. Entirely original and one of their early signature songs. |
| Wrong Faces | Balthazar | Written by Maarten Devoldere and Jinte Deprez, this moody indie track explores themes of identity and facade, “wearing the wrong faces” in social and romantic situations. Balthazar is a Belgian indie pop/rock group that consists of Maarten Devoldere, Jinte Deprez, Simon Casier, Michiel Balcaen, and Tijs Delbeke, who all come from the areas of Kortrijk and Ghent (Flanders). |
| Instant Street | dEUS | Written by Tom Barman, this track is a commentary on instant gratification and urban chaos. It evolves from an acoustic start to a chaotic crescendo, a masterclass in tension and release. Entirely original; a Belgian alt-rock milestone. Tom Barman, together with Stef Kamil Carlens formed the alternative rock band dEUS in 1991, based in Antwerp, Belgium. |
| Wrong | Novastar | Written by Joost Zweegers, this melancholic pop ballad deals with love’s contradictions and self-blame (“I was wrong to let you go”). Entirely original, with soaring vocals and cinematic arrangement. |
| Hissing O’ the Heath | Roland Van Campenhout | Belgian blues icon Roland fuses folk and mysticism in this original composition. The song title evokes eerie natural imagery, the “heath” as a space between worlds. Original, rooted in Roland’s storytelling tradition. Roland Van Campenhout is Belgian blues guitarist born in Boom on 25 July 1944 but living in Ghent since the late sixties. |
| Ring Ring I’ve Got To Sing | Ferre Grignard | Written and performed by Ferre Grignard, Antwerp’s legendary bohemian folk-bluesman. A spontaneous, gravelly anthem to freedom and music itself, recorded live in one take. Belgian singer and guitar player Ferre Grignard was born on 13 march 1939 in Antwerp where he died on 8 august 1982. |
| Ik Wil Deze Nacht In De Straten Verdwalen | Wannes Van De Velde | Written and sung by Wannes Van De Velde, this Antwerp chanson-poem (“I want to lose myself in the streets tonight”) celebrates nocturnal wandering and urban melancholy. Entirely original and deeply poetic. Wannes Van de Velde was a Belgian chanson singer and flamenco guitar player, born on April 29, 1937 in Antwerp, where he died on November 10, 2008. |
| Ik Hou Van U / Je T’aime Tu Sais | Monza | “Ik hou van u / Je t’aime, tu sais” is a song by Belgian rock band Noordkaap, composed for the film Manneken Pis in 1995. For the celebrations of Belgium’s 175th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of Belgian federalism, the song was covered in a bilingual Dutch-French version, performed by Stijn Meuris (Noordkaap/Monza) and Marie Daulne (Zap Mama). The two young Belgian choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet created a choreography to this music which highlights several traits of Belgium, and according to the concept of the modern ball, the playful learning of dance was offered under the name Belgium dances on July 20, 2005 so that that same evening at 10 p.m., in 12 cities of the country (Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi, Dinant, Eupen, Ghent, Hasselt, La Roche, Leuven, Liège, Wavre, Ypres) thousands of people could gather and have fun together. |
| Le Plat Pays | Jacques Brel | Written and performed by Jacques Brel. A heartfelt ode to his native Belgium, its flat landscapes, and stoic people. Melancholic yet proud, it’s one of Brel’s defining chansons and entirely original. “Le Plat Pays” (Translation: ‘The Flat Country’) is a French-language song by Belgian singer Jacques Brel about his home country. Brel also performed it in the Dutch-language version as “Mijn vlakke land” (‘My Flat Country’), with lyrics by Ernst Rudolf van Altena a Dutch poet, writer and translator. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
