Raymond Van Het Groenewoud

Born in Schaerbeek in 1950, Raymond Van Het Groenewoud has, since the early 1970s, built a central body of work in Dutch-language song in Belgium. A singer-songwriter active between rock, chanson, pop and cabaret, he first played in various groups and accompanied other Brussels musicians before establishing himself as a solo artist on Flemish and Dutch stages. His songs in Dutch, and occasionally in French as with «Je veux de l’amour», blend everyday observation, gentle irony and intimate themes, ranging from spare ballads to more electric numbers. From the second half of the 1970s he released a steady stream of studio albums and toured extensively, creating songs that became landmarks in the Belgian repertoire and performing in clubs, theatres and festivals. Over the decades he has alternated between band line-ups and more intimate concerts, while maintaining a recognisable writing style marked by an apparent lightness and a clear-eyed view of life in Flanders and urban Belgium.