Wim Soutaer

Wim Soutaer (born 1974) is a Belgian pop music singer. He place third in Idool 2003, the Belgian version of Pop Idol, and went on to achieve commercial success with his hit single "Allemaal" and his debut album Een Nieuw Begin, released by BMG Music.

Career

Soutaer began singing in the early 1990s with his school band State Of Mind who performed benefit concerts of original songs and also covers of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Metallica.

In 2000, Soutaer wanted to sing solo and joined the project Soundmixshow a sort of precursor talent show to Idool, Soutaer placed fourth in competition overall, at this time he compared his style to Billy Joel, Mike Patton and Elton John.

In 2003, Soutaer entered the auditions for the contest Idool 2003 where he was told by jury member Jan Leyers that he has a good voice for Flemish music. After Soutaer placed third on the show he gained a recording contract with BMG Belgium and recorded his first CD Een Nieuw Begin (A New Start) which was produced by Ronald Vanhuffel who has had previous success with Blof and Volumia, the first single was Allemaal (Everyone) which was a huge hit reaching #1, selling 40,000 copies and winning the Zomerhit 2003 Best Song Of The Year.

The second single from Een Nieuw Begin was Ik Hoor Bij Jou (I Belong With You). The third was Voor Altijd (For Always), based on the 1997 Nek hit Laura non c'e, and was another #1 hit on the Ultratop 50.

In August 2004, Soutaer released his second CD Twee (Two) and his first live DVD "In Miami". This was followed by his first tour "Twee" around Flanders, as well as a live performance on the popular live music show Tien Om Te Zien.

October 2005 brought a management change for Soutaer who signed with Niels William, assembling a team of writers including Hans Francken of Clouseau. He released a single Die Zomer Gaat Nooit Voorbij which was released on 17 June as a sample for his third CD released in October 2006. This was a cover of South African artist Kurt Darren's Hemel op Tafelberg in Afrikaans. Discography Date Title Chart Accreditation Album: Een Nieuw Begin (Oktober) 2003 (Platina) 01. Voor Altijd

02. Allemaal

03. Onderweg

04. Ik Hoor Bij Jou

05. Volle Maan

06. Centrum Van Mijn Hart

07. Nodig

08. Vogelvrij

09. Verlangen Duet Natalia

10. Wat Zou Je Doen

11. Magie

12. Een Nieuw Begin

13. Afscheid Album: Twee (Augustus) 2004 (Goud) 01. Goud

02. Kom Bij Mij

03. Ik Heb Je Lief

04. Geluk

05. Kijk Eens Om Je Heen

06. Laat Me Gaan

07. Samen Verder Gaan

08. Wat ik zeggen wil

09. Wat Waar Is En Wat Niet

10. Alles Wat Ik Wil

11. Verloren Liefde

12. Voor 1 Dag Vrij

13. Zonder Woorden Album: Dichterbij 2008 Vanaf Augustus 2008 te koop Singles: 01 Allemaal (Juli) 2003 02 Ik Hoor Bij Jou (Oktober) 2003 03 Voor Altijd (Februari) 2004 04 Wat Zou Je Doen (Mei) 2004 05 Kom Bij Mij (Juli) 2004 06 Zonder Woorden (September) 2004 07 Ik Heb Je Lief (November) 2004 08 Kijk Eens Om Je Heen (Remix)(Februari) 2005 09 Overal (Juni) 2005 10 Die Zomer Gaat Nooit Voorbij (Juni) 2006 11 De Wereld Draait Door (Februari) 2007 12 Ze Kent Me (Juni) 2007 13 1000 Manieren (Januari) 2008 14 Slaap Je Hier Vannacht (Juni) 2008 DVDs: 2004 In Miami

Idool 2003 performances Brussels Auditions: Honesty by Billy Joel Theatre Round Day One: Better Man by Robbie Williams Theatre Round Day Two: Uptown Girl by Billy Joel Theatre Round Day Three: Faith by George Michael Top 50: Honesty by Billy Joel Top 10: Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train Top 9: With Or Without You by U2 Top 8: Afscheid by Marco Borsato Top 7: Iris by Goo Goo Dolls Top 6: I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye Top 5: Mack The Knife by Louis Armstrong Top 4: Hero by Enrique Iglesias Top 4: The Rhythm Divine by Enrique Iglesias Top 3: Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet Top 3: Blauw by The Scene