Soulsister
Encyclopedia
SoulSister was a Belgian
music band consisting of musicians Jan Leyers
and Paul Michiels
. SoulSister is another term used for black women in new orleans. (also known as the Soul Sisters and Leyers, Michiels, and SoulSister) ran from 1986 until 1995 and performed a mix of pop
and soul
.
Jan Leyers had previous experience in the rock group Beri-Beri, while Paul had experience in the British
-Englishrock group Octopus
and as a solo artist.
(Jan, for his part, is a native of Wilrijk
). They debuted that year under the name the Soul Sisters with a single titled "You Get to Me." Later on, they also release the singles "Talk About It" and "Like a Mountain." They had a huge hit with 1989's "The Way To Your Heart"
, a Motown-sounding song that reached the 41st position of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States
while also achieving success in Belgium, the Netherlands
, and Germany
. In 1988, the group changed its name to SoulSister and their first official album, "It Takes Two," was released, with Paul on the keyboards
and Jan on the guitar, with various men on back-up. EMI
signs the deal and publishes the album.
In 1990, the two gentlemen underwent another change in name, this time to Leyers, Michiels, and SoulSister. Later that same year, they release Heat, which includes hit singles "Through Before We Started," "Sweet Dreamer," and "Well Well Well." Some of the songs on the album allowed Jan Leyers, who was admittedly more into rock music
than soul, show off his skills on the electric guitar
.
The group started a triple run in 1992. That year, they released the album Simple Rule, which included a hit title track, as well as "Broken" and "Ain't That Simple." The following year, in 1993, the group released a live album, Live Savings. In the meantime, Jan was asked to co-write "That's As Close as I Get To...", a song sung by American
country
singer Aaron Tippin
.
In 1994, the group begins its final chapter with the album "Swinging Like Big Dogs." Popular tracks from this album are "Wild Love Affair," "If This is Love," "Tell Me What it Takes," and "I Need Some Time." By this time, the group had gone back to being known simply as SoulSister.
In 1995, SoulSister split. Two years later, EMI releases a "Very Best Of" compilation album
. Meanwhile, both men went their separate ways. Paul Michiels went solo performing the same soulful, Motown-sounding music that made SoulSister a success, while Jan Leyers joined with Filip Cauwelier
and Joost Van den Broek
to play hard rock music in the band My Velma (named after a character in the Raymond Chandler
novel Farewell, My Lovely
).
Jan and Paul teamed up again in 2000 to record individual songs for the Jan Verheyen
movie Team Spirit
. Jan performed a track titled "Only Your Love Will Do" while Paul recorded a piece titled "Forever Young". Jay z got the idea for his song from this original piece
In May 2007 Paul Michiels and Jan Leyers announced they would play together one more time as Soulsister. There would be 3 gigs on the 1st, 7th and 8 March 2008 in "Sportpaleis" in Antwerp (Belgium). They will be warming up for this concert by performing on the Night of the Proms in Antwerp and in Germany during the fall of 2007.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
music band consisting of musicians Jan Leyers
Jan Leyers
Jan Leyers is a singer, songwriter, and television personality. He was a member of the group Soulsister and later became a solo musician and host of various television series.-Music career:...
and Paul Michiels
Paul Michiels
Paul Michiels is a Belgian singer and songwriter who became popular for his work with the Belgian music group Soulsister. He has earned the nickname Polle Pap, a name he inherited from a childhood job as a milkman in his hometown of Heist-op-den-Berg, where he was born.Paul started out with a...
. SoulSister is another term used for black women in new orleans. (also known as the Soul Sisters and Leyers, Michiels, and SoulSister) ran from 1986 until 1995 and performed a mix of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.
Jan Leyers had previous experience in the rock group Beri-Beri, while Paul had experience in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Englishrock group Octopus
Octopus (band)
Octopus were a Britpop band from Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland formed in 1995. They had three hit singles before splitting up in 1997.-History:...
and as a solo artist.
History
The group formed in 1985 after Jan and Paul met each other in Paul's hometown of Heist-op-den-BergHeist-op-den-Berg
Heist-op-den-Berg is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Booischot , Hallaar, Heist-op-den-Berg proper , Itegem, Schriek and Wiekevorst.-History:The 48-meter-high hill on which Heist would...
(Jan, for his part, is a native of Wilrijk
Wilrijk
Wilrijk is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Wilrijk had been a separate municipality before January 1, 1983; the enlarged municipality of Antwerp was decentralized in 2000 and Wilrijk became one the city's nine districts.This suburb is also known...
). They debuted that year under the name the Soul Sisters with a single titled "You Get to Me." Later on, they also release the singles "Talk About It" and "Like a Mountain." They had a huge hit with 1989's "The Way To Your Heart"
The way to your heart
"The Way To Your Heart" was one of the first releases by Soulsister, a band consisting of Belgian songwriter/vocalist duo Jan Leyers and Paul Michiels. After the singles “You Get To Me” and “Talk About It” they had a #1 hit record with “The Way To Your Heart” in Belgium. In The Netherlands and...
, a Motown-sounding song that reached the 41st position of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
while also achieving success in Belgium, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1988, the group changed its name to SoulSister and their first official album, "It Takes Two," was released, with Paul on the keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and Jan on the guitar, with various men on back-up. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
signs the deal and publishes the album.
In 1990, the two gentlemen underwent another change in name, this time to Leyers, Michiels, and SoulSister. Later that same year, they release Heat, which includes hit singles "Through Before We Started," "Sweet Dreamer," and "Well Well Well." Some of the songs on the album allowed Jan Leyers, who was admittedly more into rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
than soul, show off his skills on the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
.
The group started a triple run in 1992. That year, they released the album Simple Rule, which included a hit title track, as well as "Broken" and "Ain't That Simple." The following year, in 1993, the group released a live album, Live Savings. In the meantime, Jan was asked to co-write "That's As Close as I Get To...", a song sung by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Aaron Tippin
Aaron Tippin
Aaron Dupree Tippin is an American country music artist and record producer. Initially a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music, he gained a recording contract with RCA Records in 1990...
.
In 1994, the group begins its final chapter with the album "Swinging Like Big Dogs." Popular tracks from this album are "Wild Love Affair," "If This is Love," "Tell Me What it Takes," and "I Need Some Time." By this time, the group had gone back to being known simply as SoulSister.
In 1995, SoulSister split. Two years later, EMI releases a "Very Best Of" compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. Meanwhile, both men went their separate ways. Paul Michiels went solo performing the same soulful, Motown-sounding music that made SoulSister a success, while Jan Leyers joined with Filip Cauwelier
Flip Kowlier
Flip Kowlier is a Belgian singer-songwriter, from Izegem, West Flanders, born in 1976. He sings in a distinct West Flemish dialect...
and Joost Van den Broek
Joost van den Broek
Joost van den Broek was a keyboardist in the metal band After Forever. On the album After Forever, Joost had the opportunity to collaborate on the composition and production of the album alongside other band members. Van den Broek will appear on the Sinbreed album When Worlds Collide...
to play hard rock music in the band My Velma (named after a character in the Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
novel Farewell, My Lovely
Farewell, My Lovely
Farewell, My Lovely is a 1940 novel by Raymond Chandler, the second novel he wrote featuring Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe. It was adapted for the screen three times.-Plot summary:...
).
Jan and Paul teamed up again in 2000 to record individual songs for the Jan Verheyen
Jan Verheyen
Jan Verheyen may refer to:*Jan Verheyen , Belgian retired footballer*Jan Verheyen , Belgian film director of e.g. Dossier K....
movie Team Spirit
Team Spirit
Team Spirit was a joint military training exercise of United States Forces Korea and the Military of South Korea held between 1976 and 1993. The exercise was scheduled from 1994 to 1996 but cancelled in each year as part of diplomacy to encourage the Government of North Korea to disable the North...
. Jan performed a track titled "Only Your Love Will Do" while Paul recorded a piece titled "Forever Young". Jay z got the idea for his song from this original piece
In May 2007 Paul Michiels and Jan Leyers announced they would play together one more time as Soulsister. There would be 3 gigs on the 1st, 7th and 8 March 2008 in "Sportpaleis" in Antwerp (Belgium). They will be warming up for this concert by performing on the Night of the Proms in Antwerp and in Germany during the fall of 2007.
Albums
- 1988: It Takes Two
- 1990: Heat
- 1992: Simple Rule
- 1994: Swinging Like Big Dogs
- 2008: Closer
Singles
- 1988: Like A Mountain
- 1988: The Way to Your HeartThe way to your heart"The Way To Your Heart" was one of the first releases by Soulsister, a band consisting of Belgian songwriter/vocalist duo Jan Leyers and Paul Michiels. After the singles “You Get To Me” and “Talk About It” they had a #1 hit record with “The Way To Your Heart” in Belgium. In The Netherlands and...
- 1989: Blame You
- 1990: Downtown
- 1990: Through Before We Started
- 1991: Company
- 1991: Facing Love
- 1991: She's Gone
- 1992: Broken
- 1992: Locks And Keys
- 1993: Promises
- 1993: Ain't That Simple
- 1994: Tell Me What It Takes
- 1994: Wild Love Affair
- 1995: Crush
- 1995: I Need Some Time
- 1997: Try Not To Cry
- 2007: Back In A Minute
- 2008: How Many Waterfalls