Vaya Con Dios (band)

Last updated
Vaya Con Dios
Dani Klein.jpg
Dani Klein
Background information
Origin Brussels, Belgium
Genres
Years active1986–1996, 2004–2014, 2022–present
Labels Ariola Records
Members
Past members
  • Willy Lambregt
  • Dirk Schoufs
Website www.vayacondios.info

Vaya Con Dios (Spanish for "Go with God!" ) is a Belgian music act that stood out for its mixing of styles, as well as the distinctive voice of its lead singer Dani Klein. It was one of the most successful Belgian music acts ever, having sold more than 10 million albums [1] and more than 3 million singles. [2]

Contents

It was founded in 1986, but after 1991 Vaya Con Dios was for the most part a one woman band, centered on singer, lyricist, band leader and producer Dani Klein, reinforced by an ever-changing selection of musicians. In 2014, Dani Klein performed her last international tour under the Vaya Con Dios formula. [3] Vaya Con Dios officially disbanded with their last concert on 25 October 2014, in Forest National. In 2022 Vaya Con Dios returned with a new album. [4]

Biography

Vaya Con Dios was founded in 1986 by Dirk Schoufs, Dani Klein (Danielle Schoovaerts) and Willy Lambregt (known as Willy Willy). Schoufs (1962; double bass) and Lambregt (1959; guitars) were close friends, who had frequently worked as an acoustic duo. Klein (1953; lead singer, lyricist) and Lambregt had previously worked in electronic band Arbeid Adelt !, which lost momentum when band leader Marcel Vanthilt left to become an MTV Europe VJ.

After enjoying a one-off performance as a trio, they decided to form Vaya Con Dios, based on shared interests in gypsy music, jazz and opera – genres they felt were underappreciated in Brussels.

The trio's first single "Just a Friend of Mine" (1987) entered the top 20 in Belgium, and became a top 10 hit in France. [5] This was a milestone especially for Klein, who was now 34, and who had been trying to make it as a singer since age 17. After this first hit, Lambregt left the band, well before the 1988 debut album Vaya Con Dios was completed, and was later replaced by Jean-Michel Gielen. This first album, self-produced by Schoufs and Klein, met with mixed critical acclaim, mostly because it was very eclectic, and difficult to categorize. Nevertheless, it was well received in several European countries, and held three more singles.

The 1990 follow-up album "Night Owls" was again produced by Klein and Schoufs, and produced another three singles. "Nah Neh Nah", an up-tempo mix of Latin and jazz-rock, profited from heavy airplay on MTV Europe. "What's a Woman?", a soul ballad, did well across Europe, and became a number one hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. [6]

In 1991, Schoufs and Klein fell out badly, resulting in Schoufs' departure from the band, only to die months later, on 24 May 1991, at the age of just 29, of a cocktail of medication, alcohol, and drugs.

Klein, left playing with just Gielen and various musicians, nevertheless continued to record a new Vaya Con Dios album, while at the same time doing more and more international performances, due to ever-increasing popularity. In 1992, Time Flies was released, produced mostly by Klein herself. Again three singles were released from the album, the dramatic "Heading For a Fall" doing well in several countries. The album did very well in Europe, reaching number one in Switzerland and getting platinum certification in four countries, eventually proving to be the most successful Vaya Con Dios album. In 1993 it was followed with the first Vaya Con Dios world tour.

In 1995 Klein, by then evidently suffering from a high workload, still managed to record a fourth Vaya Con Dios album: Roots and Wings , from which yet another three singles were released. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, the album is even more soul oriented, while at the same time integrating Arab and India music influences. Again there was album chart success in several European countries.

In 1996 Klein quit the music business because of complete fatigue, marked by spontaneous hair loss. She returned in 1999 as the singer in the group Purple Prose, which released a debut album that year. Vaya Con Dios returned in 2004 with a new album titled The Promise .

In 2006, The Ultimate Collection greatest hits album was released. It featured Aaron Neville on a new recording of the 1990 soul ballad "What's a Woman?" In October 2009, the album Comme on est venu was released, for the first time with all songs in French (one of Klein's first languages). In December 2010, the German DJ Duo Milk & Sugar released a remix of the song "Nah Neh Nah" that reached the Top 10 in the German Media-Control Charts. [7]

In 2013, Dani Klein started a farewell tour, the last Vaya Con Dios tour ever. The last concert was held 25 October 2014 at Forest National in Brussels, [3] but in 2022, after 8 years, the band returned with a new album 'What's a Woman'. [8] In March 2023, Dani Klein revealed during an interview to the Greek music website, SounDarts.gr, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had recorded a very last Vaya Con Dios album with original songs in the style and the atmosphere of the band. She also revealed a song title from this album (“Always Something Missing”).. [9]

Honours and awards

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
BEL
(FL)
[14] 		BEL
(WA)
[15] 		NLD
[16] 		GER
AUT
[17] 		CH
[18] 		SWE
[19] 		NOR
[20] 		FIN
[21]
1988 Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: October 1988
——754910239——
  • FIN: 2× Platinum [22]
  • SWI: Platinum [23]
1990 Night Owls
  • Released: April 1990
——56418——
1992 Time Flies
  • Released: September 1992
——19411311—
1995 Roots and Wings
  • Released: September 1995
12103311316532
2004 The Promise
  • Released: October 2004
127396——67——32 
2009Comme on est venu...
  • Released: October 2009
74———————
  • BEL: Platinum
  • POL: Gold [29]
2022What's a Woman?
  • Released: October 2022
822———————
2023Shades of Joy
  • Released: November 2023
618———————

Compilation albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
BEL
(FL)
[14] 		BEL
(WA)
[15] 		NLD
[16] 		GER
AUT
[17] 		CH
[18] 		SWE
[19] 		NOR
[20] 		FIN
[21] 		GRC
PRT
1996Best of Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: October 1996
332021151914———
1998What's a Woman: The Blue Sides of Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: November 1998
822—————————
2006The Ultimate Collection
  • Released: November 2006
59———5252—2687
2014Thank You All!
  • Released: 8 December 2014
31580————————

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsSales Certifications
(sales thresholds)		Album
BEL
(FL)
[14] 		BEL
(WA)
[15] 		GER
[36] 		NED
[16] 		FRA
[37] 		AUT
[17] 		CH
[18]
1987"Just a Friend of Mine"17———7——  Vaya Con Dios
"Puerto Rico"15———467— 
1988"Don't Cry for Louie"27——54—16— 
1989"Johnny" (only released in France)40—————— 
1990"Nah Neh Nah"7—164—2521  Night Owls
"What's a Woman?"1—111576
"Night Owls"42—5351——— 
1992"Heading for a Fall"1—293—105 Time Flies
"Time Flies"8—7951—2930
1993"So Long Ago"33—67———— 
1995"Don't Break My Heart"68—28——— Roots and Wings
1996"Stay with Me"46—————— 
"Lonely Feeling"——————— 
2004"No One Can Make You Stay"——————— The Promise
2005"La Vida Es Como Una Rosa/Take Heed"——————— 
2006"Pauvre Diable"—67————— The Ultimate Collection
"What's a Woman" (feat. Aaron Neville)——————— 
2009"Les voiliers sauvages de nos vies"6234—————  Comme on est venu
2010"Hey (Nah Neh Nah)" vs.Milk & Sugar 104675—64

Notes and References

Note

^ Literally "May God go with you", "Godspeed".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Metheny Group</span> American jazz band

The Pat Metheny Group was an American jazz band founded in 1977 by guitarist and composer Pat Metheny, along with his core collaborating member, keyboardist and composer Lyle Mays. Other long-standing members included bassist and producer Steve Rodby, from 1981 to 2010, and drummer Paul Wertico, from 1983 to 2001, after which Antonio Sanchez became the percussionist from 2002 to 2010. Vocalist Pedro Aznar was also a long-time member, performing with the group from 1984 to 1993. In addition to a core quartet, the group was often joined by a variety of other instrumentalists expanding the size to six or eight musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin (band)</span> Polish pop rock band

Virgin is a Polish pop rock band created in 2000 that officially disbanded in 2007. They temporarily reunited in 2014, and permanently in 2016. Its lead singer is Dorota Rabczewska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Metheny discography</span>

This is a discography of works by Pat Metheny.

<i>Time Flies</i> (Vaya Con Dios album) 1992 studio album by Vaya Con Dios

Time Flies is the third studio album by Vaya Con Dios, who were at this point mostly a one-woman band. Even more than the previous albums, this is a melancholic album and is more blues and soul oriented. The reason for the theme is because Vaya Con Dios was mainly the partnership of Dani Klein and Dirk Schoufs and in 1991 the pair fell out badly. On 24 May 1991 Schoufs, who was only 29, died of a cocktail of medication, drugs and alcohol.

The following is a discography of UK pop production house Xenomania, put together by songwriter and record producer Brian Higgins. Members of the Xenomania writing and production team include Nick Coler, Giselle Sommerville, Niara Scarlett, Miranda Cooper, Lisa Cowling, Tim Powell, and Matt Gray. In the turn of the decade, the team also welcomed members Carla Marie Williams, Toby Scott, Timothy "Hight" Deal, Florrie, Luke Fitton and Ben Taylor and Sarah Thompson. Xenomania also have their own in-house DJ and remixer, Tony Lamezma. They did have a second, Gravitas, but there has been no commercially released Gravitas remixes since 2005, the last one of these a remix of "Wake Me Up" by Girls Aloud.

<i>Roots and Wings</i> (Vaya Con Dios album) 1995 studio album by Vaya Con Dios

'Roots and Wings is the fourth studio album by the Belgian one woman band Vaya Con Dios, released in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrzej Piaseczny</span> Polish singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1971)

Andrzej Tomasz Piaseczny more commonly known as Piasek, is a Polish singer, songwriter, actor, and television personality. Former Mafia singer, Member of the Phonographic Academy of ZPAV. In the years 1997–2010 he performed in the TV series Złotopolscy, where he played the singer Kacper "Górniak" Złotopolski. His solo career began in 1998. In the same year he performed in a duet with Natalia Kukulska, with whom he recorded the song "You Are Near Me", and also released a solo single "I Know My Way", used in the soundtrack to the movie The Magic Sword – Camelot Legend. Piasek represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with his up-tempo dance song "2 Long". Since 2008, the artist has collaborated with Seweryn Krajewski.

<i>Night Owls</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Vaya Con Dios

Night Owls is the second studio album by Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1990.

<i>Vaya Con Dios</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Vaya Con Dios

Vaya Con Dios is the first studio album by Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What's a Woman?</span> 1990 single by Vaya Con Dios

"What's a Woman?" is a 1990 pop-rock song recorded by Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was the second single from band's second studio album, Night Owls (1990). It achieved success in many European countries, topping the chart in the Netherlands, and becoming a top-five hit for three weeks in France. To date, it is Vaya Con Dios' most successful song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nah Neh Nah</span> Song by Vaya Con Dios

"Nah Neh Nah" is a song by Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1990 as the first single from the band's second studio album, Night Owls. The music video consists of one single take.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just a Friend of Mine</span> 1987 single by Vaya Con Dios

"Just a Friend of Mine" is the debut single by the Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1987 by Ariola Records and later included in the band's debut album Vaya Con Dios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Break My Heart (Vaya Con Dios song)</span> 1995 single by Vaya Con Dios

"Don't Break My Heart" is a 1995 soft rock song by the Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was released in 1995 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album Roots and Wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry</span> Polish trade organization

The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry is the trade organization that represents the interests of the music industry in Poland, and the Polish chapter of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Founded in 1991, it is authorised by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to act as a copyright collective in the field of phonogram and videogram producers' rights. ZPAV publishes the Polish Music Charts and awards music recording sales certifications. It also issues the Fryderyk annual award for Polish music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deorro</span> American DJ

Erick Orrosquieta, commonly known by his stage name Deorro, is a Mexican-American DJ signed to Ultra Records. He formerly used the name TON!C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arash discography</span>

The discography of Arash, a singer, songwriter and producer, consists of three studio albums, remix album, compilation album, 24 singles and four featured singles.

English singer-songwriter Fleur East has released two studio albums, one extended play and eight studio singles. Fleur signed a record deal with Syco in 2014 and released her debut album Love, Sax and Flashbacks in 2015. It charted at 14 in the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry. The album spawned two singles, European chart hit "Sax", which was certified Platinum in the UK and charted at number 3, and "More and More".

This is the discography for French electronic music ensemble Gotan Project.

The following list is a discography of production and songwriting contributions by Mark Ralph, a British record producer currently based in London, England. It is split into the full list(s) of contributions and those that have performed in the charts across various countries.

References

  1. ↑ Ferfguson, Tom (9 January 2010). "Global Pulse". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  2. ↑ Official Vaya Con Dios site: Interview with Dani Klein Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine (accessed: 10 August 2006).
  3. 1 2 Vaya Con Dios official site: Farewell Tour Archived 2013-11-27 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 27 May 2014
  4. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios terug met eerste album sinds 2014". 21 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Belgian Pop & Rock Archives: Vaya Con Dios (accessed: 10 August 2006).
  6. ↑ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, ("500 nr. 1 hits in the Top 40"), page 271, 9023009444 (book in Dutch).
  7. ↑ Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios terug met eerste album sinds 2014". 21 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Interview: Dani Klein (Vaya Con Dios)".
  10. ↑ "World Music Awards". worldmusicawards.com/. 31 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dani Klein van Vaya Con Dios wint lifetime achievement award van Zamu". De Tijd (in Dutch). 8 February 2006.
  12. ↑ ""What's a woman" in Eregalerij van Radio 2". VRT (in Dutch). 30 November 2009.
  13. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios wordt geëerd met Lifetime Achievement Award op de MIA's". vrt.be (in Dutch). 25 November 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  15. 1 2 3 "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". Ultratop .
  16. 1 2 3 Steffen Hung. "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  17. 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "Vaya Con Dios - Nah Neh Nah".
  18. 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "Vaya Con Dios - Nah Neh Nah - hitparade.ch".
  19. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "swedishcharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  20. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "norwegiancharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  21. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "finnishcharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  22. 1 2 Suomen ääni- ja kuvatallennetuottajat, accessed 2008-05-15.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". www.swisscharts.com.
  24. 1 2 3 4 NVPI.nl Archived 2006-02-16 at the Wayback Machine Dutch certification database Accessed 4 November 2006.
  25. 1 2 [ dead link ]
  26. 1 2 "Guld Platina 1987–1998" (PDF). 16 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  27. 1 2 3 IFPI Norway Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  29. ↑ www.onyx.pl, Onyx Sp. z o.o., tel. +48 572 400 000. "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum". bestsellery.zpav.pl.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  31. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards". 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10.
  32. ↑ www.onyx.pl, Onyx Sp. z o.o., tel. +48 572 400 000. "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". bestsellery.zpav.pl.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios - The Best Of". sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  35. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  36. ↑ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts".[ dead link ]
  37. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Vaya Con Dios - Just A Friend Of Mine". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  38. 1 2 Maes, Mare (19 November 1988). "Vaya Con Dios - Pasison and Swing" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 14. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  39. ↑ "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Singles". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 7 November 2019. (select "Vaya Con Dios" from drop-down list)
  40. 1 2 "Night Owls - Platinum in Belgium" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 November 1990. p. 14. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  41. ↑ "Gold/platin". Ifpi.aut. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  42. ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.