YANNICK BOVY – “BETTER MAN”

CariReporter

YANNICK BOVY – BIOGRAPHY

The Flemish Michael Bublé is what he is invariablycalled. And there are worse people to be compared to. But for Yannick Bovy (25)the comparison is hardly far-fetched: he has the looks and the voice. Which means that the chances of this young Belgiancrooner soon becoming a national and international rising star are very strong.‘I take it as a major compliment and in a way it’s logical, there aren’t thatmany young crooners around’, says Yannick. ‘The timbre of my voice resemblesMichael’s, but it’s not a matter of conscious imitation. I just feel completelyat home in this genre. There’s a good reason that mymotto is It don’t mean a thing if it ain’tgot that swing.’

An early start

Thelove for swing and Big Band music is no coincidence:  ‘My grandparents loved to listen to adult andMOR-radio where they would constantly play the repertoire of Frank Sinatra, NatKing Cole and Lou Rawls’, explains Yannick. ‘That’s how it began to seep intomy head. At school, music class was my favourite subject, and my father is amusician as well. Drums, guitar... at home I was exposed to a very wide musicalrange. Whenever my father rehearsed, I insisted on being there at his side. Healso gave me the opportunity to sing with a Big Band. ‘My son can do that too’,he said and when I was offered the chance to perform with a real Big Band, Ididn’t hesitate.’

Yannickacquired a lot of valuable performing experience, but at the age of 17, when hetook part in the TV talent search X-factor, it seems that he wasn’t quite ready for a majorbreakthrough. ‘I was still a chubby teenager and Itried to sing a pop rock song. The first round went fine, but by the secondround, after an entire day of waiting, I blew it. My nerves were frayed and itjust didn’t work anymore.’

Buttalent always rises to the surface, and in 2007 Yannick was noticed by RegiPenxten, whose dance act Milk Inc has made him the king of dance music in Belgium.  Yannick sings the song Better world without you on thegold-selling album REGIstrated.

But after this musical adventure, Yannick isdetermined not to stray from his musical course: focusing resolutely on BigBand and swing. He spent two years performing regularly throughout Flanders with theMetropole Big Band. ‘The requests for performances at weddings, receptions andin small clubs poured in. It was an excellent way to build my experience’, saysYannick. He is also still the singer of the The North Side Big Band.

The debut album

Withhis debut album released in February, Yannick Bovy is taking another major stepforward in his career, after his singles She’s even more beautiful and She don’t know it receivedmajor airplay on national radio and were very positively received.

Thealbum features a mix of timeless songs (including special remakes of All My Loving (byThe Beatles), Iwanna be around (Tony Bennett) and Under my skin (Sinatra) as well asbrand-new pop songs composed especially for Yannick by some of the best in theindustry from the US and the UK. ‘One of my favourite songs is Better man. Ican really relate to the lyrics. You’ve always got to keep doing your best,keep working, if you want to move forward. I feel that as a singer, I havegrown tremendously.’

It’scertainly just a matter of time before Yannick Bovy becomes a household name inBelgium and the rest of Europe. ‘I hope that Flanders is ready for thisgenre’, adds Yannick. ‘Bringing this music to the people live, that’s somethingI’m truly looking forward to.’ And he’s not alone...

YANNICK BOVY– “BETTER MAN”

YannickBovy is barely 25 years old, yet he already has a voice that takes us back tothe time when Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole ruled the charts andmelted women’s hearts across the globe.

Bovy,often lovingly described as “The Flemish Michael Bublé”, is one of Belgium’s greatest musicaltalents and he has the looks, flair and charisma to complete the picture.  With his first single “She’s Even MoreBeautiful” and follow-up “She Down’t Know It” he convinced many a radio- andtv-station of his undeniable talents.

Hisdebut album “Better Man” can easily be described as a classy tribute to the BigBand, crooner and jazz traditions of yore, spiced with solid own work butsurprising covers alike – absolute classics such as “I’ve Got You Under MySkin”, “All My Loving” and “My Cherie Amour”. In short: an amazing debut album of a talent to cherish for years to come.

Tracklist International Extended Version:

1)All my loving

2)I’ve got you under my skin

3)She’s even more beautiful

4)She don’t know it

5) Betterman

6)My cherie amour

7)Hold on

8)I wanna be around

9)Theoretical love

10)Perfect

11)Baby, I know

12)Fly Me To The Moon (bonus)

13)Cheek To Cheek (bonus)

14)Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (bonus)

15)L.O.V.E. (bonus)

TRACK BY TRACK by Yannick Bovy

1. All MyLoving

It was actually my father Robert’s idea to turn this Beatles song into abig band swing track.  The arrangementwas jazzed up by Patrick Hamilton in such an energetic way that it became theperfect opener of the album.

2. I've Got You Under My Skin

This is one of my favourite tracks out of the top 10 of The GreatAmerican Songbook – covered and adapted by many a legend already, this was anessential track for my debut album.

3. She'sEven More Beautiful

My debut single, which was also the first demo I sent my label ARS/Universal,so this one’s special to me – I owe a lot to this song!

4. She Don'tKnow It

My second single and a song that instantly makes you think ofsummer.  It’s an “easy” pop song, addinga sense of diversity between ballads and swing tracks.

5. BetterMan

A track with a message: always keep trying, keep working to get ahead ofthe curve.  The title choice for thealbum was an easy pick for me with this one. I hope this track will become a favourite for many listeners!

6. My CherieAmour

A touch of soul on the album, why not?  I’ve always been a fan of Stevie Wonder’swork, though I really tried to add my own touch to My Cherie Amour.

7. Hold On

A newly written song that takes us back to the grand atmosphere of bigbands, with lyrics that fit me perfectly. My managers favourite song.

8. I WannaBe Around

Universal suggested me to cover this track on the album.  While creating the arrangements for this one,we tried imagining ourselves in a smoky jazz bar.  You can’t try to be Tony Bennett so I gavethis track my own treatment.

9.Theoretical Love

The sound of flugelhorns added a special touch to this pop song and madeit really dreamy.  This is my new single,which will hopefully warm many people’s hearts during this cold winter.

10. Perfect

My vision for this track was to have it swing a lot and sound epic, abit like the perfect closer for a concert. We had to do multiple versions of this track before we came to theperfect end result but I’m really glad with how this one turned out!

11. Baby, IKnow

A balad that everyone who’s every had his or her heart broken canidentify with – I know I could.  Thanks to Vincent Pierins for these incredibly touching lyrics.

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