Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck on July 22, 1980) is a Belgian World Music… Read Full Bio ↴Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck on July 22, 1980) is a Belgian World Music Award winner. She began her singing career in 2001 and represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Je t'adore" coming in 12th place in the semi-final.

Ryan was born in the small village of Tessenderlo, Belgium. She grew up in a musical family, and had talent for music at a very early age. At eight years of age she had learned to play the piano and guitar. She had singing and piano lessons from her aunt who teaches at a conservatory, but had other interests too. She studied at an art school, specializing in jewelry design. She also lived some time in Meerhout, a small village near Tessenderlo.

Ryan played frequently in bars and cafés as a teenager, and one night a manager approached her, wanting her to record a song in a studio. She became a member of a pop group called Melt at the age of 16. The group was active for two years, but they did not release any material commercially. When she met with producer Andy Janssens, she left Melt and the pair began to write music together. Their debut single "Scream For More" was released in 2001, and it became an unexpected chart success.

She gained international prominence with a cover of Mylène Farmer's "Désenchantée", which was a hit on various European pop music charts. She signed with EMI Belgium and released her first album Different in 2002 exclusively in Europe. The album went Gold, selling more than 250,000 copies throughout Europe.

It became popular enough in the States that music consumers who favour dance-pop with a European flavour bought Different even though it was only available as an import title. Kate's Stateside debut single was "Scream For More", released July 17, 2001, on Robbins Entertainment. It did well on dance–music radio and in nightclubs. The follow–up single, "Desenchantee/U R My Love" also released on Robbins, did as well on dance radio and in nightclubs, but the single sold more than the previous single.

In 2004, Ryan released a second album in Europe and in North America in 2005 on Water Music Records, the album named Stronger, with two more popular songs—"Another Day" and "The Rain" which were rumored to have been inspired by the twilight series. While the album did well on the dance charts, it failed to chart on the pop charts because of poor promotion.

In 2006 she participated in Eurosong '06, the national final to select the entrant for Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. She was selected as the entrant after placing first in the Eurosong final on March 9, 2006. Ryan represented Belgium at the Eurovision semifinal held on May 18, 2006 in Athens singing "Je t'adore". She did not qualify for the final, however, finishing two places outside the advancing Top 10 (12th) with 69 points.

It was announced on the August 14, 2006 that Ryan would release "Je t'adore" in the UK for which exclusive mixes by Credheadz were commissioned, but the release was shelved, close to the release date. It did however enjoy heavy rotation on the UK's music channels, and is still played regularly on Flaunt.

The following single was "Alive", taken from the album of the same name, which also features French versions of several tracks including "Je t'adore", "Alive", and the third single "All For You".

In 2007, she had some success with the double sided single "Voyage Voyage"/"We All Belong". The track "Voyage, Voyage" is a cover of the 1987 European smash hit by Desireless, and "We All Belong" was selected as the official anthem for the Eurogames 2007 in Antwerp.

In 2008, she released two singles: "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" and then "Ella, Elle L'a", a cover of France Gall's song. Both tracks (and Voyage Voyage) were included on her album Free, which was released on May 30, 2008. The album also contains a duet with Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas.

On July 11, 2008, a best-of-album with the title Essential was released. It includes songs which were released by Ryan's former label EMI.

On August 8, 2008 Kate took part in the Polish Sopot Hit Festival. During the show she received the Gold album for selling over 10,000 copies of Free in Poland. This is her first certification for this album in Europe.
On November 9, 2008 in Monaco Kate Ryan won the prestigious World Music Award for The Best Selling Benelux Artist.
In 2009, Ryan released the concept album "French Connection" which was an album of all her French language songs, covers and previously unreleased songs in the language.

After several delays, Ryan's fifth album "Electroshock" will be released on June 25, 2012. The album was preceeded by the hit singles "Lovelife", "Broken" and "Robots."

Wonderland
Kate Ryan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How did you do it
How did you make me fall for you so badly
How did it happen
How come I just gave my heart to you so gladly

You are here in my mind
And nothing else than our love really matters
When you look into my eyes

Touch my skin and pull me close
You give me shivers

Into your wonderland, I'm gonna lose myself
Never gonna find a better place
Always gonna stay in your embrace
Wonderland I'm under your command

Never wanna leave, never wanna leave
Wonderland
Never wanna leave, never wanna leave
Never wanna leave, never wanna leave

It's amazing
How you have given life another meaning, yeah
Takes me higher
Words cannot express the way I'm feeling now

When I'm here in your arms
Nothing else than our love really matters
When you smile at me like that
Touch my face and pull me close
You give me shivers

Into your wonderland, I'm gonna lose myself
Never gonna find a better place
Always gonna stay in your embrace
Wonderland I'm under your command

Never wanna leave, never wanna leave
Wonderland

Never wanna leave never wanna leave
Never wanna leave never wanna leave

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kate Ryan's song Wonderland suggest the overwhelming emotions that come with falling in love. The singer questions how the person she loves managed to make her fall for them so deeply, confessing that she has given her heart to them gladly. The chorus repeats the idea of being in the loved one's "wonderland," where the vocalist loses herself and never wants to leave. In the second verse, the singer claims that being with the loved one has given her life "another meaning" and has taken her "higher." She acknowledges the profound effect her lover has on her, which is beyond words.

The chorus of the song suggests that being in love with the person has helped the vocalist block out everything else in the world, as their love is all that matters. The way the loved one looks at the singer or touches her creates shivers on her skin, increasing the already high levels of emotion. The song appears to describe a sense of being completely consumed by love for another person, from which the singer never wants to escape.

Line by Line Meaning

How did you do it
Asking how the person made the singer fall in love with them.

How did you make me fall for you so badly
Asking how the person made the singer fall in love with them so deeply.

How did it happen
Asking how the singer ended up giving their heart to the person so easily.

How come I just gave my heart to you so gladly
Asking why the singer was so willing to give their heart to the person without hesitation.

You are here in my mind
The person is constantly on the singer's mind.

And nothing else than our love really matters
The love the singer and the person share is the only thing that truly matters.

When you look into my eyes
The person's gaze affects the singer deeply.

Touch my skin and pull me close
Physical contact with the person sends shivers down the singer's spine.

You give me shivers
The person excites and thrills the singer.

Into your wonderland, I'm gonna lose myself
The singer is willing to escape into the person's world completely.

Never gonna find a better place
The singer believes the person's world is the best place to be.

Always gonna stay in your embrace
The singer wants to remain in the person's embrace forever.

Wonderland I'm under your command
The singer is willing to do anything for the person because they are so deeply in love.

Never wanna leave, never wanna leave
The singer does not want to leave the person's world.

It's amazing
The singer is in awe of the person and their effect on their life.

How you have given life another meaning, yeah
The person has given the singer's life new purpose and significance.

Takes me higher
The person lifts the singer up and makes them feel elated.

Words cannot express the way I'm feeling now
The singer cannot fully convey the depth of their emotions at the moment.

When I'm here in your arms
Being held by the person brings the singer a sense of comfort and contentment.

When you smile at me like that
The person's smile has a significant impact on the singer's mood and emotions.

Touch my face and pull me close
Physical contact with the person sends shivers down the singer's spine.

Never wanna leave, never wanna leave
The singer does not want to leave the person's world.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEANETTE OLSSON, KATRIEN VERBEECK, NICLAS KINGS, NIKLAS BERGWALL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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