Kim-Lian comes from a musical family. Both her parents were professional dancers, her mother could even be found on the dance floor when she was pregnant. Kim-Lian won a number of dance contests in her childhood and regularly competed in lip-sync shows. She competed in the Dutch program "The Mini Playbackshow" (a lip-sync contest on national TV) twice, once at the age of 6 and once when she was 11.
When she turned 16 she was signed at several castings and model agencies. She was soon asked to play minor roles in Dutch TV programs such as Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden, Kees & Co and more. After doing a screentest for the Veronica TV channel she was a hostess of CallTV. From 2001 to 2002 she hosted Puzzeltijd (Puzzletime).
After she quit Puzzeltijd there was a silence around Kim-Lian. But in 2003 she was asked to host the Kids Top 20 for the children network Jetix. This TV program had audiences of 200,000 children every week. For this program she won the highest award in the Netherlands for a children program: the Gouden Stuiver (The Golden Nickel).
In 2003 she got the chance by CMM Records to record an album. At the end of 2003 the first single "Teenage Superstar" was released. Already Kim-Lian went international. Teenage Superstar became a #1 hit in Indonesia and was charted in the charts in other countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Asia, Sweden and Italy.
After "Hey Boy!" was released (which also did well in all the charts), Kim-Lian's debut album Balance was released, which peaked at #9 in the Dutch Album Chart.
The third single "Garden of Love" was released to show a more mature side of Kim. It was a song with some heavy guitars in it. Although she was promoted as a children artist this song had serious lyrics. "Garden of Love" made it into the Top 40 in the Netherlands but wasn't her biggest success so far.
The last single that was released off the album was a cover of Kim Wilde's song "Kids in America". The song became another top 10 hit for Kim in the Netherlands.
At the end of 2004 Kim-Lian released a DVD called Balance: The Experience. The DVD contains the music videos and live performances.
Because she has such an extraordinary look and acts funny, she was asked to join the presenters cast of Top of the Pops from BBC. This is not a common thing. Not many people are asked to help them present the program. And in that same time a more dynamic version of "Teenage Superstar" was released in the UK.
After splitting up with her record label CMM Records, because Kim-Lian refused to sing more children music, she worked on her second album. She wanted to produce it herself and was helped by the Swedish producer (and partner) Daniël Gibson. They built a studio at their home and started to write songs. Writing music was for Kim-Lian something she loved. They wrote with several writers from different countries, such as Sweden, England, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The first single of Just Do It was "Road to Heaven". And she showed that she did not need to make children music to have hits. It wasn't a massive hit, it peaked at #28 in the Top 40, but it was a start.
On October 12, she released "In Vain", the second single off the upcoming second album Just Do It. It is an emotional song where in the video she dies. After spending 6 weeks in the Tipparade (Dutch pre-chart) it was expected to chart in the Dutch Top 40 next week. But it did not enter.
Kim-lian has got plans to go abroad again with her album but nothing's sure yet.
Kim-Lian's first singles, the power-pop/rock 'Teenage superstar', became a huge hit in her homecountry The Netherlands very quickly and her second single 'Hey boy' followed the same path. Her third single, 'Garden of love', which was in FSC before, established her as an extremely talented allround artist. In May 2004 her first album, 'Balance', was released. This album was a true reflection of Kim-Lian's personality: original, energetic, multi-faceted. Her fourth single, 'Kids in America', was released in August 2004 and was accompanied, in usual Kim-Lian style, with an incredible videoclip. This shot to the top 10 charts within two weeks. Her singles, as well as 'Balance', the album, have landed in the charts in The Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the Philippines.
Her rapid success did not go unnoticed abroad. English broadcaster BBC was so impressed by her 'Teenage superstar' performance, that Kim-Lian was asked to co-host an episode of the famous music show 'Top of the Pops UK', something which very rarely happens. Such a compliment to Kim's talent as a TV personality as well !
She is also concentrating on her new passion; writing her own music. She's collaborating with songwriters in United Kingdom, Belgium and Sweden, as well as with her own band. Kim-Lian, a multi-media mega talent. A proven success in any arena, driven by passion, energy, girl power, dynamism, talent and humor. She won't settle for anything less.
In Vain
Kim-Lian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm waking up alone again
Skies are turning grey.
Morning paper, lemon tea, just another day.
Hear me please, emptiness
Won't you go away.
I'm trying so hard to survive the rain.
I'm constantly fighting my fears, my tears in vain.
(verse)
I'm running low on energy
Running out of hope.
Losing you was losing me
Don't know how to cope.
Hear me please, loneliness,
Keep the pain away.
(refrain)
I'm trying so hard....
(bridge)
I'm falling deeper and deeper.
I'm losing and I'm crying your name,
But you don't seem to hear me.
(refrain)
I'm trying so hard...
In vain.
Kim-Lian's song In Vain reflects the feeling of emptiness and loss that one experiences after a breakup. The lyrics touch upon the feelings of loneliness, sadness, and despair that are felt when one is no longer with their significant other. The song tells a story of someone who wakes up alone in the morning, and how it's just another day. The skies are turning grey, and the only thing that can be done is to try and fight through the tears and survive the rain, even though it seems like a useless or vain effort. The feeling of being alone is overwhelming, and the person feels like they are losing hope, energy, and can't cope without their loved one.
The chorus (refrain) of the song repeats the line "I'm trying so hard to survive the rain. I'm constantly fighting my fears, my tears in vain", emphasizing a sense of desperation and hopelessness, despite the attempts to hold on and keep going. In the bridge, the lyrics express the intensity of the heartbreak, where losing the significant other has caused the person to lose themselves, and how they are falling deeper and deeper into the endless pain, crying out the name of the one who's gone, but they don't seem to hear.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm waking up alone again
I'm starting my day once more without the companionship of another person.
Skies are turning grey.
The weather outside is becoming overcast and gloomy, mirroring my current mood.
Morning paper, lemon tea, just another day.
Engaging in the familiar ritual of reading the paper and sipping a comforting beverage, just another day to spend without you.
Hear me please, emptiness
I feel a deep despairing emptiness within me that I wish could be helped by someone else's presence.
Won't you go away.
I'm pleading with the emptiness to dissipate and leave me in peace.
I'm trying so hard to survive the rain.
I'm exerting all my effort to persist through these difficult circumstances, like weathering a rainstorm.
I'm constantly fighting my fears, my tears in vain.
Despite my constant effort to suppress my fears and prevent myself from crying, it seems like a fruitless effort that will not abate my anxiety.
I'm running low on energy
I'm feeling depleted and exhausted, with little drive or enthusiasm remaining.
Running out of hope.
My sense of optimism and hope for the future is dwindling away, leaving me with a bleak outlook.
Losing you was losing me
The loss of you in my life has had a profound impact on my own sense of identity and self-worth.
Don't know how to cope.
I feel ill-equipped to deal with these difficult emotions and do not know how to manage them effectively.
Hear me please, loneliness,
I'm hoping that the loneliness I'm feeling might be heard by someone else who can help to alleviate it.
Keep the pain away.
I'm asking the loneliness to take away the painful sensations I'm experiencing and leave me in peace.
I'm falling deeper and deeper.
I feel like I'm slipping into an even darker place, with no clear path out of this downward spiral.
I'm losing and I'm crying your name,
As I lose myself further into despair, I am becoming more consumed by thoughts of you and missing your presence.
But you don't seem to hear me.
Despite my cries for help, it feels like my pleas are not reaching you and I am left to suffer alone.
In vain.
Ultimately, all of my efforts to deal with my emotions and move forward seem to be for nothing, as I am unable to find any lasting relief from my suffering.
Contributed by Tristan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Dyynamo
This gal is brilliant and should be massive all over the world
@orchidfoxy
I love this song
@CUfkes
Great song !
@DaysOfGino
So sad... but i love it! Should be in the top 40
@kimlian
Great song.
@angelocabooter7264
Mooi liedje. Jammer dat er geen best of album is gemaakt van haar met haar oude en nieuwe Engelstalige liedjes.
@MissWho007
Ik kende haar altijd van van die Nederlandse kinderprogramma's die ze bij ons toonden (in België). En ze stond op een verzamelcd die ik had toen ik 8 was ofzo. Maar dit nummer is eigenlijk echt wel goed! Leuk om haar terug te zien na die jaren. Weet iemand of ze nog nieuwe muziek maakt? Of wat ze nu doet? Hier in België is ze nl. niet echt bekend...
@brammetje84
blijft ook een goed lied dit
@aartje94
Blijf het een geweldig, maar emotioneel liedje vinden
@DouxOrage
I don't know who was first, but it seems to me that this song sounds a lot like Sin fé by Edurne... Amazing.