Lady Linn

Born Lien De Greef in Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium, in 1981, Lady Linn developed an early passion for music through childhood exposure to recordings by Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Prince, and Led Zeppelin. Classical piano instruction began for her at age eight, eventually leading to a music degree with a jazz focus at the Conservatory of Ghent. Upon completing her studies, she became a member of the dance-pop ensemble Bolchi, which delivered the 2004 hit “City Trippin’,” and the next year contributed to the debut release by the hip-hop and R&B collective Skeemz.

Her own venture launched in 2006 with the formation of the multi-member jazz and funk-infused group Lady Linn and Her Magnificent Seven. After issuing the 2006 single “Shopping,” the ensemble followed with the 2008 album Here We Go Again. Crafted under the guidance of Bolchi’s Jeroen de Pessemier, the record reached the Belgian Top Ten and brought Lady Linn her inaugural MIA for best female artist. Three years afterward came the second full-length effort, No Goodbye at All, which spotlighted the tracks “Cry Baby,” “Little Bird,” and “Over” and climbed to number three on the Belgian albums chart while attaining gold certification.

The 2014 studio album High marked her third release and reflected a shift toward a more intimate, pop-centered approach under the production of Renaud Letang, whose prior credits include Jane Birkin and Feist. As a result the Magnificent Seven moniker was set aside for that project, though several of the same players participated. Returning in 2016 with her fifth full-length, Keep It a Secret, Lady Linn once more enlisted Her Magnificent Seven while continuing to merge organic, swinging jazz with infectious electronic pop. Reinhard Vanbergen, known for work with Das Pop, School Is Cool, and the Van Jets, handled production, and the set featured the single “Sing Your Heart Out.”