Milow

Known for introspective acoustic pop, Milow serves as the stage name for Belgian singer/songwriter Jonathan Vandenbroeck. His 2006 full-length debut yielded “You Don’t Know,” which climbed into the Top Ten on the singles charts in Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and he later scored a chart-topping international success in 2009 with an acoustic cover of 50 Cent’s “Ayo Technology.” Ten years after that first album, his sixth LP, Modern Heart, reached number two in Belgium in 2016.

Born Jonathan Ivo Gilles Vandenbroeck in 1981, Milow grew up in a musical home in Wespelaar, Haacht, where he studied accordion, piano, and guitar during childhood. At age 13 he attended his first live show, a Pink Floyd concert in nearby Werchter, the site of the annual Rock Werchter festival, and set himself the goal of one day performing on those same grounds—a target he would meet on multiple occasions. While still in high school he played in local bands, and as a teenager he spent time as an exchange student in California, sharpening his command of English. With an eye toward broader audiences, he adopted the streamlined moniker Milow in 2003.

He launched his recording career with the independently issued The Bigger Picture on Homerun Records in early 2006. Produced by Nigel Powell of Unbelievable Truth and Frank Turner, the album generated several singles, among them “You Don’t Know,” which peaked at number three in Belgium and appeared on charts in roughly six other European territories. In 2007 the track was recut with producer Jo Francken for an EP that also featured live acoustic performances and a live version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.” When The Bigger Picture was reissued with the new take of “You Don’t Know” added as a bonus, the album itself reached the Belgian Top Ten. That same year Vandenbroeck received a TMF Award for Best New Artist. His next release, Coming of Age, arrived in 2008 under Francken’s production and topped the Belgian album chart. In 2009 he delivered a self-titled set containing the playful acoustic rendition of rapper 50 Cent’s “Ayo Technology,” which climbed to number one in several continental European countries and entered the Canadian Hot 100.

Milow’s fourth album, North & South, surfaced in 2011 and drew inspiration from the passing of his father. The single “You and Me (In My Pocket)” entered the Top Ten in Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, while the album itself landed inside the Top Five in those nations plus the Netherlands. In 2012 he claimed the Best Belgian Act prize at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Still operating through his own label, he issued Silver Linings in 2014, which again led the Belgian album chart.

Returning in 2016, he unveiled his first Top Ten single in five years, “Howling at the Moon,” and placed it on the sixth long-player Modern Heart, which reached number two. Over the following two years he collaborated on tracks such as “Summer Days” with Colombia’s Sebastián Yatra and “Lay Your Worry Down” featuring American singer/songwriter Matt Simons.