Natalia

Emerging from Westerlo, Belgium, where she entered the world on December 3, 1980, Natalia Druyts—recognized across her homeland simply as Natalia—first drew national notice after entering Idool 2003, the opening season of Belgium’s Pop Idol counterpart. She ultimately finished second to Peter Evrard in the tightly fought finale. Her opening studio effort, This Time, appeared later that year, reached the top five on the Belgian albums chart, and produced four charting singles: “Without You” at number two, the chart-topping “I’ve Only Begun to Fight,” “Higher Than the Sun” at number two, and “I Want You Back” at number three. The 2004 follow-up, Back for More, climbed to number one on the albums survey, moved well beyond 100,000 copies inside Belgium, and generated further successes with “Risin’” at number two, “Fragile, Not Broken” at number 11, “Shelter” at number 28, and “Ridin’ By/You Are” at number 12. Druyts next teamed with the Pointer Sisters on a cover of the 1985 Eurythmics/Aretha Franklin song “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” which peaked at number two; the pairing led to ten joint concerts staged in Antwerp during January 2006. In 2007 she returned with her third album, Everything & More, another number-one release that spotlighted the singles “Gone to Stay” at number nine and “Glamorous/Where She Belongs” at number two.