Willy Sommers

Since emerging with the chart-topping 1971 single "Zeven Anjers, Zeven Rozen," Flemish schlager performer and television presenter Willy Sommers has stood as the most recognizable voice in his region. He launched his professional path during the mid-1960s inside rock ensembles such as the Sons of Abraham and the Yeats, then aligned with producer Roland Verlooven to establish himself among the foremost solo acts on the Flemish pop landscape. The breakthrough track held the number-one position for 19 weeks; subsequent breakthroughs across France, Germany, and Spain led to his debut of multiple performances at Schlagerfestival.

Maintaining a string of Top Ten singles into the 1980s, Sommers expanded his reach by fronting the music program Tien Om Te Zien. His studio output nevertheless sustained strong momentum, with every album securing Belgian chart placement and each successive project appearing to broaden his audience further. Marking four decades since his signature song, the 2011 anthology 40 Jaar Hits unexpectedly peaked at number two. Pluk de Dag from 2013 and Gisteren Wordt Vandaag from 2015 both registered Top Ten weeks, while the 2014 single "Jij Bent Zo Mooi," a duet with Flemish pop group De Romeo's, likewise entered the upper ranks of the singles chart. The 2016 package Het Erfgoed Van Willy Sommers, pairing a compilation with a book that surveyed his initial hitmaking decade from 1972 to 1982, ascended to number one in Belgium.