Vaya Con Dios

It was more than 20 years ago that Dani Klein, Dirk Schoufs and Willy Lambregt put out the debut album of their Gypsy-blues trio known as Vaya Con Dios. Industry experts and even friends told them they would never get anywhere: the acoustical sound was too difficult to categorise, too tough to market. They were indeed decidedly eclectic: a blend of blues-soaked lounge, Latin-infused pop and Memphis soul. But from the first sexy, sassy hit single Just a Friend of Mine, the band became a household name in Belgium. Two years later, with the release of the second album, Night Owls, international fame was theirs. Music fans thirsting for soulful beats after the synthesised New Wave that had been dominating the airwaves ate the quirky Belgian band up, making hits out of both the fast, jazzy guitars on Nah Neh Nah and the slow, sultry Dani Klein classic What’s a Woman. Between the never-ending tours and television appearances, audiences continued to be surprised and delighted to meet the Belgian whose voice they thought must belong to a southern blues woman. After two decades, it still has the power to jar. Deep and moody and completely confident, Dani Klein’s voice lingers in your head long after the CD is finished.

The pressures of fame are infamous, and the band soon broke up. Not long after, Dirk died tragically, and Dani had to pull herself together and make a decision. She decided to carry on with the name Vaya Con Dios as a solo artist, a tribute to the musicians who created the band and to those who wanted to help it continue.

It was clearly the right decision. Three more albums and two compilations later, Vaya Con Dios has sold more than 10 million albums and has fans across the world. The lyrics of Dani’s string of hits, including Puerto Rico, Heading for a Fall and Don’t Break My Heart are deeply felt and poetical, lamenting broken relationships and stubborn denials.

In 2009 Dani Klein put out her own album in French. Comme on est venu...– calling on her love of great French-language songwriters, such as Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens and Barbara, Dani sings metaphorically of love as a shipwreck, of the simple beauty that assuages grief and, in the title song, of life and death and the pettiness that comes in between. “People who have listened to this new album say that it still sounds very Vaya Con Dios,” smiles Dani, “which is quite amazing.” Not really. You can change the language, but you can’t change the conviction, the voice and the passion in Dani Klein.  

Dani has been touring the world with musicians non-stop over the years. From Istanbul to Helsinki, Jerusalem to Montreal, St Petersburg to Beirut and back again, Vaya Con Dios has played hundreds of shows in more than 40 countries, most of them sold out. They are bringing their greatest hits to Veszprém also.

Collaborators:

Dani Klein - Vocals
Francis Perez - Guitars
Red Gjeci - Violin
Tim De Jonghe - Trumpet & Percussion
William Lecomte - Piano
Marcel Serierse - Drums
Salvatore La Rocca -Bass
Maria Lekranty - Backing Vocals
Defi J - Backing Vocals

Vaya Con Dios - Nah Neh Nah
Vaya Con Dios - Puerto Rico