Witloof Bay
Six musicians playing just one instrument… their voice! This is the feat that Witloof Bay will attempt when they defend Belgium in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest, performing their track With Love Baby.Witloof Bay is a group of 5 professional singers and a world-renowned beatboxer. They come from the 3 regions of Belgium and draw on very varied musical styles, ranging from pop to jazz. With a repertory consisting initially of cover versions, they built up a fanbase thanks to their stunning mastery of vocals and harmonies, and RoxorLoops’ virtuosity in the art of beatboxing. The group is currently working on their second album of original songs.
Their success and the public acclaim they have won are not down to luck, as for all six, music IS life, their life!
Benoît Giaux, writer and composer of With Love Baby, sings baritone. With a degree in piano and singing, he divides his time between teaching singing, performing as a soloist and directing La Choraline, the La Monnaie youth choir.
RoxorLoops, also a singer and composer of the track, is a beatboxing genius. He is the world vice-champion and his talents have won him global recognition. He performs all of the percussion on With Love Baby.
Florence Huby sings alto. With a degree in singing and choral conducting, she teaches singing and choir singing as well as conducting several choirs, including Les Colibris de Liège choir.
Etienne Debaisieux is the group’s bass singer. He is an organ builder and sings with the Namur chamber choir.
Nicolas Dorian is the tenor. Having completed his singing studies, he was awarded a post-graduate qualification in Musical Theatre from the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is in addition a singer-songwriter.
Alexia Saffery, soprano, has a degree in singing and teaches singing at several establishments. She also sings with the Jazz Infinity group. She replaces Mathilde Sevrin, the group’s original soprano, who is currently on maternity leave. She also has a degree in singing, is a singing teacher and a member of Namur chamber choir.
The notes and words emanating from this vocal ensemble would not be so impactful were it not for the brilliance of sound engineer Pierre-Laurent Babuin, whose skilful mastery of the sound controls brings it all together!
The group’s professionalism and vocal mastery have already enabled them to perform at the biggest a cappella music festivals (London A Cappella Festival, Vocal Jazz Summit, Solevoci Festival…). In 2010, they won the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for best Folk/World song and they have supported big name groups such as The Manhattan Transfer, The Swingle Singers and The Real Group.
All of this led them to attempt the Eurovision Song Contest. After being selected by the public through the Akamusic website (for the first time in Belgium), Witloof Bay was offered the opportunity to represent their country in Düsseldorf on the 12th of May at the semi-final, performing With Love Baby. The track, with its simple yet profound message, blends subtle and sophisticated jazz harmonies with more urban hip hop sounds. Behind the apparently laid-back demeanour, the skilled and enthusiastic performances of these 6 singers have created this new, 100% a cappella genre which is sure to set all of Europe aflame!
A true melting pot of influences and origins, paired with the typical Belgian nonchalance, make this unique group ideally placed to represent the nation!
