Vaya Con Dios
Dani Klein
Dani Klein
Background information
OriginBrussels, Belgium
Genres
Years active1986–1996, 2004–2014, 2022–present
LabelsAriola Records
Members
Past members
  • Willy Lambregt
  • Dirk Schoufs
Websitewww.vayacondios.info

Vaya Con Dios (Spanish for "Go with God!") is a Belgian music act that stood out for its mixing of styles, as well as the distinctive voice of its lead singer Dani Klein. It was one of the most successful Belgian music acts ever, having sold more than 10 million albums [1] and more than 3 million singles.[2]

It was founded in 1986, but after 1991 Vaya Con Dios was for the most part a one woman band, centered on singer, lyricist, band leader and producer Dani Klein, reinforced by an ever-changing selection of musicians. In 2014, Dani Klein performed her last international tour under the Vaya Con Dios formula.[3] Vaya Con Dios officially disbanded with their last concert on 25 October 2014, in Forest National. In 2022 Vaya Con Dios returned with a new album. [4]

Biography

Vaya Con Dios was founded in 1986 by Dirk Schoufs, Dani Klein (Danielle Schoovaerts) and Willy Lambregt (known as Willy Willy). Schoufs (1962; double bass) and Lambregt (1959; guitars) were close friends, who had frequently worked as an acoustic duo. Klein (1953; lead singer, lyricist) and Lambregt had previously worked in electronic band Arbeid Adelt !, which lost momentum when band leader Marcel Vanthilt left to become an MTV Europe VJ.

After enjoying a one-off performance as a trio, they decided to form Vaya Con Dios, based on shared interests in gypsy music, jazz and opera – genres they felt were underappreciated in Brussels.

The trio's first single "Just a Friend of Mine" (1987) entered the top 20 in Belgium, and became a top 10 hit in France.[5] This was a milestone especially for Klein, who was now 34, and who had been trying to make it as a singer since age 17. After this first hit, Lambregt left the band, well before the 1988 debut album Vaya Con Dios was completed, and was later replaced by Jean-Michel Gielen. This first album, self-produced by Schoufs and Klein, met with mixed critical acclaim, mostly because it was very eclectic, and difficult to categorize. Nevertheless, it was well received in several European countries, and held three more singles.

The 1990 follow-up album "Night Owls" was again produced by Klein and Schoufs, and produced another three singles. "Nah Neh Nah", an up-tempo mix of Latin and jazz-rock, profited from heavy airplay on MTV Europe. "What's a Woman?", a soul ballad, did well across Europe, and became a number one hit in the Netherlands and Belgium.[6]

In 1991, Schoufs and Klein fell out badly, resulting in Schoufs' departure from the band, only to die months later, on 24 May 1991, at the age of just 29, of a cocktail of medication, alcohol, and drugs.

Klein, left playing with just Gielen and various musicians, nevertheless continued to record a new Vaya Con Dios album, while at the same time doing more and more international performances, due to ever-increasing popularity. In 1992, Time Flies was released, produced mostly by Klein herself. Again three singles were released from the album, the dramatic "Heading For a Fall" doing well in several countries. The album did very well in Europe, reaching number one in Switzerland and getting platinum certification in four countries, eventually proving to be the most successful Vaya Con Dios album. In 1993 it was followed with the first Vaya Con Dios world tour.

In 1995 Klein, by then evidently suffering from a high workload, still managed to record a fourth Vaya Con Dios album: Roots and Wings, from which yet another three singles were released. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, the album is even more soul oriented, while at the same time integrating Arab and India music influences. Again there was album chart success in several European countries.

In 1996 Klein quit the music business because of complete fatigue, marked by spontaneous hair loss. She returned in 1999 as the singer in the group Purple Prose, which released a debut album that year. Vaya Con Dios returned in 2004 with a new album titled The Promise.

In 2006, The Ultimate Collection greatest hits album was released. It featured Aaron Neville on a new recording of the 1990 soul ballad "What's a Woman?" In October 2009, the album Comme on est venu was released, for the first time with all songs in French (one of Klein's first languages). In December 2010, the German DJ Duo Milk & Sugar released a remix of the song "Nah Neh Nah" that reached the Top 10 in the German Media-Control Charts.[7]

In 2013, Dani Klein started a farewell tour, the last Vaya Con Dios tour ever. The last concert was held 25 October 2014 at Forest National in Brussels,[3] but in 2022, after 8 years, the band returned with a new album 'What's a Woman'.[8] In March 2023, Dani Klein revealed during an interview to the Greek music website, SounDarts.gr, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had recorded a very last Vaya Con Dios album with original songs in the style and the atmosphere of the band. She also revealed a song title from this album (“Always Something Missing”)..[9]

Honours and awards

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
BEL
(FL)
[14]		 BEL
(WA)
[15]		 NLD
[16]		 GER
 AUT
[17]		 CH
[18]		 SWE
[19]		 NOR
[20]		 FIN
[21]
1988 Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: October 1988
 — — 75 49 10 23 9 — —
1990 Night Owls
  • Released: April 1990
 — — 5 6 4 1 8 — —
1992 Time Flies
  • Released: September 1992
 — — 1 9 4 1 13 11 —
1995 Roots and Wings
  • Released: September 1995
 1 2 10 33 11 3 16 5 32
2004 The Promise
  • Released: October 2004
 12 73 96 — — 67 — — 32  
2009 Comme on est venu...
  • Released: October 2009
 7 4 — — — — — — —
  • BEL: Platinum
  • POL: Gold[29]
2022 What's a Woman?
  • Released: October 2022
 8 22 — — — — — — —
2023 Shades of Joy
  • Released: November 2023
 6 18 — — — — — — —

Compilation albums

Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
BEL
(FL)
[14]		 BEL
(WA)
[15]		 NLD
[16]		 GER
 AUT
[17]		 CH
[18]		 SWE
[19]		 NOR
[20]		 FIN
[21]		 GRC
 PRT
1996 Best of Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: October 1996
 3 3 20 21 15 19 1 4 — — —
1998 What's a Woman: The Blue Sides of Vaya Con Dios
  • Released: November 1998
 8 22 — — — — — — — — —
2006 The Ultimate Collection
  • Released: November 2006
 5 9 — — — 52 52 — 26 8 7
2014 Thank You All!
  • Released: 8 December 2014
 3 15 80 — — — — — — — —

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Album
BEL
(FL)
[14]		 BEL
(WA)
[15]		 GER
[36]		 NED
[16]		 FRA
[37]		 AUT
[17]		 CH
[18]
1987 "Just a Friend of Mine" 17 — — — 7 — —   Vaya Con Dios
"Puerto Rico" 15 — — — 46 7 —  
1988 "Don't Cry for Louie" 27 — — 54 — 16 —  
1989 "Johnny" (only released in France) 40 — — — — — —  
1990 "Nah Neh Nah" 7 — 16 4 — 25 21   Night Owls
"What's a Woman?" 1 — 11 1 5 7 6
"Night Owls" 42 — 53 51 — — —  
1992 "Heading for a Fall" 1 — 29 3 — 10 5 Time Flies
"Time Flies" 8 — 79 51 — 29 30
1993 "So Long Ago" 33 — 67 — — — —  
1995 "Don't Break My Heart" 6 8 — 28 — — — Roots and Wings
1996 "Stay with Me" 46 — — — — — —  
"Lonely Feeling" — — — — — — —  
2004 "No One Can Make You Stay" — — — — — — — The Promise
2005 "La Vida Es Como Una Rosa/Take Heed" — — — — — — —  
2006 "Pauvre Diable" — 67 — — — — —   The Ultimate Collection
"What's a Woman" (feat. Aaron Neville) — — — — — — —  
2009 "Les voiliers sauvages de nos vies" 62 34 — — — — —   Comme on est venu
2010 "Hey (Nah Neh Nah)" vs.Milk & Sugar 10 46 7 5 — 6 4

Notes and References

Note

^ Literally "May God go with you", "Godspeed".

References

  1. ↑ Ferfguson, Tom (9 January 2010). "Global Pulse". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  2. ↑ Official Vaya Con Dios site: Interview with Dani Klein Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine (accessed: 10 August 2006).
  3. 1 2 Vaya Con Dios official site: Farewell Tour Archived 2013-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 27 May 2014
  4. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios terug met eerste album sinds 2014". 21 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Belgian Pop & Rock Archives: Vaya Con Dios (accessed: 10 August 2006).
  6. ↑ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, ("500 nr. 1 hits in the Top 40"), page 271, 9023009444 (book in Dutch).
  7. ↑ Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios terug met eerste album sinds 2014". 21 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Interview: Dani Klein (Vaya Con Dios)".
  10. ↑ "World Music Awards". worldmusicawards.com/. 31 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Dani Klein van Vaya Con Dios wint lifetime achievement award van Zamu". De Tijd (in Dutch). 8 February 2006.
  12. ↑ ""What's a woman" in Eregalerij van Radio 2". VRT (in Dutch). 30 November 2009.
  13. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios wordt geëerd met Lifetime Achievement Award op de MIA's". vrt.be (in Dutch). 25 November 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  15. 1 2 3 "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". Ultratop.
  16. 1 2 3 Steffen Hung. "Vaya Con Dios - Don't Break My Heart". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  17. 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "Vaya Con Dios - Nah Neh Nah".
  18. 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "Vaya Con Dios - Nah Neh Nah - hitparade.ch".
  19. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "swedishcharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  20. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "norwegiancharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  21. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "finnishcharts.com - Vaya Con Dios - Roots And Wings".
  22. 1 2 Suomen ääni- ja kuvatallennetuottajat, accessed 2008-05-15.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". www.swisscharts.com.
  24. 1 2 3 4 NVPI.nl Archived 2006-02-16 at the Wayback Machine Dutch certification database Accessed 4 November 2006.
  25. 1 2
  26. 1 2 "Guld Platina 1987–1998" (PDF). 16 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  27. 1 2 3 IFPI Norway Archived June 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  29. ↑ www.onyx.pl, Onyx Sp. z o.o., tel. +48 572 400 000. "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum". bestsellery.zpav.pl.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  31. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards". 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10.
  32. ↑ www.onyx.pl, Onyx Sp. z o.o., tel. +48 572 400 000. "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". bestsellery.zpav.pl.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ "Vaya Con Dios - The Best Of". sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  35. ↑ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
  36. ↑ "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts".
  37. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Vaya Con Dios - Just A Friend Of Mine". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  38. 1 2 Maes, Mare (19 November 1988). "Vaya Con Dios - Pasison and Swing" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 14. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  39. ↑ "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Singles". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 7 November 2019. (select "Vaya Con Dios" from drop-down list)
  40. 1 2 "Night Owls - Platinum in Belgium" (PDF). Music & Media. 24 November 1990. p. 14. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  41. ↑ "Gold/platin". Ifpi.aut. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  42. ↑ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Musikindustrie.de. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
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