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Selah Sue

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Selah Sue
Sue in Numberg 2010
Sue in Numberg 2010
Background information
Birth nameSanne Putseys
Born (1989-05-03) 3 May 1989 (age 35)
OriginLeefdaal, Belgium
GenresSoul, reggae, pop, R&B
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Websiteselahsue.com

Selah Sue (born Sanne Greet A. Putseys,[1][2] 3 May 1989) is a Belgian musician and songwriter. Her debut album, Selah Sue (2011) was a major success, selling over 720,000 copies in Europe,[3][4][5] 320,000 in France alone. In 2011, she has had chart success with the hit singles "Raggamuffin", "Crazy Vibes" and "This World". In 2011, Selah Sue won a European Border Breakers Award (EBBA).[6] In January 2012 during the EBBA award ceremony she was presented with the EBBA Public Choice Award.[7]

On 28 August 2012, her debut album was also released in the United States, where the album received positive reviews. More than 400,000 downloads were counted in one week.[8] Rolling Stone magazine named Selah Sue as one of the new faces of 2012.[9]

Background

Sanne Putseys (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈsɑnə pɵtˈsɛis]) was born in Leefdaal (province of Vlaams-Brabant), near the provincial capital Leuven.[2] At age fifteen she learned to play the acoustic guitar and started to write her own songs as well. When she was seventeen a Belgian producer asked her to sing some demos of his songs, after which Universal[which?] offered her a contract. She refused, because she wanted to sing her own songs. At the same time she performed as the youngest and only female artist at the open-song contest Open Mic-avond at Het Depot in Leuven. Organizer and singer Milow (born Jonathan Vandenbroeck) had noticed her talents and asked her to perform in his supporting programme. Initially, Putseys managed to work out her musical career path while studying psychology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. According to her, studying psychology helped her to understand more about human emotions, which also is something that she has to deal with in her musical activities. Eventually, she continued doing warm-up performances in collaboration with artists such as Jamie Lidell in London and Paris. Furthermore, she played with the Belgian band Novastar at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.[10]

Selah Sue often covers songs of Erykah Badu and The Zutons, but she has assembled a whole range of her own songs. Two of her well-known songs are "Mommy" and "Black Part Love", both of which are carried out acoustically. She says that she is influenced by artists such as Lauryn Hill, M.I.A. and Erykah Badu.[citation needed]

Commercial success

Sue's first EP was released in January 2009, under the title Black Part Love.[11] From September 2008 until August 2009, Selah Sue received some curricular guidance from the Belgian musical theater, Ancienne Belgique. The programme, in which she was involved, has been set up to support promising artists who aren't associated with any record company or other kinds of managing assistance. In 2009, Selah Sue attended the stages of the North Sea Jazz Festival and Lowlands.[12] Additionally, she regularly appears on TV shows such as De Wereld Draait Door on Dutch television and several other Flemish TV shows.[13]

Sue sitting in with Triggerfinger 20 August 2010

In 2010, she played most of the biggest festivals in Belgium, including Les Nuits Botaniques, Les Ardentes, Dour Festival, Lokerse Feesten, Couleur Café and Pukkelpop. But also outside her native country in big festivals such as Lowlands in the Netherlands, Eurockéennes in France and Sziget Festival (Hungary). Her second EP, Raggamuffin, was released in October 2010.[14] On 8 November 2010 she played a support appearance for Prince on his Sportpaleis concert.[15] She then went on a mostly sold out headlining show in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, presenting her forthcoming debut album.

On 4 March 2011, Selah Sue released her eponymous debut album. The album has peaked at number one on the Belgium Albums Chart and has also charted in the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.[16] Besides several hit singles, such as "This World" and "Crazy Vibes", the album also contains a duet with Cee Lo Green, called "Please".[17] On 10 December 2011, she won three prizes at the Flemish Music Industry Awards.[18]

On 20 October 2012, Selah Sue played at the royal wedding in Luxembourg.[19] She recorded a version of "Spoonful" for an Häagen-Dazs commercial featuring Bradley Cooper.[20]

Sue during her concert at the Jval Festival in Switzerland, 31 August 2014.

On 27 October 2014, Selah Sue released a new song, "Alone". The song was a commercial success and reached number 1 in Wallonia and was a top 10 hit in Flanders and France. 240, featuring American musician Childish Gambino. It also featured a collaboration with Scottish producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke. The album reached number 1 in both Flanders and Wallonia as well in The Netherlands. She was nominated for 3 prizes at the 2015 Music Industry Awards. She ultimately won the award for Best solo female artist, already for the fifth time.

Selah Sue co-wrote Belgium's Eurovision Song Contest 2016 entry, "What's the Pressure" performed by Laura Tesoro. The song finished 10th in the competition. In December 2016 "Bang Bang", a collaboration by DJ Fresh and Diplo, was released and featured vocals by Selah Sue. The song also features vocals by R. City and Craig David.

Personal life

In May 2014 Selah Sue made public that she has been struggling with depression in the Flemish talkshow "Reyers Laat". She admitted that she has been using medication since she was 18 years old. She stated that antidepressants helped her to be the person she is now and that it helped her to achieve her success.[21] Her confession came shortly after a documentary about antidepressant was broadcast in Flanders. She showed support for campaigns in Flanders to help youngsters who are suffering from depression. In 2016 she was the godmother of "Te Gek!?", a campaign on Flemish schools to give depression among young people more visibility.[22]

In October 2016, Selah Sue announced through a video on Facebook that she was expecting her first child. In March 2017, she announced that her first son, Seth, had been born.[citation needed]

Discography

Studio albums

Album title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
BEL (Fl) BEL (Wa) FRA GER NL POL SWI
Selah Sue 1 1 9 — 2 31 32
Reason
  • Released: 30 March 2015
  • Label: Because Music
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download
 1 1 3 82 1 23 9

Other albums

Extended plays

  • 2009: Black Part Love
  • 2010: Raggamuffin
  • 2012: Rarities
  • 2014: Alone

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications Album
BEL (Fl) BEL (Wa) NL FRA SWI
2010 "Raggamuffin" 29 16 81 18 — Selah Sue
2011 "Crazy Vibes" 21 26 56 74 —
"This World" 2 15 — 33 42
"Summertime" 59 67 — — —
"Zanna"
(with Tom Barman vs. The Subs) 		1 29 72 — — Rarities
2012 "Crazy Sufferin Style" 59 83 — — —
"Fade Away" 51 59 — — —
2014 "Alone" 5 1 53 9 — Reason
2015 "Reason" 2 41 — 115 —
"I Won't Go for More" 4 16 — 191 —
"Fear Nothing" 2 — — — —
2016 "Together"
(featuring Childish Gambino) 		46 — — — —
2017 "So This Is Love" 51 — — — — Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic
Year Single Album
2015 "At Sea Again"
Slime 		Company
2016 "Bang Bang"
(DJ Fresh vs Diplo featuring R. City, Selah Sue and Craig David)
 TBA

References

  1. ^ https://online.gema.de/werke/search.faces
  2. ^ a b Wensink, Herien (2009) "A Flemish singer with a Jamaican soul", NRC, 21 August 2009, retrieved 2010-11-03
  3. ^ On s’exilerait bien pour Selah Sue, Le Parisien, 22 November 2012
  4. ^ De Standaard, Selah Sue, 9 December 2011
  5. ^ Sterrennieuws, Nieuwe versie van debuutalbum Selah Sue
  6. ^ European Border Breakers Awards, Selah Sue
  7. ^ European Border Breakers Awards 2012 presented
  8. ^ Amerika houdt van Selah Sue, Clint, 31 Augustus 2012
  9. ^ New Faces 2012: Selah Sue, Rolling Stone Magazine, October 2012
  10. ^ Vacature, Het CV van Selah Sue
  11. ^ Ultratop.be – Selah Sue – Black Part Love
  12. ^ NU.nl, Charles Bradley is de held van North Sea Jazz, Selah Sue, 10 July 2011
  13. ^ De Wereld Draait Door, Selah Sue
  14. ^ Ultratop.be – Selah Sue – Raggamuffin
  15. ^ De Standaard, Selah Sue & Prince
  16. ^ Ultratop, Selah Sue discography
  17. ^ Selah Sue op album Cee Lo Green, muziek.nl, 25 October 2010, retrieved 2010-11-03
  18. ^ "Milow en Selah Sue kapen drie MIA's weg, Mauro beste muzikant". Focus Knack (in Dutch). 11 December 2011.
  19. ^ Luxembourg Royal Wedding Program
  20. ^ Eames, Tom (7 May 2013). "Bradley Cooper becomes face of Häagen-Dazs ice cream – video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  21. ^ http://www.demorgen.be/tvmedia/selah-sue-openhartig-over-haar-strijd-tegen-depressie-b9dec074/
  22. ^ http://www.knack.be/nieuws/selah-sue-meter-van-campagne-te-gek/video-iwatch-577259.html
  23. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  24. ^ "Selah Sue dיcroche un disque de platine". Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  26. ^ a b c d "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
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