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K3
Klaaje-hanne-en-marthe-winnen-k3-zoekt-k3
General Information
Gender: Female
Nicknames: K3
Age: 15
Nationality: Belgian/Dutch
Members: Hanne Verbrugge
Marthe De Pillecyn
Klaasje Meijer
Other Information
Occupation: Actresses/Singers/Dancers
Family & Friends
Series Information
First appearance: N/A
Last appearance: N/A
Other versions: Us 3


K3 is a Flemish/Dutch girl band with a Dutch repertoire, mainly aimed at pre-adolescent children. The name of the group is derived from the names of the three original members: Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke and Kathleen Aerts. Kathleen Aerts left the group in 2009. Josje Huisman was chosen as K3's new member on October 3, 2009.

Hanne Verbruggen , Marthe De Pillecyn and Klaasje Meijer are chosen as the new K3 on November 6, 2015. Their music is produced by production company Studio 100 and is written by Miguel Wiels, Alain Vande Putte and Peter Gillis. K3 was founded by Niels William.

The band became famous without any airplay from the regular music television channels like MTV, instead marketing directly to children via children- and cartoon-channels.

Their signature is that the girls in the group all three mostly wear the same outfit. The band is mostly known as one of Europe's biggest acts and longest running girl band and they are famous for their poppy-happy songs and K3 dances.

Career[]

The band K3 started by Niels William. Initially they had female in their twenties as their target audience, which is noticeable in their early song lyrics. Their first single, "Wat ik wil" (What I want), was not very successful.

In 1999 K3 participated with the song "Heyah Mama" in the live television shows to select the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was not well received by one of the judges, Marcel Vanthilt, who referred to the band members as assorted meat products. Notwithstanding, "Heyah Mama" was released as a single and became the first big hit for the band.

The song stayed at the number one spot of the Flemish Ultratop 50 chart for 16 weeks and would eventually be listed in the chart for 34 weeks. Their next two singles also reached the number one position, resulting in an uninterrupted period of 32 weeks in which a K3 song was at the top of that chart. About a year after becoming famous in Flanders K3 also became famous in the Netherlands.

The songs are written by Miguel Wiels, Alain Vande Putte and Peter Gillis. This trio previously collaborated as songwriters for Flemish singer Isabelle A.

K3 is noted for being the first pop act to break through to the top of the charts without receiving any airplay from the regular music television channels like MTV and TMF. Niels William's new marketing concept was based on promotion via children and cartoon channels like Fox Kids.

Since 2002 the band is managed by Studio 100, a Flemish television production company for Dutch and Belgian children's programs.

Songs like "Heyah Mama", "I love you baby", "Alle Kleuren" (All colours), "Blub, ik ben een vis!" (Blub I'm a fish), "Tele-Romeo", "Toveren" (Doing magic), "Verliefd" (In love), "De 3 biggetjes" (The three piglets), "Oya lélé", "Hart verloren" (Heart lost), "Liefdeskapitein" (Captain of love), "Kuma He", "Ya Ya Yippee", "Dokter Dokter" (Doctor doctor) and "Kusjesdag" (Kissing Day) were hits for the band. K3 have released eight albums. Their eighth album Ya Ya Yippee sold more than 50,000 copies in pre-sales within the Benelux.

K3 present a children's television program called De Wereld van K3 (The World of K3). Originally there were Dutch and Flemish versions, but only the Dutch version remains.

The band has released several DVD's with video clips, with their musicals or films, and with specially recorded footage like K3 in de Ardennen (K3 in the Ardennes).

In 2007 a team from Madame Tussauds in London took measurements of the band members for wax statues. K3 unveiled these wax statues at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam on 4 July 2007.

On Monday March 23, 2009, Kathleen, the blonde singer, announced her departure at a press conference. "It was a tough decision, after all I gave the best years of my life to K3. People change and life is constantly in motion; I'm 30 now and after ten years it's time to move on". She made her last two appearances with K3 in June at a Studio 100 showcase at the Rotterdam Ahoy. Karen and Kristel would then search for a replacement on television.

Belgian shownews-programme De Rode Loper (The Red Carpet) reported that two celebrities were auditioning for the vacant spot but this appeared to be an April Fool's joke. Meanwhile Kathleen has signed up for UNICEF ambassadorship and is likely to quit singing altogether.

The two remaining members of K3 kept searching for a new member. This time through a reality show called 'K2 zoekt K3' (K2 looking for K3). In the final episode the Dutch Josje Huisman became the newest member of K3.

In 2010 K3 will shoot new episodes for their kids-talkshow and will also start with their own sitcom called "Hello K3". The sitcom will air on television in fall 2010. A new single and album with the same name will also be released in the late 2010 or early 2011. Their sitcom was also renewed for a second season which will be premiering in the Netherlands and Belgium in September 2011.

Musicals[]

Museum[]

On 10 June 2006 a party was held at Plopsaland De Panne to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Studio 100. At this occasion the band members opened the K3 Museum which provides an overview of their career. There are interviews, clothes and props from the films to be seen, including the air scooters from the film K3 en het Magische Medaillon (K3 and the Magic Medallion). The countless gold and platinum discs can be seen too.

International[]

In 2002 K3 recorded English, French and German versions of their Tele-Romeo album.

After having sold K3 to Studio 100, the founder Niels William moved to South Africa in 2002 and started his own music studio there. In March 2007 he launched X4, a 4-girl group singing translations of K3-songs in African and English. They released one album: Heyah Mama, which also featured the single of the same name.

In May 2007 Studio 100 launched a German version of K3: Wir 3. They do not only sing translated versions of K3 songs (starting off with Heyah Mama) they're also modelled after the originals (consisting of a redhead, a brunette and a blonde)

In October 2017 Studio 100 launched (with producer group Tako Media and largest commercial TV Polsat) a Polish version K3 as My3 . Polish version started with debuted song "Mammaje". [1] Three girls from Polish version K3 is host children programm My3 (local version format programm "Iedereen K3") started in 11 October 2017 on TV Polsat. [2] In 7th April 2018 TV Polsat changed time broadcast programm. In this time this television presented two new episides "My3" in Saturday 09:15 and 09:45 CET. [3] Before TV Polsat broadcast "My3" in weekend (Saturday and Sunday) on 07:45 CET with one new episode for every this days - in week TV Polsat broadcast two new episodes. In 26 January 2018 group "My3" released debut album with 12 authors songs presented before in programm on TV Polsat and next in YouTube.[4] In 25 May 2018 group "My3" released second album with 3 authors songs and 7 covers popular old Polish hits. [5] Polish group "My3" not copy songs from K3 but it creates brand new songs.

Movies[]

Comics[]

See this page.

TV[]

Songs[]

See this page.

Trivia[]

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