K3

K3 is a Belgian girl group founded by Niels William and formed in 1998, consisting of Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke and Kathleen Aerts. Their first single was "Wat ik wil" but was not a great success. In 1999, the group competed in the preselections of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Heyah mama" which was not so well received. It was eventually released as a single anyway and became an instant hit. K3 broke through in Flanders and later in the Netherlands. In 2002, Niels William sold K3 to Studio 100 and in the same year they performed in the musical Sleeping Beauty written by Gert Verhulst. From then on, K3 becomes a group that focuses more on children with various shows, children's programmes such as the "De wereld van K3", films such as "K3 en het magisch medaillon", "K3 en de ijsprinses" and "K3 en de kattenprins". They also made their own musical called "K3 and the three little pigs".

In 2009, Kathleen Aerts decided she wanted to leave the group and Karen and Kristel started looking for a new K3 in the programme "K2 zoekt K3". From the many entries, they choose Josje Huisman as the new member of K3 and launch the hit "Mamasé". Karen, Kristel and Josje created a new series called "Hallo K3". In addition, they produced two films called "K3 Bengeltjes" and "K3 Dierenhotel" and had their own musical called "Alice in Wonderland" created in 3D. They also launched a programme "K3 kan het" in which they make children's dreams or wishes come true. In March 2015, the girls announced that they would pass their torch to three other girls who would be chosen in the programme "K3 zoekt K3".

Karen Damen passes her torch to Hanne Verbruggen, Kristel Verbeke to Marthe De Pillecyn and Josje Huisman to Klaasje Meijer. The three girls re-form K3, breathing new life into the girl group. They are launched with the song "10 000 luchtballonnen", which quickly becomes a success. Together, they release new singles, do shows, create new programmes such as "Iedereen K3" and "K3 Roller disco" and release the films "K3 Love cruise" and "K3 Dans van de farao". After 6 years of K3, Klaasje Meijer decides in 2021 that she wants to change tack in her career and hereby bids farewell to K3. As Hanne and Marthe are far from finished with K3, they start the programme "K2 searches K3".

For one year now, Julia has been filling the role of K3's blonde and I think she does it very well. Hanne, Marthe and Julia were heralded as the new K3 with the song " Waterval" which was another success. Meanwhile, they have already released several new hits and music videos. What the girl group still has in store for us from films, TV programmes, shows and perhaps musicals can only be seen as a surprise. In 2023, K3 will celebrate their 25th anniversary. They remain popular with young and old alike and are heading for a promising future.