Angèle Joséphine Aimée Van Laeken (, ; born 3 December 1995), known simply as Angèle, is a Belgian singer and songwriter. She was one of 2018's biggest breakout acts in French and Belgian pop music, breaking Stromae's record for weeks at the top of the Belgian singles charts with her 2018 single "Tout oublier" which features her brother, Roméo Elvis.
Early life Van Laeken was born on 3 December 1995, in Uccle, in the Brussels-Capital Region, the daughter of singer Marka (Serge Van Laeken) and actress . Her brother is the rapper Roméo Elvis.
Her father encouraged her from an early age to learn the piano, which inspired her musical career.
Angèle spent a difficult adolescence in a strict Catholic school before attending the Decroly School. The artistic options at this high school helped develop her musical skills. She then enrolled in the Jazz Studio Antwerp for a jazz education before joining her father's band.
Career 2015–2018: Career beginnings and Brol
Angèle gave her first performances in streets around Brussels, most notably at the restaurant Le Delecta, in Ixelles, now closed. She was first noticed for her cover of Dick Annegarn, "Bruxelles", and on Instagram videos where she mixed singing and comedy. In 2017, she was the support act for Ibeyi and the Belgian rapper Damso, whom she also accompanied in his album Lithopédion. Her first single, "La Loi de Murphy", was released in late 2017 and received millions of views on YouTube.
A second single "Je veux tes yeux" was released in early 2018. The two video clips were directed by the Belgian photographer Charlotte Abramow. In May 2018 she performed her first Parisian concert at the Trianon accompanied by MC Solaar on her cover of his song "Victime de la mode". She performed in several summer festivals in Belgium, France and Switzerland such as Les Ardentes, Dour, Garorock, and Rock Werchter. In 2018, Angèle released her third single, "La Thune".
In August 2018 she announced the tracklist of her first album Brol on the Initial label. The album was released on 5 October 2018, the same day as her single duet with her brother, Roméo Elvis. This album was successful and resulted in Angèle invitation to perform on various French TV shows. The single, "Tout oublier", spent nine weeks at number 1 on the Ultratop charts, breaking the record for a Belgian artist formerly set by Stromae.
2019–2023: Nonante-Cinq
In 2019 Angèle became one of the most sought for artists in France and Belgium and affirmed her feminism with the song "Balance ton quoi" in reference to the French #metoo movement, Balance ton porc. Pierre Niney makes an appearance in the video alongside some of Angèle's friends to talk about the struggles her female friends have encountered with men. Angèle became an ambassador for Chanel afterwards. In April 2020 Angèle performed for One World: Together At Home, a global broadcast and digital special to support front-line healthcare workers and the WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted by Lady Gaga.
In October 2020, Angèle was pictured alongside London singer Dua Lipa on the set of a music video. A collaboration with the latter was later announced and would feature on the reissue of Lipa's new album Future Nostalgia. "Fever" was released on 30 October 2020. The music video was released a week later on 6 November 2020 on YouTube. Before the release of the video, Lipa announced on social media that Angèle would be appearing as a special guest on her live stream concert Studio 2054 on 27 November 2020.
In 2021 Angèle made her film debut in Annette, directed by Leos Carax. Her second studio album, Nonante-Cinq was released on 3 December 2021, her 26th birthday. In 2022, Angèle featured in "Sunflower" from Tamino Amir's second album, Sahar.
2024–present: Paris Olympics In 2024 Angèle performed "Nightcall" alongside Kavinsky and Phoenix as part of the Paris Olympics closing ceremony. As a result, Nightcall became the most searched-for song in a single day and in a single minute on the musical search site Shazam. In 2025, Angèle released "A Little More," a single featured in an advertising campaign for Chanel. On February 27, 2026, Angèle released the first single for her new album in collaboration with Justice, titled "What You Want". On June 22, three days after the release of her previous single "Dis-le", Angèle announced the release of her next album, titled "Instinct".
Musical influences Angèle is a fan of Ella Fitzgerald and Hélène Ségara. She is inspired by many musical genres from French songs to electronic music and rap, which she disliked as a teenager. She became influenced by rap, particularly while performing with her brother Romeo Elvis and the rappers Caballero and JeanJass.
Personal life From 2017 to 2019 she dated French dancer and choreographer Léo Walk. She wrote the song "Perdus" which is about the end of their relationship, linked to her new notoriety.
In August 2020 Angèle announced on Instagram that she was dating French actor Marie Papillon, while coming out. They separated the following year. Photos of them were previously published by French tabloid Public in 2019, then discussed in the talk show Touche pas à mon poste !, without Angèle's consent and outing her. In her 2021 self-titled Netflix documentary, Angèle confirmed her bisexuality. Later, in May 2023, Angèle came out as pansexual. In an interview with the French talk show France 2, she said that "[she] can fall in love with a boy, a girl, a non-binary person, or a transgender person." She added that "the feeling of love, having butterflies in your stomach, whether with a girl or a boy, is the same for [her]."
Tours
Headlining
Brol Tour (2018–2020) Nonante-Cinq Tour (2022–2023) Instinct Tour (2027)
Opening act
Damso – Ipséité Tour (2017) Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia Tour (2022)
Discography
Studio albums +List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales and certifications Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications BEL(WA) BEL(FL) FRA SWI Brol Released: 5 October 2018 Re-released: 8 November 2019 (Brol La Suite) Label: Angèle VL, Initial Artist Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming, box set 1 1 1 7 BEA: 7× Platinum SNEP: 2× Diamond Nonante-Cinq Released: 3 December 2021 Label: Angèle VL, Initial Artist Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 1 3 2 6 BEA: 2× Platinum SNEP: 3× Platinum Instinct Scheduled: 16 October 2026 Label: Angèle VL, Sony Music Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming colspan="5" "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Singles
As lead artist
+List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released, certifications and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album BEL(WA) BEL(FL) CANPeak chart positions on the Canadian Hot 100: "Fever": FRA GER IRL POR SWI UKPeak chart positions on the UK Singles Chart: Fever: WW "La Loi de Murphy" 2017 5 22 — 42 — — — — — — BEA: Platinum SNEP: Platinum Brol "Je veux tes yeux" 2018 16 25 — 60 — — — — — — BEA: Gold SNEP: Platinum "La Thune" 9 39 — 15 — — — — — — BEA: Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Jalousie" 12 — — 26 — — — — — — BEA: Gold SNEP: Diamond "Tout oublier" 1 6 — 1 — — — 55 — — BEA: 3× Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Balance ton quoi" 2019 1 13 — 2 — — — 33 — — BEA: 3× Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Flou" 2 20 — 34 — — — — — — BEA: Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Perdus" 10 65 — 8 — — — 58 — — SNEP: Platinum Brol La Suite "Oui ou non" 2 9 — 3 — — — 11 — — BEA: Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Ta reine" 2020 25 — — 16 — — — — — — SNEP: Diamond Brol "Fever" 1 1 49 1 85 36 104 9 79 69 BEA: 3× Platinum SNEP: Diamond Future Nostalgia "Bruxelles je t'aime" 2021 1 3 — 8 — — — 50 — — BEA: 2× Platinum SNEP: Diamond Nonante-Cinq "Démons" 2 — — 5 — — — 31 — — BEA: 2× Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Libre" 2022 3 19 — 31 — — — 85 — — BEA: Platinum SNEP: Diamond "Amour, haine et danger" 8 45 — 82 — — — — — — SNEP: Gold "Évidemment" 10 — — 4 — — — 65 — — BEA: Gold SNEP: Diamond Civilisation "Le temps fera les choses" 2023 30 — — 188 — — — — — — Nonante-Cinq "Plus de sens" 17 — — 50 — — — — — — SNEP: Gold "Nightcall" 2024 15 32 — 3 — — — — — — SNEP: Diamond "What You Want" 2026 1 32 — 19 — — — 99 — — SNEP: Platinum Instinct "Dis-le" 10 — — — — — — — — — "Une seule vie" 6 — — 65 — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that country.
Notes
As featured artist
+List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released, certifications and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album BEL(WA) FRA ITA "J'ai vu" 2017 79 164 — SNEP: Platinum Morale 2 "S'en aller" 2020 — 156 — Alt F4 "Sempre / Jamais" 2024 12 167 85 Nei letti degli altri "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that country.
Other charted songs
+List of other charted songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released, certifications and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album FRA SWI "Silence" 2018 3 48 SNEP: Diamond Lithopédion "Nombreux" 40 — SNEP: Platinum Brol "Victime des réseaux" 58 — SNEP: Gold "Les matins" 50 — SNEP: Platinum "Flemme" 63 — SNEP: Gold "Insomnies" 2019 28 — Brol La Suite "Tu me regardes" 20 — SNEP: Platinum "J'entends" 31 — SNEP: Gold "Que du love" 45 — SNEP: Gold "On s'habitue" 2021 46 — Nonante-Cinq "Solo" 40 — SNEP: Gold "Pensées positives" 53 — "Taxi" 41 — SNEP: Platinum "Tempête" 49 — "Profite" 61 — "Mots justes" 76 — "Mauvais rêves" 66 — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that country.
Filmography Film +Key Denotes productions that have not yet been released Year Title Role Notes 2019 Toy Story 4 Gabby Gabby (Voice) French dubbing 2021 Annette Six Accuser's member Space Jam: A New Legacy Lola Bunny (Voice) French dubbing Angèle Herself Documentary 2023 Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom Panacea (Falbala)
Television Year Title Role Notes 2020 La Flamme Anna 2 episodes 2021 Marie et les Choses Barmaid 1 episode
Awards and nominations
Berlin Music Video Awards The Berlin Music Video Awards is an international festival that promotes the art of music videos. Year Award Nomination Result 2022 Best Art Director BRUXELLES JE T'AIME Red Bull Elektropedia Awards Year Award Nomination Result Reference 2018 Artist of the yearHerself Best Song Breakthrough Artist/ Producer Best Video "La loi de Murphy" & "Je veux tes yeux"
D6bels Music Awards The D6bels Music Awards is a musical event organized by RTBF, a public radio and television service of the French Community of Belgium. Year Award Nomination Result Reference 2018 Album of the year "Brol" Female solo artistHerself Chanson française Concert Musician Author/composer Videoclip "La thune" Hit "La loi de Murphy"
MTV Europe Music Awards Year Award Nomination Result Reference 2018 Best Belgian Act Herself 2020
Music Industry Awards The MIA's, in full Music Industry Awards, are Flemish music prizes that are awarded by the VRT in collaboration with Music Centre Flanders. Year Award Nomination Result Reference 2018 Album "Brol" Artwork Author/composerHerself Breakthrough Female solo Pop Videoclip "La loi de Murphy" 2019 Song of the year "Tout oublier" Female soloHerself Pop Live Act Videoclip "Balance ton quoi" 2022 Hit of the Year 2020 "Oui ou non" Hit of the Year 2021 "Fever" (with Dua Lipa) Female soloHerself Pop Author/componist Videoclip "Bruxelles je t'aime" 2024 Videoclip "Sunflower" (with Tamino)
Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry that recognizes the best musical artists of the year. The awards are the French equivalent to the Grammy Awards and the Brit Awards for music, and it is one of the major awards in France.