X!NK
Encyclopedia
X!NK are a pop punk
group from Belgium
. The band consists of two pairs of brothers: Jonas and Niels Meukens, and Thomas and Philip Valkiers. Jonas is the lead singer and occasionally the second guitarist, his brother Ni|els is the drummer
. Philip plays the bass guitar and Thomas plays the guitar and also occasionally the keyboard
. Their career took off after they won the Belgian national finals of the Eurosong for Kids 2003 and placed sixth in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
the same year. The band is also the subject of a series of comic book
s by Mario Boon from the studio Dupuis
.
in Belgium, X!NK competed against nine other contestants: Laura, Martijn, Remi, Kia, Jelly Pie, Simon MC, the twin girls Tonya and Charlotte. X!NK beat, Tonya the second place winner with a difference of 3 points.
The band then represented Belgium
at the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest
on 15 November 2003 with the song "De Vriendschapsband" (The Bond/Band Between/Of Friends). The song, which they wrote themselves, is about the origin of their band and their friendship. In the field of 16 contestants, they ended in sixth place with 83 points at the final in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. The first place was for Dino representing Croatia and the second place for Sergio from Spain with a song dedicated to his mother who died some months before the contest.
Like the other contestants they got to record their entry in a studio with a professional producer, in their case Paul Despiegelaere. Their winning song was released as a single
.
(the Dutch language area of Belgium).
X!NK often perform at rock festivals in Belgium (for example Marktrock
in Leuven
). In 2004, they released the song "Laat Me Vrij" (Let Me Free) which served as the theme song for the film Garfield in Flemish cinemas. For the sequel to Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown
which debuted in Flemish cinemas on 31 March 2006, they recorded the song "De Andere Kant" (The Other Side) which served as the theme song for this film. Lead singer Jonas also provided the Dutch voice for the character Jimmy the Anteater in the film.
Their second album Vergif (Poison) was released on 30 September 2005.
They also performed on the big 0110-event in Belgium. They opened the show in Ghent
.
Recently Niels and Thomas also play in another Belgian band called The Crackups with two other musicians.
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
group from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The band consists of two pairs of brothers: Jonas and Niels Meukens, and Thomas and Philip Valkiers. Jonas is the lead singer and occasionally the second guitarist, his brother Ni|els is the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. Philip plays the bass guitar and Thomas plays the guitar and also occasionally the keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
. Their career took off after they won the Belgian national finals of the Eurosong for Kids 2003 and placed sixth in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest , is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union annually since 2003 and is open exclusively to broadcasters that are members of the EBU. It is held in a different European city each year.The competition has many...
the same year. The band is also the subject of a series of comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s by Mario Boon from the studio Dupuis
Dupuis
Éditions Dupuis S.A. is a Belgian publisher of comic books and magazines.Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French language publisher, but publishes many editions both in French...
.
Junior Eurovision Song Contest
In the national qualifying rounds for the Junior Eurovision Song ContestJunior Eurovision Song Contest
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest , is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union annually since 2003 and is open exclusively to broadcasters that are members of the EBU. It is held in a different European city each year.The competition has many...
in Belgium, X!NK competed against nine other contestants: Laura, Martijn, Remi, Kia, Jelly Pie, Simon MC, the twin girls Tonya and Charlotte. X!NK beat, Tonya the second place winner with a difference of 3 points.
The band then represented Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
at the first Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the first Eurovision Song Contest for young singers aged eight to fifteen. It was held on 15 November 2003, in Copenhagen, Denmark...
on 15 November 2003 with the song "De Vriendschapsband" (The Bond/Band Between/Of Friends). The song, which they wrote themselves, is about the origin of their band and their friendship. In the field of 16 contestants, they ended in sixth place with 83 points at the final in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The first place was for Dino representing Croatia and the second place for Sergio from Spain with a song dedicated to his mother who died some months before the contest.
Like the other contestants they got to record their entry in a studio with a professional producer, in their case Paul Despiegelaere. Their winning song was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
After the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
X!NK launched their second single, named "Oh-Ho" in the beginning of 2004. Later that year their first album, containing twelve songs was released. The album went gold in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
(the Dutch language area of Belgium).
X!NK often perform at rock festivals in Belgium (for example Marktrock
Marktrock
Marktrock is a popular crowd-puller music festival held each year around the August 15, in the heart of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.There is also a smaller Marktrock festival in Poperinge which is held the last Saturday of August....
in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
). In 2004, they released the song "Laat Me Vrij" (Let Me Free) which served as the theme song for the film Garfield in Flemish cinemas. For the sequel to Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Ice Age: The Meltdown, also known as Ice Age 2: The Meltdown or simply as Ice Age 2, is the 2006 sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and premiered in Belgium on March 1, 2006...
which debuted in Flemish cinemas on 31 March 2006, they recorded the song "De Andere Kant" (The Other Side) which served as the theme song for this film. Lead singer Jonas also provided the Dutch voice for the character Jimmy the Anteater in the film.
Their second album Vergif (Poison) was released on 30 September 2005.
They also performed on the big 0110-event in Belgium. They opened the show in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
.
Recently Niels and Thomas also play in another Belgian band called The Crackups with two other musicians.
Albums
| Title | Translation | Release date (in Belgium) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| X!NK | X!NK | 20 September 2004 | Self-titled debut album. |
| Vergif | Poison | 29 September 2005 | Second album |
Singles
| Title | Translation | Release date (in Belgium) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "De Vriendschapsband" | The Band of Friends | 6 October 2003 | Single of winning Junior Eurovision Song Contest entry. |
| "Oh-Ho" | Oh-Ho | 9 February 2004 | |
| "Laat Mij Vrij" | Let Me Free | 12 July 2004 | Theme song for Garfield: The Movie Garfield (film) Garfield: The Movie, also known as Garfield, is a 2004 American live-action film based on the Jim Davis comic strip with the same name. In the film, Garfield the cat was created with computer-generated imagery, though all other animals were real... |
| "Sorry" | Sorry | 8 November 2004 | |
| "Denk Aan Mij" | Think About Me | 20 August 2005 | |
| "Hou Ons Niet Tegen" | Don't Stop Us | 2 December 2005 | |
| "De Andere Kant" | The Other Side | 17 February 2006 | Theme song for Ice Age: The Meltdown Ice Age: The Meltdown Ice Age: The Meltdown, also known as Ice Age 2: The Meltdown or simply as Ice Age 2, is the 2006 sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and premiered in Belgium on March 1, 2006... |
| "Give Us a future" | Give Us a future | October–December 2007 | Theme song for Junior Eurosong 2007 |
Trivia
- Jonas was born in the year of 1989, Niels and Thomas in 1991 and Philip in 1993.
- The band members are all fans of Janez Detd which had an influence on their music.