Vanessa Chinitor (born 13 October 1976,

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; french: Termonde, ) is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-b ...

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

) is a Belgian singer, best known outside Belgium for her participation in the 1999

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

Early career

In 1996, Chinitor was a finalist in the VTM talent show ''Ontdek de Ster'' (''Discover the Star''). She released her first single, "In al mijn dromen", in 1998.

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1999, Chinitor's song " Like the Wind" was chosen as the Belgian representative in the 44th

, which took place on 29 May in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Chinitor was unfortunate to be drawn to sing second, the draw known to Eurovision fans as the 'no hoper' as no song performed second has ever won the contest. "Like the Wind" is a distinctive song with

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

influences, which could not match Belgium's relatively high placement in the 1998 contest but managed to finish in a respectable joint 12th place of 23 entries, having received 38 points, the same as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

entry. In 2006, Chinitor participated for a second time in the Belgian Eurovision selection, but her song "Beyond You" did not progress beyond the quarter-final stage.

Later career

Chinitor released her first album, also titled ''Like the Wind'', in 1999. This album was recorded entirely in English and included the single "When the Siren Calls", which was a moderate hit. Chinitor returned to recording in Dutch for the single "Verlangen", which reached the top 10 of the Ultratop Flemish chart. She also recorded a version of the song "Ik neem vandaag de trein", originally recorded by another Belgian Eurovision representative, Ann Christy. In 2001 she released ''Costa Romantica'', an album of duets with Bart Kaëll, from which three singles were released. Chinitor has since worked in a number of musical shows on television and stage, often in collaboration with musician Dirk Bauters.Biography
(in Dutch)

Discography

Singles

*1998: "In al mijn dromen" *1999: "Verdoofd en verblind" *1999: "Like the Wind" *1999: "When the Siren Calls" *1999: "Verlangen" *2000: "Deze dans" *2000: "Ik neem vandaag de trein" *2001: "Comme j'ai toujours" (duet with Bart Kaëll) *2001: "I’ve got you babe" (duet with Bart Kaëll) *2001: "Weer naar zee" (duet with Bart Kaëll) *2002: "Heimwee" *2004: "Je hart"

Albums

*1999: ''Like the Wind'' *2001: ''Costa Romantica'' (with Bart Kaëll)

References

External links

* (in Dutch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chinitor, Vanessa 1976 births Living people People from Dendermonde Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Belgium Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1999 21st-century Belgian women singers 21st-century Belgian singers