Music: Flemish reluctant to listen to their own language

Here is an unfortunate fact about Flanders... Flemish youngsters listen less and less to songs in Flemish! In recent TV-shows like Idool or The Voice van Vlaanderen, almost all artists sang in English, some tried in French too, but the only two songs in Dutch were bashed by the jury. This may be the symptom of a lack of self-confidence among the Flemish. This article will show how the only genre in which Flemish language is still successful is hiphop!

Some Flemish bands have become famous worldwide. They're creative and, in the manner of Scandinavian musicians, they are good at singing in English. In that way, bands singing in English constitute most of current Flemish musics. For example, Hooverphonic, Selah Sue, K's Choice or Soulwax, have made the Flemish music scene as what it is today. Flemish people are often "musicoholic" and have quite ecclectic tastes... Studio Brussel, a Flemish indie radio, also a branch of national broadcasting VRT, is a perfect showcase of what Flemish youth listen to today.

A longlasting tendency in Flanders is to listen to French music ("chanson française"), perhaps because French used to be the only official language in Belgium and it had prestige. Did you know that Jacques Brel's family was Flemish? Probably not, because he only sang and spoke French on TV. Today, young people listen to chansons a little less (maybe because learning French is not considered as enjoyable), but some artists like Stromae, from Brussels, hit the charts in Flanders and sing in French. A few Flemish artists have sung in French too: Arno (rock), Axelle Red (pop-jazz), Vive la Fête (electro) or more recently dEUS (rock). All of them are famous in both linguistics communities today and youngsters like them.

Vive la Fête

Let's talk about songs in Dutch or Flemish dialects that people listen to nowadays. Last century saw a revival of folk musics from Flanders (maybe in link with the rise of Flemish nationalism). These songs, called today "schlagers" (a German word meaning "hits"), are often sung in dialects. Young people rarely listen to them, but they may enjoy them at carnivals or folkloric festivals, in which everyone drinks beer and dances. Otherwise, it sounds a bit too old-fashioned.

 A parody of Flemish slagers

Next, we find a few pop-rock bands that have songs in Flemish, like Clouseau, De Kreuners, Gorki or De Mens. Some of their songs are actually quite cool. Yet, there are not a lot of them and they are getting a bit outdated, as they are to be classified as 80s or 90s bands. Today, some of them still release songs, but they are not as famous as they used to be anymore.

De Kreuners (80s band)

Finally, as a matter of fact the music in Flemish that youngsters listen to the most is actually... hiphop! Actually, rap has always been about what's happening in your own town and it has to be very slangy, so that it is easier to write rap lyrics in your own language. That's why young Flemish people still enjoy hearing their language in rap songs. Dutch hiphop, also called "Nederhop", is quite famous in Flanders, with bands like The Opposites or De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig ("nowaday's youth"). Yet, some Flemish rap bands also gain a regional success, such as Tourist LeMC (Antwerp), Safi & Spreej (Mechelen), 't Hof van Commerce (West Flanders), etc. Their songs, like schlagers, often have their lyrics in Flemish dialects, and it is probably through the hiphop genre that you can learn the most local phrases, mixed with English or French catchphrases.

Safi & Spreej

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