‘I will sing Djelem, djelem in Belgrade’

Belgrade, April 13. 2010 (Source: Blic) - Dani Klein, the lead singer of the popular Belgian band Vaya Con Dios to appear in Belgrade on 3 May, promises a great concert in an interview for Blic. She also reveals the band will be performing Djelem, djelem, a local traditional song she deems a true musical gem and explains why the band’s latest album features tracks exclusively sung in French. “We will be performing a couple of songs from the latest album and, of course, the old hits. There will be seven of us on the stage and I’m sure we will have a great time, together with the audience,” says Klein and reveals she has yet to do any sightseeing around Belgrade, although Vaya Con Dios have performed on a couple of occasions in Serbia’s capital before. “Unfortunately, we are always in a big hurry, it’s often that we fly off to another concert the very next day and I’ve never got the chance to go around the city. Though, in 2008 we did travel from Sarajevo to a spa resort in Serbia and I was stunned by the nature along the way,” says Klein, the voice of a band which had its peak in the 1990s offering hits such as Just A Friend Of Mine, Johnny, Don’t Cry For Louie, Puerto Rico and Nah Neh Nah.Unlike some previous records, the latest one – Comme on est venu – was released in October 2009, and the lyrics are entirely in French. “It’s been an idea in my head for a long time. French is my native language and ever since I was a child I’ve been listening to French chansons. This is something I just had to do. Besides the fact the album’s lyrics are all in French, there are no major differences comparing to previous albums, as we’ve maintained our sound. We worked on the album for almost three years,” says Klein, who left the band at the height of its fame in 1996, and abandon the world of show business for the time being. She was back in music industry three years later, as Vaya Con Dios produced their comeback album, The Promise, in 2004.