Natalia Willy Druyts (born 3 December 1980), known mononymously as Natalia, is a Belgian singer. She became known in Flanders during the VTM program Idool 2003, in which she finished in second place. She has also served a coach in Flemish TV-programs The Voice van Vlaanderen, The Voice Kids and The Voice Senior.
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Early life and career
Natalia was born on 3 December 1980 in Geel, Belgium. Her parents had always lived in Oevel, a village close by the Geel municipality. She graduated as a translator in English and Spanish.
Before 2003 Natalia was the singer of a small music group in Gierle (Belgium). This group was only known in the area of Turnhout (Belgium) and Westerlo (Belgium), where they had some performances. She got her breakthrough in 2003, which unfortunately meant she had to break up with her friends from 'Secret Me'.
In 2003 Natalia released her first single "Without You", the single peaked at number two in the Belgian charts and was certified gold in Belgium. Not much later, Natalia provided two songs for the Belgian movie Team Spirit II, releasing "I've Only Begun To Fight" as her second single and as part of the soundtrack for the movie. The song peaked at number one in the Belgian charts and was certified gold in Belgium. Shortly after, she recorded her first album, This Time. It was certified platinum in Belgium, and Natalia started her first tour, the This Time Live Tour. Originally planned as a 20 date tour, it was extended to 90 dates due to massive ticket demands. While on tour she performed at the pre-selections for the Eurovision Song Contest with "Higher Than The Sun", which was released as her third single. It peaked at number two in the Belgian charts. The fourth and last single of the This Time album was "I Want You Back", which peaked at number three in the charts.