Sil

Sil and Silvy are stage names used by Belgian singer Silvy De Bie (born in Lier on 4 January 1981), best known as the vocalist of the dance group Sylver.

She first entered Flemish show business as a child star under the name Silvy Melody. Discovered at age nine on Walter Capiau’s children’s entertainment show “De Kinderacademie” (VTM), she performed Ben, a cover of a Michael Jackson song; its Dutch-language release kick-started her career. In 1990 she released the duet with Danny Fabry, De Telefoon Huilt Mee, an adaptation of “Le téléphone pleure” by Claude François. Other singles include Waar ben je nu, Hela Sascha (1990), Alle dagen dansen, Nummer één (1991), Liefde is… (1992), C'est à ça que servent les amis (1993, with Patrick Van Assche), and Il est si doux, c'était un arrangement de l'amour éternel, based on a song made famous in 1968 by British group Love Affair. In 1990 she also contributed to the children’s album “Superhits” with Walter Capiau, Frank Hoelen, Micha Marah and Antoine Vereecken. Her last solo single from that period came out in 1994: Wie is zij.

Plans for a pop act built around her—The Sprinklies—along with a film and a prepared single titled “Hey, Hey Sprinklie”, were cut short when Belgian law restricting work by children under sixteen halted her momentum; she was 13 at the time.

In 1998 she attempted a comeback with the all-girl trio Lace, which led to a single TV performance and the single Find Me An Angel.

In 2000, after working in a shoe store, she met Wout Van Dessel at the Illusion nightclub. He was looking for a new singer for his project Liquid; she stepped in, and that summer Turn The Tide was released. The track became a major hit, topping the Ultratop 50 for three weeks. In 2001 the act changed its name to Sylver.

Alongside the group, she launched solo work as Sil in summer 2009, releasing Love Don't Come Easy. In 2013 she left Sylver. In early 2016 the group reunited and began a reunion tour.

As a featured vocalist, she appeared in 2002 on Sweet Dreams by MnC, a cover of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics. In 2004 she sang I don't Care with Milk Inc. in a vocal exchange with Linda Mertens; while pregnant, she performed it with Linda on 20 October 2007 on the TV show “De Provincieshow” for the Province of Antwerp. In 2014 she took part in the Eurovision Song Contest with What's The Time In Tokyo?. That same year she joined De Grietjes, replacing Evi Goffin, and left the group at the end of 2015.

At the end of 2012 she played Tinker Bell in the Music Hall stage production “Peter Pan – The Never Ending Story” for Dutch-language performances in Belgium, and returned for the revival in 2016.

In her personal life, she married in 2005; the couple had a daughter in 2007; she divorced in 2008. In August 2012 she opened a clothing and accessories store in Antwerp; nine months later it closed and she was declared bankrupt.