Vanessa Chinitor

Early Life and Musical Start

Vanessa Chinitor was born on 13 October 1976 in Dendermonde, Belgium. She is a Belgian pop singer. Vanessa became famous for representing Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. In 1996, she reached the finals of Ontdek de Ster, a VTM television talent show. Singer John Terra noticed her potential. Two years later, she released her debut single “In al mijn dromen”, which caught the interest of the Flemish media. Her second single, “Verdoofd en verblind”, followed soon after and confirmed that Flanders had gained a fresh new voice in pop music. 

Eurovision Song Contest 1999

In early 1999, Vanessa took part in Eurosong 1999, Belgium’s national competition to choose a Eurovision entry. With her uplifting song “Like The Wind”, she won the pre-selection convincingly and earned the right to represent her country at the Eurovision Song Contest. At the international final on 29 May 1999, she gave a powerful live performance of “Like The Wind” in a striking red dress. She finished 12th out of 23 countries, earning a total of 38 points in the contest.

Despite not winning Eurovision, the experience made Vanessa known to a wider European audience. “Like The Wind” became a big hit on the Belgian charts, reaching No. 3 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 ranking. 

Music Career After Eurovision

After Eurovision, Vanessa Chinitor continued recording and releasing music in Belgium. She put out her first album, Like The Wind, in late 1999. This debut album consisted entirely of English-language songs, including the single “When The Siren Calls”. However, Flemish listeners were eager to hear Dutch-language songs from her, so she soon shifted focus back to singing in Dutch. By the end of 1999, Vanessa scored a Flemish Ultratop top-10 hit with the catchy song “Verlangen”. Another single, “Deze dans”, also received heavy airplay on Radio 2 in 2000. Around the same time, she paid tribute to one of her idols, Ann Christy, by releasing a fresh version of the classic “Ik neem vandaag de trein” in 2000.

In 2001, Vanessa explored duet performances and broadened her repertoire. She teamed up with fellow singer Bart Kaëll to record the album Costa Romantica. This album featured cover versions of international hits. They released three singles from this duet album. Vanessa remained active through the mid-2000s. In 2005, she released a compilation album called 13, which collected her Dutch-language songs in one set. The following year, she even attempted a Eurovision comeback. She entered Eurosong 2006 with a power ballad titled “Beyond You,” but it failed to advance beyond the quarter-final stage. Undeterred, Vanessa kept making new music. In 2010, she released another full-length album, Een koffer vol dromen (“A Suitcase Full of Dreams”), which showcased her continued growth as an artist.

Television and Stage Appearances

In addition to her recording career, Vanessa Chinitor also became a familiar face on Belgian television. After her Eurovision stint, she appeared regularly on popular music programs such as De Notenclub and Het Swingpaleis. These TV shows kept her in the public eye and allowed her to showcase her singing talent to a broad audience. In 2002, Vanessa made a surprising career move by becoming a TV presenter on the commercial channel VT4. She worked as one of the station’s on-air announcers, which was an unexpected new role for her outside of singing. This venture into television demonstrated her versatility as an entertainer.

Apart from TV, Vanessa eagerly embraced opportunities on stage. At the end of 2002, she took one of the lead roles in a winter revue production by Studio 100, a theater show that mixed music and comedy.The following summer, she joined the cast of a summer revue directed by Dirk Bauters (a comedian and musician) in East Flanders. These theatrical revues gave Vanessa a chance to act and sing in lively stage productions, which she greatly enjoyed. Over the years, she continued to take part in musical theater shows and revues. In fact, she often collaborated with Dirk Bauters in these stage performances and other musical projects, further expanding her presence in Belgian entertainment.

Personal Life and Recent Years

Vanessa’s personal life became closely tied to her music career. On 31 August 2012, she married Dirk Bauters. The two not only became husband and wife but also formalized their long-running musical partnership. As a duo, Vanessa and Dirk have performed together extensively, bringing music and humor to festivals, local events, and concert shows. They see each other “day and night” while working and touring. It’s a testament to their strong bond in life and on stage.

In recent years, Vanessa Chinitor has continued to delight fans with live performances and special projects. In 2023, she joined a ladies’ choir called FAMUSE for a unique series of concerts celebrating Eurovision songs. Together, they filled the theater in Mortsel three times. In 2025, Vanessa made a return to national television on the VTM program Sing Again, a show that reunites past talent-show stars. She once again performed “Like The Wind” on stage, recreating her iconic Eurovision act and enchanting the audience all over again. Today, Vanessa Chinitor’s name continues to shine in the Belgian music world.