Born as Katrien Verbeeck in Tessenderlo, Belgium on July 22, 1980, is a Belgian singer/songwriter who gained international prominence with a cover of Mylène Farmer's "Désenchantée," which was a hit on European pop music charts. She signed with EMI Belgium and released her first album, "Different" in 2002 exclusively in Europe. In 2004, Kate Ryan released a second album "Stronger" in Europe and in North America in 2005.
In 2006 she represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, singing "Je t'adore". However, she was eliminated in the semi-final, finishing two places outside the advancing Top 10, very unexpectedly, considering she was one of the top favourites for first place. Along with the elimination entries from Estonia and Cyprus, Ryan's dismissal was one of the bigger shocks of Eurovision 2006.