Isaac Roux

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Meet Isaac Roux, nom de plume of Belgian singer-songwriter Louis De Roo. After graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), signing a record deal, scoring several hit singles and with a sensational debut album coming up, Roux is more than ready for his big breakthrough.

If LIPA doesn’t ring a bell, then ‘Paul McCartney’s music academy’ certainly will. In 2015 De Roo was admitted to study there for four years, even having the chance to work on some songs with Sir Paul himself. It certainly perfected his English, which he impeccably uses to put his emotions and soul into songs, wrapped in guitars that build up at the right moment. Think: Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Perfume Genius and My Morning Jacket or, closer to home, Novastar.

Take debut single ‘White Rose’, heavenly indie folk with just the right amount of edge, a full sound, and the warm glow of De Roo’s characteristic voice. It brought him victory in ‘De Nieuwe Lichting’ (‘The New Class’), a steppingstone to a thriving career. Spotify was quick to provide full support, and radio stations in Belgium and The Netherlands were head over heels. Follow-up singles ‘Colours’ and ‘Autumn Love’ followed suit and opened doors in Germany (radioeins) and Austria (FM4), earning Roux a live session on German national radio station Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

His combination of warm indie folk and alternative rock works even better onstage, never failing to leave a crowd open-mouthed. With all that in mind, every normal person would start to swoon, but not Louis De Roo. With the experience he already has and his feet firmly on the ground, he has a lot more beautiful stuff in store this year. After supporting Dotan for a European tour in April, he’ll be kicking off the line-up in The Barn (the world’s biggest festival tent) at Rock Werchter. And with his debut album coming out in November, the near future is looking very bright for this new indie kid on the block.

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