Spinner

In House With Selah Sue: Belgian Beauty on Learning English From 'The Simpsons' and Being a 'Raggamuffin'

Selah SueGino DePinto, AOL

Bright blue eyes and a teetering beehive of blonde are the first things you'll notice about Selah Sue. The petite Belgian singer walks into Spinner's offices like it's the first day of school.

Already a star in much of Europe, Selah is trying her luck overseas; so far, it's going extremely well. Her English is excellent, but sometimes, a word or a thought is lost in translation.

"I grew up Leuven. It's actually the Flemish part of Belgium. It's really a small town. I lived in like a, how do you call it ... butter, cookie ... dough? Cookie-cutter town!" she says, proudly remembering the idiom.

Selah SueAmazon

Stream Selah Sue's Self-Titled Album for Free!

"There was a lot of green and a lot of children. So it was a perfect place for me to grow up and I'm the youngest of three children. I started to play guitar when I was 15."

Most artists spend a lifetime just hashing out what they want to be. But Selah seems to have found her sound quite quickly: A fierce blend of Ragga and classic R&B. To many, the singer's self-titled debut record is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, but with an added reggae swagger.

Despite there being very little music available in her small Flemish hometown, Selah says she used the Internet to expand her musical curiosities.

"I really am from the generation of the Internet. You have access to all music all the time. I found music through that and not really through my family because no one in my whole family plays an instrument or is into music. I [found music] in high school [from] friends. I went out in the evenings to Ragga parties."

Even though she's kept those influences, Selah hasn't always had her slick stage name. The 23-year-old found that changing her name was almost a necessity if she was going to be singing around the world.

"My real name is Sanne. It's really not so exotic," she confesses. "Here [in the U.S.] it sounds pretty cool, but actually it's a really normal name, like Sarah. And my last name is Putseys, and that's totally not an option [laughs]. So I use Selah Sue. 'Selah' is a song of Lauryn Hill's as well, and I thought it just sounded really beautiful."

Selah's songwriting abilities grew as her handle on American English improved. Through sub-titled reruns of "The Simpsons" and "Friends," she was able to to learn the language quickly.

"Flemish, believe me, doesn't sound so beautiful [when sung]. Maybe French one day, but I'm better in English. I grew up with that."

Her most popular hit, "Raggamuffin," is a fast-paced jam that begins with Selah's signature classical-acoustic style. Pretty soon, you're enveloped by a chorus full of scatting and angst. It's quite rare to see an artist with such a distilled sense of a genre's essence. At her young age, this Belgian artist has managed to produced invigorated reggae and soul music that speaks volumes without having to say much at all.

Check out Selah Sue's Video for "Raggamuffin" below and be sure to stream her self-titled album above.

Click Through Photos of Selah Sue
See All Spinner Galleries »


Watch "Raggamuffin"

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

8 Comments

Filter by:
Dan Fratoni

Her voice is SO unique. Definitely one of the best records I've picked up in a while. http://bit.ly/SiAVwm.

September 17 2012 at 2:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lachmaxwell

How the Simpson's saved the world...

September 11 2012 at 4:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
BikerWoo

Let freedom shine! Meet hundreds of thousands local verified biker singles and admirers. U will find friendship,riding partner, love on ~~ BikerWoo ~~ the best site for biker singles dating. No hesitation to find your true love. Enjoy riding and love together. Best wishes.

September 03 2012 at 9:07 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
richhookup. C0M

See MY NAME ------ Where the men are MEN and the women are gorgeous women. Over 1700000 active members from local and worldwide. Free to post & browse. Easy to search. Live chat. Join and hook up today.

August 31 2012 at 6:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
shelbyw1233

I think Selah Sue has a great sound! she's already extremely popular in Belgium and France and I can see why. I was so glad to see her on iTunes single of the week!

August 26 2012 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Matt Boswell CMR

I'm so excited to finally see Selah Sue get the attention in the US that she has earned overseas. Her single "Raggamuffin" is available as the iTunes Free Single of the Week this week as well, so get it while you can!

August 25 2012 at 3:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mircea

an extremely sweet lady

August 23 2012 at 6:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
billyny1973

dEFINately enjoy her style and the sound of her voice rings bells in my heads. good job!

August 23 2012 at 7:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply