Danzel — Belgian singer, mostly famous for the hit "Pump It Up!"
Johan Waem was born on 9 November 1976 in Beveren, Belgium. When he was young, Johan learned how to play guitar, bass guitar, and piano. In his teenage years, Waem and his friends formed a pop-rock band called "Scherp Op Snee." The young musician played the bass guitar. He also joined another group, L.A. band, in which he was the back vocalist. A while later, Johan started writing and recording his own songs.
In 2003, Waem won the local Belgian Idol contest, which is similar to American Idol. It helped the young artist jump-start his career. Johan chose the pseudonym Danzel. At the end of the year, he recorded the first single "You Are All Of That". The song was released under the label Ministry Of Sound. It reached the 9th spot of the Belgian chart. The single was also popular in many European countries. It entered the charts in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In the British dance chart, the song climbed to the 69th spot.
At the beginning of 2004, Danzel presented his second single, "Pump It Up!". It was a remake of a 1998 hit recorded by Black & White Brothers. "Pump It Up!" conquered the charts all over the world, becoming an overnight success. It reached the 3rd spot in Austria, the fourth place in Germany and Romania, and the 5th position in Belgium and Switzerland. The single made it into top-10 on the charts in 10 more countries.
