Several records
Two years later, it exploded all the counters. Before the release of “Gedoe†, the young woman lined up nine sold-out concerts at Ancienne Belgique, beating the record previously held by dEUS. Last summer, her performances at Rock Werchter 2026 and at Pukkelpop, where many French speakers discovered her, were unanimously acclaimed. Awarded 17 Mia’s – the Flemish equivalent of the Victoires de la Musique -, Pommelien Thijs is also opening the doors to the international market thanks to Knock Offwhose first season entered the top 10 streams in 54 countries.
Generational texts
The Pommelian style? An instinctive mix of pop, rock and folk, Taylor Swift style. I’m done (†I’m ready†), Present Tense (†Au Présent), Who we are tomorrow (†Who we will be tomorrow†), Authentiek (†Authentic†)… Written exclusively in Dutch, his texts touch the heart of the concerns of his generation: transition to adulthood, quest for autonomy, toxic loves, frustrations of enduring societal choices imposed by politicians “d’another era†. On the eve of his five sold-out concerts at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp and his first appearance in a Walloon festival (August 8 at the Ronquières Festival), Pommelien Thijs chose Moustique to grant his first major French-speaking interview.
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Season 3 de Knokke Offyour 25th anniversary and a new show presented five times at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. Is this the happiest April of your life?
POMMELIEN THIJS -Everything doesn’t happen at the same time. I’m very excited to see the reaction to season 3 of Knock Off but, as an actress, the strongest experience is already behind me. It took place last summer, when we filmed the series. Today I’m focusing on the concerts at Sportpaleis.
Louise, your character in Knock Off, psuffers from bipolarity. In your opinion, can the success of the series help to raise awareness about this disease?
A fiction can free speech, but in the case of bipolar disorder, it is essential that this debate is carried out by people confronted for real with this reality. The strength of Louise’s character comes from the fact that one of the two screenwriters of Knock Off herself suffers from bipolar disorder. Louise’s story is based on a real experience, even if it remains a TV series and bipolar disorder can take different forms. My job as an actress consists of being kind to my character and avoiding falling into caricature. One of the most beautiful messages I received was from a young girl whose mother suffers from bipolar disorder. “We watched the series together. We talked about it, it did us good. We can love Louise even if we see that she is not perfect and that she goes through crises.“
The young Dutch-speaking fans we interviewed all told us: “We love Pommelien because we recognize ourselves in his songs.†Do you feel like the spokesperson for your generation?
The generation I am part of is particularly polarized. A single voice can never embody all the concerns of a generation. Maybe some of it recognizes itself in what I sing, and some of it doesn’t. But it flatters me, because that’s what I myself look for in the artists I listen to. Music can make you feel an emotion that you can’t express in everyday life. With a song you can say: “come with me, we will stay together for three minutes in the same emotion. It’s beautiful.“
Flagship title from your latest album, Present Tense (“Au present“) resonates like a hymn to the disillusions of youth. How was it born?
This song almost wrote itself as if it had to come out of me. We are bombarded with news. It’s no longer even a conscious choice on our part: we wake up, we turn on our smartphone and it happens everywhere. It’s anxiety-inducing. How to stay informed without being overwhelmed by all the horrors of the world? How to be engaged (in a cause) without saying to yourself: “It’s too much, I don’t know where to start.“In this cathartic song, many things that keep me from sleeping come to the surface: the climate emergency, political choices, women’s rights going backwards… I could make you a list, but it would be a hellish list.
“Angèle and I are both blonde, pop singers and bisexual. I understand the connection.”
On August 8, in Ronquières, you will perform for the first time in a big Walloon festival. A concert like any other?
In Flanders or the Netherlands, people sing the lyrics with me and often react to the same moments of the concert: they want to dance, shout, jump. In Wallonia, the link with the language will necessarily be different. But I can’t present another concert, because I only have songs in Dutch.. I’m not going to translate the lyrics but I will say a few sentences in French between the titles. I’m currently taking classes. That said, in festivals, there is a “mood“universal. People come for the music, the fun, the energy of the moment. Nobody goes there to criticize. The public wants to have a good time. And I will do my best to offer them that. And maybe they will learn a little Dutch in the process (laughs).
Do you have French-speaking fans?
Yes. And I’m always very impressed when they start singing with me in Dutch.
In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, you are nicknamed “Flemish England”. Are you taking it well?
We are both blonde, pop singers and bisexual. This is undoubtedly how the link is made. There is also perhaps this “pop phenomenon” side that we share. The comparison touches me. Angéle is great. He’s a very good example of an artist who can take me somewhere else thanks to his musical universe.
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Rosalie, Dua Lipa, Théodora, Angleyou… The most relevant pop projects of the moment are all female. An explanation?
The artists you mention make exactly the music they want to make. And I think the public has an excellent radar to differentiate between what’s “fake” and what’s “authentic.” What is even more interesting is that this does not only concern young singers. Many female artists release excellent albums on their seventh or eighth album. Look at Sabrina Carpenter… It’s inspiring to see these women who have the opportunity to develop their art while reinventing themselves over the years.
“Hassle” s’inspire d’Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, classic of the Theater of the Absurd. In the same spirit, how do you explain that all the VRT stations broadcast your music while at the other end of the corridor, at RTBF, you are ignored?
In Flanders, there is the same thinking compared to the Netherlands. Dutch artists are well broadcast here, while the opposite is a little less common, especially when you don’t sing in English. I have no explanation. But fortunately, the way we consume music has evolved. Artists and audiences of my generation today use new channels, such as social networks, which allows music to be discovered by a wider audience.
Do you plan to write in English?
You should never say never but I want to continue writing in Dutch: it’s my language, my playground. Changing language means relearning everything: the nuances, the untranslatable expressions, the little shifts that I love to put in my texts. It would completely change the way I write.
Knokke Off Season 3, Netflix. This is 3/4.
Lesson 23/4, 24/4, 25/4, 30/4 et 1/5, Sportpaleis AFAS Dome, Anvers (Complet).
Le 8/8, Ronquières Festival, Ronquières
Hassle, Sony Belgium
