Life & Work with Guy Balbaert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Guy Balbaert

Hi Guy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a consultant for major music brands like Bose/Ernie Ball/Boveda Music/BandLab/….. This work brought me to every corner of the world and also allowed me to stay connected as a songwriter with artists/songwriters globally. I’ve had hits now in Asia (Quynh Anh/Girl’s Generation), Europe (The Voice/TV Series Thuis) and in the US (5 Singles with Country Artist Jessica Lynn).

Third in line of a family of playwrights and theatre performers. My love for the word makes me a natural storyteller/lyricist. It doesn’t take long before I took it to the next step and starts writing songs. Next to being a session player in the nineties (backing vocals/acoustic guitar/harmonica) for many Belgian performers I worked on a own solo album. Signed by EMI and with a hit pop album produced by Kevin Armstrong I end up touring in several countries with his band READ. It becomes apparent that songwriting is where my heart lies and I’ve been doing this for years now on an international level. Not a slave to one style I can immerse myself in every vibe and does so without fear. ‘If it feels right, it is right’ is my guideline.

Co-writes:
Kevin Armstrong, Jessica Lynn, Alex Golding, Han Kooreneef, Marc Lavoine, Diane Marwenna, Gary Miller, Patrick Hamilton, Vincent Pierins, Tom Lodewyckx, Kanata Okajima, Ian Curnow, Aileen De La Cruz, Kanata Naoto, Sofia Anesiadis, Ramona Nera, Andrew Beason/Emily Falvey/Mark Irwin/…

Songwriting/Remix work:
Read/Emily Falvey/Mark Irwin/Andrew Beason/Yannic Bovy/WimSoutaer (X-Factor)/Headphone/Zornik/Quynh Anh/Moxxie/Pierre Bachelet/Gary Hagger/Andrei Lugowski (X-Factor)/Jeff Bodart/Billie/Soulbob/Girls’ Generation/TV Series ‘Thuis’/Jessica Lynn/…

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a lot of global travel…. There’s only so much trust you can build via video meetings. Show up personally, try and figure out solutions that benefit all at the table and do what you promised is key to a long career working with the best people.

I’ve been lucky to have met a lot of great people and some that weren’t so great… Those give you the best lessons on what to look out for in the future of your life. They are ‘guides’. Not always fun, but I choose to believe they are there for a reason.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m know to not be afraid of any style. I’ve got cuts from Country to Rock to Singer-Songwriter to K-Pop. If it’s good it’s good.
I’m a lyricist at heart, but I recognise a good melody from miles away.

Can’t speak for others but I think that serving the song is what makes you a good songwriter. I’ve learnt to do that. A little bit more with every song I write with others.

The work with Jessica Lynn and Quynh Anh has been very rewarding. The fact that every time a plane lands in Vietnam from VietJet my song is heard is such a surreal feeling. That song ‘Hello Vietnam’ has travelled globally and still captivates the Vietnamese community today with +50 Mio of streams, covers, appearances, TV,…. It just keeps going. With Jessica Lynn it was a dream of mine to write country music for a long time. We’ve got 5 singles out to date and they are all favourites by the artist and her fans. I value that relationship.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Simple… Reach out with whatever creative/business plan you have. I’m an open, global thinker with a strategic/creative backbone.

Contact Info:

• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/guybalbaert
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-balbaert888/

Image Credits

Guy Balbaert,Kevin Armstrong
Emily Falvey, Guy, Andrew Beason
Jessica Lynn, Guy Balbaert