Ilse DeLange

Country-pop singer Ilse DeLange emerged as one of the most successful Dutch artists of her generation with her chart-topping 1998 debut World of Hurt. Born May 13, 1977, in Almelo, Holland, DeLange spent much of her childhood competing in local talent contests, eventually forming a country-inspired duo with guitarist Joop Liefland -- in 1994 they performed at the Dutch Country Music Awards -- but their momentum soon stalled and a year later the partnership dissolved. DeLange next surfaced in the short-lived pop group Wij, issuing the 1996 single "De Oorlog Meegemaakt." Two yea...