Isabelle A Cancels Shows After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Belgian singer Isabelle A, 51, has announced she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is cancelling all upcoming performances to focus on her recovery. The announcement was made on Thursday through her management, as VRT NWS reported.

“At the end of July, Isabelle A was diagnosed with breast cancer. That is why we are forced to cancel the upcoming performances. She is out of action for a while and takes the necessary time and space to recover,” the statement, posted on the singer’s Facebook page, said. The team asked everyone to let the singer recover in peace and specifically requested that the press and media respect the privacy of Isabelle, her family and her friends. All further communication will be handled through her management, De Morgen noted. No details about treatment or the severity of the disease have been shared.

From teen idol to party-band mainstay

Isabelle A is the stage name of Isabelle Adam, a Ghent-born singer who became famous as a teenage idol in the late 1980s and early 1990s with hits including “Hé, lekker beest”, “Blank of zwart” and “Ik heb je nodig”. According to Wikipedia, “Hé, lekker beest” was a number-one hit in Flanders in 1990, stayed in the charts for nine months and went platinum; her debut album achieved the same status.

In recent years, she has remained a familiar presence on Flemish stages as a solo artist and as a member of the party band Les Copines, alongside Helle Vanderheyden and Ianthe Tavernier. The diagnosis has now forced her to pull out of a packed summer schedule.

Withdrawal from VRT Zomerhit

The cancellations also affect VRT Zomerhit, the annual competition in which the public chooses Flanders’ most popular summer song. Isabelle A had been nominated with “Smeek maar niet om mij”, one of 20 contenders announced in early July. The contest now continues with 19 nominees; VRT has confirmed her spot will not be filled by another artist.

“We sympathise with Isabelle and wish her all the best and much strength,” a VRT spokesperson told HLN. “She has indicated that she will no longer perform this summer and therefore she will also not participate in VRT Zomerhit. Since the voting round had already started, we decided not to replace her and continue with the 19 remaining candidates.”

Isabelle A had been due to appear in the third Zomerhit television show, recorded in Blankenberge. VRT said it is examining how to fill that programme, with more news to follow.

Replacements and affected dates

Several organisers have already found replacements. Singer Jelle Van Dael, 36, will temporarily take Isabelle A’s place in Les Copines, starting with the solo show in Essen on Thursday evening, which the band will take over. At the Leuven city festival Beleuvenissen, scheduled for Friday, the act Ertebrekers will step in.

The cancellations also affect appearances at the Fonnefeesten in Lokeren, Hestival in Heist-op-den-Berg and Les Copines performances in Antwerp, Herselt and Harelbeke. Isabelle A had also been listed for “Tien Om Te Zien Back To The 90s” on 13 November at the AFAS Dome in Antwerp. It is not yet clear until when the cancellations extend.

A long-standing concern

The news carries particular weight given Isabelle A’s own earlier remarks. In a 2017 interview with Story magazine, she described herself as “a real hypochondriac” when it came to breast health, said she had benign lumps checked regularly and underwent annual screenings, and said she would consider a preventive mastectomy if her health required it.

Messages of support have since poured in from colleagues, including Ann Van Elsen, Nele Somers, Barbara Dex and Gustaph, who wished the singer strength and a speedy recovery on Instagram.

What to watch for

For now, the focus is on the singer’s recovery and privacy. The first round of Zomerhit voting continues until 22 August, with the ten finalists announced on 23 August and the live final scheduled for 29 August in Blankenberge. How long Isabelle A’s hiatus will last remains an open question — her management has made clear that the priority is her health, and that all further communication will go through them.