Jasper Steverlinck

One of Belgium’s more notable musical exports, Jasper Steverlinck is a bit of an unexpected presence, fitting right in with American adult contemporary and alternative acts of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, when he made his breakthrough as the leader of the alt-rock act Arid. As the 21st century began, Steverlinck's solo work encompassed everything from Jeff Buckley-esque interpretations -- including a take on David Bowie's “Life on Mars?” that topped the local charts -- to emotional tunes like the introspective “That’s Not How Dreams Are Made” and “Firelight,” a collaboration with Dutch alt-metal band Within Temptation. Born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1976, Steverlinck gigged in Belgian bands throughout the early ‘90s before joining David Du Pré, a guitarist in another band he’d encountered. They recruited bassist Filip Ros and drummer Steven Van Havere for a new project, Arid, that would become Steverlinck's primary focus. The band’s unshowy, melodic pop -- driven by lite-rock textures and Steverlinck's versatile voice with a powerful upper register that drew comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Freddie Mercury -- earned local acclaim with the release of their 1999 debut Little Things of Venom. With all Arid's songs written in English, an attempt was made to break the band among those in other countries who spoke the language. The group was tapped to open for Counting Crows in the early 2000s, and Little Things of Venom was picked up for American release by Columbia Records under the title At the Close of Every Day. Arid's success was mostly in their homeland, though “You Are,” from 2002’s All Is Quiet Now, received modest airplay in English-speaking countries. Steverlinck's concurrent fortunes as a solo act were about to be realized: in 2003, he released Songs of Innocence, a collection of cover songs from Bob Dylan (“Make You Feel My Love”) to Madness (“It Must Be Love”). A minimalist take on David Bowie's “Life on Mars?” featuring pianist Steven Kolacny and his conductor brother Stijn, would top the Belgian charts for eight weeks, and a non-album cover of Sananda Maitreya's “Let Her Down Easy” followed it into the Top Five. After a bout of toxoplasmosis kept Steverlinck out of the public eye, Arid returned in 2008 with All Things Come in Waves, followed quickly by Under the Cold Street Lights in 2010. In between those releases, Steverlinck had a unique stint as the lead singer for prog rock combo Guilt Machine, a project spearheaded by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen. They issued one album, On This Perfect Day, in 2009. The singer next spent two seasons as a coach on the Flemish version of the singing competition series The Voice. Steverlinck issued his first original solo album, Night Prayer, in 2018; it featured the Jeff Buckley-esque ballad “That’s Not How Dreams Are Made.” That same year, “Resist,” a collaboration with Dutch metal act Within Temptation, became a fan favorite. Among the sporadic, odd cover through the late 2010s and early 2020s -- including Indeep's “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,” Ben E. King's “Stand by Me,” and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's “The Power of Love” -- Steverlinck made his way back toward original pop with The Healing, released in 2025. ~ Mike Duquette, Rovi