World-famous Belgian band Hooverphonic holds meeting with Tumo students in Yerevan

The world-famous Belgian band Hooverphonic arrived in Armenia as part of a world tour dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the group’s formation. The band members had heard about TUMO in advance and decided to visit the students.

 As a result, an exclusive meeting between Hooverphonic and local students took place at the TUMO Center in Yerevan.

Taking advantage of this unique opportunity, TUMO student bands performed both Hooverphonic’s famous songs and cover versions of other well-known hits in the presence of the famous musicians. The meeting was held in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

In an interview with Armenpress, Arik Grigoryan - a music teacher by profession and trainer for special projects at TUMO - explained that for nearly ten years, he has been forming bands with talented students at TUMO and teaching them to play and create music.

“The visit of this world-famous Belgian band is a truly significant event for our students. Hooverphonic has a strong international reputation, and their song “Mad About You” is quite famous - it has even been used in various films.

Their visit to Armenia was organized by the Embassy of Belgium in Armenia. The musicians themselves expressed interest in visiting TUMO and meeting the students. We prepared a pleasant surprise for them in advance - our students would perform some of their popular songs,” said Grigoryan.

The Armenpress correspondent also interviewed members of the band, who shared their impressions of their visit to Armenia and the meeting with the students.

Geike Arnaert noted that Armenia is an incredibly impressive and beautiful place, unlike anything she had seen before.

“People here are very kind and warmly welcome their guests. We always try to guide young people toward the future, which is a great responsibility for us,” said Geike Arnaert.

Raymond Geerts said they were deeply impressed by the visit and by meeting the young people.

“It’s truly incredible that these young people have been given such an opportunity. We saw their talent and skills on the very first day. They are truly gifted. I know a similar event is planned to be held in Belgium next year. Such meetings are extremely valuable both for the students and for us. It's a great experience, regardless of where the meetings take place. It is our first  visit to Armenia, and the impressions are beyond words. It’s wonderful to see how well-known our band is in your country,” said Geerts.

Alex Callier, in turn, noted that a packed program was planned in Armenia and described their visit in one word as “fantastic.”

“We are very grateful for this opportunity. The fact that they know us and sing our songs here in Armenia is a true honor. This visit feels like a dream, to meet and communicate with such talented young people and discover new places. It’s all incredibly impressive,” said Callier.

Hooverphonic is a Belgian electronic band that was formed in October 1995. Though originally categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where it could no longer be described as a belonging to a single genre, but rather as encompassing alternative, electronica, electropop, rock, and a mixture of others. 

The band was originally named Hoover, but was later renamed Hooverphonic to avoid confusion with bands already using the Hoover name, 

Since their formation, Hooverphonic's lineup consisted of bassist Alex Callier, guitarist Raymond Geerts, and various lead singers. Prominent ones included Liesje Sadonius (1996–1997), Geike Arnaert (1997–2008, 2020–present), Noémie Wolfs (2010–2015), and Luka Cruysberghs (2018–2020).

The band were set to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with their song "Release Me". However, on March 18, 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They instead represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "The Wrong Place".