Astrid Roelants (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɑstrɪtˈrulɑnts]; born 18 April 1983), known professionally as Ameerah, is a Belgian singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, United States.[1]
In 2003, Roelants was a contestant in the first season of Idool, the Belgian version of the Idol franchise.[4][5] She participated in the live shows and got a record deal right after. In 2004, she competed to represent Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Don't Stop the Music", placing seventh in the national final.[4][5] With the song she achieved chart success in Belgium.[4]
In 2009, her single "The Sound of Missing You" became an international hit, reaching number three on the BillboardHot Dance Airplay chart in the United States.[4][5] A remixed version by Wildboyz released in 2010 charted in Belgium, the Netherlands and Romania.[6]
In 2010, Roelants appeared as a featured artist on the single "Freaky Like Me" by the Norwegian duo Madcon.[4] The song charted in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom, and reached number one on the Norwegian singles chart. She achieved a golden record in Germany and went double platinum in Norway. [6] Roelants has also featured in songs by Regi, Turbo B and Schiller.
In November 2022, Roelants was announced as one of seven participants in Eurosong 2023, the Belgian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[5] Her candidate entries "Armageddon" and "The Carnival" were both co-written with American singer-songwriter Zac Poor and produced by Morgan Taylor Reid.[7] She ultimately selected "The Carnival" as her entry for the final, to be held on 14 January 2023.[8]