Patty Brard

Petula Louise "Patty" Brard (born March 25, 1955) is a Dutch singer, television personality, actress and entrepreneur, most notable for being a former member of the girl group Luv'. For five decades, she has often hit the headlines of the tabloid press. In the late 1970s, Luv' scored a string of international hit records such as "You're the Greatest Lover", "Trojan Horse", "Casanova" and "Ooh, Yes I Do" on the charts. Brard left Luv' in 1980 and went on to release a series of solo studio albums throughout the 1980s. The group reunited on several occasions. Since 1983, Brard has been active on television as a host/presenter. She hosted the Candid Camera-like TV programs such as De Bananasplit Show and Gaan met die Banaan as well as the 1985 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival and the 2001 version of Big Brother. Inspired by the success of The Osbournes, she appeared in reality television shows that featured her life, the most popular being Patty's Posse (2003–2004). Her participation in the ice skating competition Sterren Dansen Op Het IJs (2007) and the celebrity diving competition Sterren Springen Op Zaterdag (also known as Celebrity Splash!) were highly covered events. Since 2007, she has been a showbiz expert on the entertainment news program Shownieuws on SBS6. Brard was also involved in other shows on the same channel including De Nieuwe Uri Geller ("The new Uri Geller"), Wie Ben Ik? ("Who Am I?"), K2 zoekt K3, Bonje Met De Buren ("Trouble With Neighbours"). In 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019, she signed exclusive deals with SBS Broadcasting B.V. (taken over by Talpa Network in 2011). Currently, she is working as a freelance TV host. Since February 2020, Patty Brard has launched collections of household items, jewellery and skincare lines in association with Kruidvat shops in the Netherlands. Petula Louise Brard was born on March 25, 1955, in Sorong, Dutch New Guinea (now West Papua, Indonesia). She is of Indo (Dutch-Indonesian) descent, with some distant French and German heritage. The family moved to the Netherlands when Brard was eleven years old, settling in Rijswijk. Her cousin Stanley Brard was a professional footballer with Feyenoord. In 1976, she was recruited by Hans van Hemert to be part of a girl group called Luv' with José Hoebee and Marga Scheide. On December 31, 1979, Luv' received the Buma Export Award. The trio scored a string of hit records in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mexico. In 1980, she left the group and took part in two comebacks with Luv' (in 1993–1996 and in 2005–2012). In 1981, Brard was the first Luv' member to start a solo career. She recorded in the 1980s three albums (All This Way, You're in the Pocket and Red Light) in Los Angeles. She collaborated with sought-after session musicians (including Billy Preston, Paulinho Da Costa, Paul Jackson, Jr. and Jai Winding). Brard's American recordings were not as popular as those of Luv' (except the single "Hold On To Love" which was a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands, a Top 10 hit in Belgium and which reached the 12th position in South Africa in 1981). She is used to record duets: In 1986, she performed the ballad "Tender Love", released as a single, with Eddie Kendricks. In 2000, she sang a track with Def Rhymz, a Dutch rapper. In 2004, she recorded the single "Huilen is voor jou te laat" with Jacques Herb, which was a minor hit on the Dutch charts (#64 on the Mega Top 100). In 2005, the duet "That's Life" with her lover Derick was the theme of Pat's Life, one of her reality television shows. In 2006, her Carnival song "Ik wil knallen" with Ome Henk became a Dutch Top 5 hit. In 2012, she released the digital single "Carnavals Party Hitmix" with Alex. In 2015, she put out the digital single "Bonje Met De Buren" with Joey Hartkamp and Jochem van Gelder. In 2017, the song "Wat Zijn Ze Lekker" (with Roy Donders) came out. In 2018, the song "We Zullen De Laatsten Zijn" (with Roy Donders) was released. In 2024, her duet "Feesten in de stad" with the reality star Kees de Bever came out. In 1997, as the Spice Girls world phenomenon reached its peak, Brard hired five young women to form a short-lived female pop group Patty Cash. Hans van Hemert did the production on the quintet's recordings. Moreover, the same year, she was part of a Dutch All Stars choir (BN'ers voor BNN) which recorded "Hij gaat voor C", a parodic cover version of "We Are the World" that reached the 3rd position on the Dutch Top 40. Six years later, she briefly formed her own girls band "Enuv'", inspired by her experience as a Luv' member. In 2010, NRGY Music released Brard's Schlager oriented single "Het leven is een feest" (Life is a party) for the Carnival festivities in the Netherlands, which peaked at No. 8 in the Netherlands. In 2011, she had two other hits: "Waarom zou drinken een zonde zijn" (#21 on the Single Top 100) and "Bunga, Bunga" (#64 on the Single Top 100). 2022 saw her comeback as a solo singer as she released the Carnival single "In M'n Panterpak" on digital platforms. This song came out simultaneously with her panther-print collection for Kruidvat. It entered the Dutch iTunes Top 100 at #5 on February 18, 2022. It peaked at #2 on February 20, 2022. On March 3, 2022, it dropped out of this chart. All This Way (Philips, 1981) You're In The Pocket (Ultraphone, 1983) Red Light (Striped Horse, 1986) Een vrolijk kerstfeest (Tip Top TTC, 1995), a Christmas music compilation on which Patty Brard sings "It's Gonna Be A Cold Christmas" with Robert Halewijn Gouden Kerst (Megado, 1996), a re-issue of Een vrolijk kerstfeest Patty's Party Vol. 1 (NRGY Music, 2011) "Hold On To Love" (Philips, 1981) "Brazilian Love Song / Samba Man" (Philips, 1981) "You Stole a Little Piece of My Heart" (Ultraphone, 1983) "Never My Love" (Ultraphone, 1983) "Woman in Love" (Striped Horse, 1985) "Mystery Theme" (Striped Horse, 1985) "Over My Head" (Striped Horse, 1986) "Red Light" (Striped Horse, 1986) "Tender Love" (duet with Eddy Kendricks, Striped Horse, 1986) "Ik ga extreem" (Red Bullet, 1996) "BN'ers voor BNN: Hij gaat voor C" (Bunny Music Bucs, 1997) "Huilen is voor jou te laat" (duet with Jacques Herb, Telstar/CNR Music, 2004) "That's Life" (duet with Derick, Princess Records, 2005) "Ik wil knallen" (duet with Ome Henk, Princess Records, 2006) "Het leven is een feest" (NRGY Music, 2010) "Morgen Kan't Weer Anders Zijn" (NRGY Music, 2011) "Waarom zou drinken een zonde zijn" (NRGY Music, 2011) "Bunga Bunga" (NRGY Music, digital single, 2011) "Carnavals Party Hitmix" (duet with Alex, digital single, Berk Music, 2012) "Bonje Met De Buren" (with Joey Hartkamp and Jochem van Gelder, digital single, Goldstar Music, 2015) "Wat Zijn Ze Lekker" (with Roy Donders, digital single, Berk Music, 2017) "We Zullen De Laatsten Zijn" (duet with Roy Donders, digital single, Berk Music, 2018) "In M'n Panterpak" (digital single, Berk Music, 2022) "Panter Feest" (digital single, Goldstar Music, 2024) "Feesten in de stad" (duet with Kees de Bever, digital single, NRGY Music, 2024) Since 1983, Patty Brard has hosted numerous TV shows, including De Bananasplit Show, Gaan met die banaan, Brard gaat extreem, Onder de B van Brard, and Hart van de stad. In 1985, she presented with Pippo Baudo the Sanremo Music Festival on the Italian TV channel Rai Uno. In early 2001, in her TV show Absolutely Patty on Yorin, she interviewed VIPs in her house. In that year, she also hosted the third Dutch edition of Big Brother. Two years later, a reality TV programme Patty's Posse featured her domestic life, her friends and her family (her daughter Priscilla, and her third husband René). In the autumn of 2004, she was filmed with other celebrities (among them, her Luv' colleague Marga Scheide) as they were having a health cure in Ibiza. On March 25, 2005, she celebrated her 50th birthday, which spawned a special TV programme Pat's Life (in which she met the most important persons in her life)