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Well basically I started singing before I could even talk so I must have been two or three years old. I was always strumming the strings of my father's guitar, so he bougth me a small toy-guitar. That was fun, but the guitar would return later in my life...
My mother was an unbelievable jazzsinger from the Philippines, who came to Belgium in the mid-80's & married my father. She's the only person I knew who had a voice so close to Barbra Streisand, I could hear Barbra simply by closing my eyes. I've never heard anyone who could top my mother's voice, and I say this as a musician, not as a son.
Meanwhile my dad had gone and bought me one of those crappy Casiokeyboards to help me with the vocals and to stimulate me to play a little keys. I still remember being about eight years old, watching Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy. I totally became obsessed with the Axel Foltermeyer tune in the soundtrack, ran of to my room and didn't leave until I could play the tune. Those were the days...:-)
My mother being a vocalist was a major luxury since she tutored me from day one. I didn't really decide or choose to start singing, I've been doing it for as far as I can remember. She trained me and directed my gig's until I was about twelve years old but this was abruptly interrupted due to a severe cerebral hemmorage. This event was the catalyst to a chain of reactions that would eventually help define who I am today.
The hemmorage, instantly putting my mom in the hospital, was a shock to me and I gave up singing for about 3 years. In that same period, my brother (Sunny Maban Longeval) started to give guitar lessons so I took up guitarlessons for about 5 years. That's where I developed the love for rock & metal, learning to play guitar and studying Metallica, Pantera, Satriani.... In those five years I had listened to a lot of vocalists and unconsiously picked up tons of sounds and tricks that would redefine my vocals at that point. I only had done broadway & jazzstandards up till then, except for Michael Jackson stuff, he was my undisputed popmusic-hero upto the age 12. So I finally started singing again, continuing my training on my own.
In that period I also started playing a little bit of bass & drums whenever I bumped into one. In that period my brother started a band with a vocalist named Laurence Putman (who later on became vocalist for Blue Blot, who we know today as Larry and now is working on the second album of her solo-project together with producer/saxofone player Nicolas Lefevre. She also features in the band Basspapa, founded by Jan Meijers, bassplayer for Blue Blot. Check 'em out, they're all in my friendslist). Since she was playing in a band with my brother, I just HAD to see her at work. I still remember the first rehearsal that I visited, she blew my friggin socks off. Larry had just started up a vocal school so was dying to take lessons. I took lessons for a year but then had a forced absence of two years, due to some financial problems.
Somewhere along the line I joined a singing/dancing/acting theatergroup "Neon" in Gent, where I learned to get used to different audiences & being on stage. That is also where I met Margot De Ridder (check her out! She's in my friendslist under the name "Pearl"), whom I would eventually team up with for an intensive two-day-vocal-class that prepared us for a performance on Flikkendag.
After some time passed & the finances got back on track, I was able to return to Larry's vocal school, which had grown into what we know today as Oldskool Vocal Studio. After two years I started doing backing vocals/2nd guitar/ 2nd keys/percussion for Larry's liveband & also became vocal coach for Oldskool, where I continue to learn how to sing, play keyboard & piano, composing, performing,... & that's where I am today :)
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