User:VoIvo142/sandbox

Biography
Lardy grew up in Geleen and studied singing, piano and guitar from an early age. She was also a dance marieke at the carnival association De Uule in Oud-Geleen. In those early days she mainly sang songs by other well-known artists.

She won first prize in the KRO talent show Springplank . Then she started writing songs herself. At a competition in Zandvoort she became Miss Talent 1966 and in 1972 she won the Youth Eurovision Song Contest. She made her first records under the direction of Addy Kleijngeld, who accompanied her with his orchestra on several records. She regularly appeared on TV in the Netherlands and Germany and had her permanent accompanist Jim Collin.

In 1970 she had a single tip for the Dutch Top-40 with "You kissed me endlessly/Kiriako" and again in 1972 with "This is the very first time". It never resulted in a Top-40 single. In addition to Dutch songs, Lardy also sings in Limburgish. In 1979 she sang the carnival song Met Vastelaovend bin ich gebaore (I was born with carnival).

In November 2015, Irene won the Gelaens Vastelaoves Leedjeskonkoer (GVK) with the song Zoa haet Bertha 't intended by Guus Steinen. She then registered for the Limburgs Vastelaovesleedjes Konkoer (LVK) 2016, where she was chosen from 60 semi-finalists to participate on behalf of Geleen in the final on January 22 with the same song. The song Zoa haet Bertha 't intended is a parody of Bertha Paulissen-Willen, who was the great animator for the Limburg carnival song and one of the founders of the LVK

Discography

 * Adios/Das braucht Mama und Papa (1966)
 * Red Roses/Forever (1967)
 * I won't forget this tango/The Father of the Bride (1967)
 * Lord Lester of Manchester/Where the Golden Sunlight Shines (1967)
 * As your mother is/Your wedding photo (1967)
 * Romeo and Juliet/Just for Him (1968)
 * Say hi to your mother (1969)
 * I laugh at tears of sorrow / The man with the big drum (1969)
 * If Someone Promises You a Thousand Kisses/You and Me (1969)
 * Kiriako/You Kissed Me Endlessly (1970)
 * The sword swallower/On the boulevard (1970)
 * I don't want a man/On the boulevard (1971)
 * This is the very last time/Tears (1971)
 * Eviva Espana/The Old Gypsy (1972)
 * Do the samba with me/Bella musica (1977)
 * A gypsy in his heart/Marlena (with the Classics ) (1978)
 * ABC/Music was made for love (1979)
 * Am Rosenmontag bin ich born/Mèt fastlaovend bin ich gebaore (1980)
 * I was born as a carnival child / Bella musica (1980)
 * Valencia/Bella musica (1980)
 * 't Maske maog bööke/Vastelaovespotpourri (1981)
 * This is how Bertha meant it (2015)