Hearts of Soul

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Hearts of Soul were a Dutch-Belgian pop group formed by three sisters: Bianca, Patricia and Stella Maessen. They also went by the names Dream Express (1975–79) and LBS (Luc, Bianca and Stella) (1979–81). The group later included Luc Smets and, in 2010, Doreen Maessen.

Origins and early years
- The Maessen sisters started in 1969 as backing vocalists for Dutch singer Rob de Nijs, performing at the Nationaal Songfestival, the Dutch Eurovision selection. They released their debut single, Oh What a Price, and their first album, Hearts of Soul, that year.
- In 1970 they entered Nationaal Songfestival with Waterman, written by Pieter Goemans. Patricia performed the song solo on stage while Bianca and Stella provided backing vocals, and they won the competition.
- They represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 1970 in Amsterdam, finishing seventh with seven points.

Move to Belgium and new members
- From 1971 onward, the sisters worked as session singers for various artists and moved to Antwerp in 1973 for more opportunities.
- In 1975 Bianca’s partner, Luc Smets (a former member of The Pebbles), joined the group, which then became Dream Express. Their 1976 debut single, Dream Express, reached number two in the Flemish charts.

Eurovision success and name changes
- In 1977 the group entered Belgium’s Eurosong selection with three songs and won with A Million in One, Two, Three. They then represented Belgium in Eurovision 1977 in London, performing the English-language song. They finished seventh with 69 points.
- After Patricia left the group, they changed their name to LBS (Luc, Bianca and Stella) in 1979. Their singles LBS and Uncle Jim got significant airplay.

breakup and later years
- The group split up in 1981 after Luc and Bianca divorced. Bianca pursued a solo career, and Stella released a solo album in 1982 under the name Stella Mason. Stella also represented Belgium in Eurovision 1982 with Si tu aimes ma musique, finishing fourth. Patricia later provided backing vocals for Belgium in Eurovision 1986 with J’aime la vie by Sandra Kim, and in 1987 backed Luxembourg’s Plastic Bertrand.
- Patricia Maessen died on May 15, 1996, from a stroke at age 44.
- In September 2010, Hearts of Soul released the single Suddenly You, featuring Bianca, Stella and their younger sister Doreen Maessen.