K3 is a girl group formed in 1997. Its original three members were Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke, and Kathleen Aerts. The group was initially named "Mascara" but changed to K3 in 1998, the name being derived from the first initial of each member's first name. After competing in Eurovision in 1999, the group's single "Heyah Mama" became a major hit, and the group became one of most the recognizable girl groups in the Benelux region. Throughout the band's tenure, members have left amicably with replacements selected from reality audition shows. In 2009, Aerts was replaced by Josie Huiseman after she won the reality show "K2 Zoekt K3". In 2015, a new trio consisting of Klassje Meijer, Hanne Verbruggen, and Matte De Pillecyn began performing as K3 after winning "K3 Zoekt K3." And after Meijer departed in 2021, she was replaced by Julia Boschman after winning the second version of "K2 Zoekt K3". In a unique twist, the three original members reunited in 2026 for the "K3 Originals - de reünie" tour.