Belgium: The Nation on Stage (Revised)

      Eurovision performances often tell a story but are portrayed in different ways. Choices are made with a distinct purpose, especially since over 180 million people will be watching a single three-minute performance to be forever associated with the country. Belgium’s choices of Eurovision performers and types of performances can show how they want to be represented as a country and their stance on diversity.

        Belgium’s Loïc Nottet was only 17 years old when he was on stage for the Eurovision Finals in 2015 but was not afraid to show the world a unique performance. He performed a song called “Rhythm Inside” (2015) in Vienna. Nottet performed with much passion and confidence. He stood out from the other performers on stage due to a contrast in colors of clothing. He was wearing black while the backup performers were wearing all white. The performance was different than traditional Eurovision performances. He was never in the middle of the backing singers, always on the side, creating a very different feel in the performance. Throughout the song, the performers would do a slow march, forward and backward in different directions. Once, Nottet put his hand over his face and acted like he was ripping his face away, creating an unusual feeling in the performance. He was even laying down and singing during the performance. All of the singers would move with the rhythm of the song, and this is also expressed in the lyrics of the song “The rhythm inside is telling us” and “I‘m gonna get that rhythm back” (Eurovision.tv). Rhythm is universal; you do not need to speak a certain language to feel the rhythm of a song, but this rhythm that all the singers moved to looked almost robotic and awkward. The lyrics of the song has this conflicting message. In the beginning of the choirs, Nottet sings, “And if we die tomorrow / What do we have to show / For the wicked ways down below / The rhythm inside is telling us /
We can fly tomorrow” (Eurovision.tv). Nottet asks the question of what we are really doing in our lives. If we follow the natural rhythm of our lives, then we will succeed or “fly”. Nottet sings, “We are put here to discover” (Eurovision.tv). He is expressing this idea of wanting to be creative, different, and to discover new things. These lyrics go together with the performance. The performance was definitely unconventional but fit the song and created this feeling of an eccentric but respectable performance. Nottet was heavily involved in the creation of this performance by collaborating on the choreography and design of the outfits (Eurovision.tv). He clearly had a vision for this song and wanted it to be expressed in a unique way. This is a lot of pressure on a 17-year-old, but he looked confident and passionate in his performance. This song really stood out compared to most Eurovision performances due to the unique choreography on stage. Nottet’s performance finished fourth in the Grand Finals.

        In Belgium’s 2016 performance, singer Laura Tesoro (2016) was also young at the age of 19. Tesoro sang another upbeat song, “What’s the Pressure” (2016), that was a mixture of pop and funk. The performance starts out with the singers waving around a black, yellow, and red handkerchief, the Belgium national colors. The performance is very upbeat and energizing. Throughout the performance Tesoro shows off her dancing skills, keeping the energy high. She uses the crowd near the end of the song to help create a feeling that the live audience is engaged and enjoying the performance by walking out to the island stage and talking to the crowd between lines. The background of the stage is yellow and red, which are warm colors but also again Belgium’s national colors. The lyrics present a strong message within the song. In the melody, Tesoro sings “What’s the pressure? / You will grow / You will know in the end / This is fiction / It's in your mind / Live your life instead” (Eurovision.tv). The song presents the idea that there should be no pressure in life. One will grow and learn from events, and that they should go live their lives how they want to. Tesoro also sings, “Even though these rules they / Tryna take over me” and “I see massive walls weighing down the people all around /They don’t seem to mind at all” (Eurovision.tv). The song presents this idea that people are being caged in or restricted by rules and are doing nothing to prevent this. Their lives now are “fiction” or fake and they need to be themselves instead. But, this is a feel-good song. All of the performers were smiling the whole time. The song is catchy and cheerful with energetic visuals to look at the entire time. Tesoro looked confident and was just having a good time on stage and with the live audience. She looked enthusiastic and was enjoying herself. With a top ten finish in the grand finals, it is a performance to be proud of.

        To continue with the theme of young singers, Belgium chose Ellie Delvaux, better known as Blanche, to represent them in 2017. She was also only 17 years-old when she performed in Kyiv, Ukraine. But unlike the two performances before Blanche’s by Belgium, she was not filled with confidence. In Blanche’s song “City Lights” (2017), she looks very nervous, almost petrified on stage, not moving one step in any direction the whole time. The bright lights all around her could be interpreted as city lights, but they were never with her. In a big city, there can be a sense of being anonymous or unknown because there are so many people around you. This can also express the same idea that the performance expressed of being alone. Blanche sings, “The storm in your eyes / The storm in your bright eyes” (Eurovision.tv). On stage, Blanche stood in the middle of rings that would pulse around her, to couple with the lights that were always around her. She could be standing in the eye of the storm, and this would play with the scared and petrified look she presented with on stage. The lyrics “All alone in the danger zone / Are you ready to take my hand” (Eurovision.tv) have a deeper theme than just loneliness in them. She is referring to the two divided sides of the country, the Flemmish and Walloon, and that they need to come together. The lyrics “All alone in the flame of doubt / Are we going to lose it all” (Eurovision.tv) are trying to highlight the two sides inability to handle the situation of the country and are risking losing it all. The song highlights the tension in the county.Blanche’s performance was loved by Eurovision, finishing fourth in the Grand Finals.

         Belgium’s 2015-2017 performances at Eurovision were something Belgians to be proud of, with three consecutive top ten finishes after failing to even make the Grand Finals the year before. Belgium had expressed some similarities in their last three performances, choosing very young singers to represent them at ages 17 and 19. This youth has brought energy and creativity to Eurovision for them with some modern but unique music. Belgium believes that their youth has the talent to perform well in front of all of Europe. Belgium’s performances from 2015-2017 have also all been in English, not one of their national languages. This is a very safe choice by Belgium, picking either a French or Dutch song could bring controversy within the country immediately, no matter how good or bad the song is because of how split the country is politically. Belgium’s past three songs have all had a message to the people, to highlight internal struggles or to question and push the rules and boundaries around them. While Belgium’s singers were not diverse in the 2015-2017 performances, all three being Caucasian, the young singers all offered different types of music that all had had a message they wanted to share.