Belgium - Night one - Chris Z

On Jan 18 th Belgium returned to a televised national selection to determine who’ll be flying the

flag for Belgique at the contest proper in Basel, Switzerland in May. This year it’s the turn of

Dutch-speaking broadcaster VRT to consider the format opting for Eurosong 2025 to showcase

the best of the Belgian talent.

Eurosong 2025 has been broken down into 2 pre-recorded telecast semi-finals where a

combination of professional jury and public voting will determine the winner.

And the 15-member professional jury has got some heavy-Eurovision-hitters included with 2013

contest winner Denmark’s Emmilie de Forest and Belgium’s 2023 representative the joyful

Gustaph taking on jury-duty.

Let’s break down the contenders from Semi Final Showcase 1!

Grace – Pull up

Grace has charisma and ain’t reticent to stare into the camera but the “pull up, pull up, pull up”

becomes very repetitive. Solid 3/5.

Pull up and watch Grace here - https://youtu.be/a11ide5OWC4

Lenns – Air Balloon

Mika lookalike Lenns’ Air Balloon is a little wafty. He wants to fill his balloon with joy, but I was

left deflated. 2/5.

Watch Lenns float away here - https://youtu.be/vvZdbigjWX0

Leez – Perfectly Imperfect

Lovey Leez has got some pipes…it’s a pity the song sounds so like Saba’s “Sand” from the

2024 contest. Another 3/5.

Less than perfect but you make up your own mind here - https://youtu.be/rlyx6-1OqzU

Le Manou – Fille à Papa

Probably the strongest contender from this bunch Le Manou’s “Fille à Papa” or ”Daddy’s Girl” is

the naughty niece to Gustaph’s “Because of You”…and that’s not a bad thing. . 4/5.

Mummy’s boy or Daddy’s girl? Who cares – check out the fun here -

https://youtu.be/CfRaI9Iro2Q

Belgium - Night two - Kate KB

In the second show of Eurosong 2025 the last four of the eight artists presented their Songs on a small and simple stage. Due to geo block, I could not watch the whole Show, but here is a little summary of all the Acts.

Jelle van Dael is a Belgian artist who has a background in both music and Theater.
The original song is "Monster": Jelle delivered a solid performance, but did not quite reach me emotionally.
The Cover of "City Lights" felt a bit breathless and boring.

Mentissa has been active in the Belgian music scene for several years.
The song "Désolée" is a good quirky Pop song… rap pap pap.
Her cover of "Rise Like A Phoenix" would not have won any Eurovision though.

With Red Sebastian you get what is says on the tin: Red. But viewers discretion advised: This will strobe the living *** out of everything. "Strobe Lights" is supposedly really good but I only hear high pitch screaming - sorry.
The cover of "Arcade" was probably my favourite performance of the night.

Singer-songwriter Stefanie Callebaut with her black- lacey - glitter condom is just... something. I love her voice, The song Gloria could be a Cascada song, sung by Levina (DE 2017) which translates to not working. The Cover of "Tattoo" - now in green Velvet- is trying to be artsy for the sake of being artsy. But MAYBE I just dislike the song.

Overall it supposedly was a good night though.

Belgium - Grand Final - Luis B

This year it was the turn of VRT to select the Belgium entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurosong 2025 took place on February 1, 2025 at the EMG Studio 7, in Vilvoorde and Peter Van de

Veire was the host.

A panel of experts provided their opinion after each performance. They were: Gustaph ( singer and

vocal coach, ESC 2023 participant), Bart Cannaerts (television presenter and comedian), Merol (Dutch

singer and actress) and Emmelie de Forest (Danish singer-songwriter, winner of the Eurovision Song

Contest in 2013).

The show started with Gustaph performing his eurovision song, “Because of you” and during the

interval act Emmelie performed her ESC winning song, “Only teardrops”.

Eight acts were in the race to win the ticket to Basel:

1. Leez – "Perfectly Imperfect"

o Genre: Pop

o Performance: Leez, born Lisa van Rossem, Belgian singer-songwriter recognized for

her emotive pop ballads, delivered a catchy pop tune with vibrant choreography.

2. Le Manou – "Fille à papa”

o Genre: Pop

o Performance: Le Manou, whose real name is Manou Maerten, is a Belgian singer with a

flair for catchy pop tunes. Her performance was characterized by a playful and energetic

vibe, featuring a lively stage setup that complemented her song's upbeat tempo.

3. Jelle van Dael – "Monster"

o Genre: Pop

o Performance: Jelle's performance was marked by strong vocals and a compelling stage

presence, effectively conveying the song's emotional depth. Jelle is a Belgian singer-

songwriter known for his powerful vocals and emotive performances.

4. Mentissa – "Désolée"

o Genre: Pop

o Performance: Mentissa Mpatha Ngandu is a Belgian singer with Congolese roots,

celebrated for her soulful voice and emotive performances. She captivated the audience

with her powerful vocals and emotive delivery, set against a minimalist yet impactful

stage backdrop.

5. Lenn – "Air Balloon"

o Genre: Pop

o Performance: Lenn Neefs, grandson of Belgian singer Louis Neefs (Eurovision 1967 &

1969 participant), is a rising star in the Belgian music scene. Lenn's performance

featured a catchy melody creating an uplifting atmosphere that resonated with the

audience. Like I do every year, I would this is the song the Easter Bunny would pick as

its favourite song from the Eurovision 2025 season 

6. Stefanie Callebaut – "Gloria"

o Genre: Anthem-pop

o Performance: Stefanie Callebaut is a Belgian singer known for her powerful vocals and

dynamic performances.. Her performance was marked by her strong vocal delivery and

a stage setup that highlighted the song's anthemic qualities.

7. Red Sebastian – "Strobe Lights"

o Genre: Synth-pop

o Performance: Red Sebastian's performance was a tribute to Belgian rave culture,

featuring energetic beats and a vibrant stage design that captured the essence of the

song. Red Sebastian, born Seppe Herreman, is a Belgian singer-songwriter known for

his energetic performances and catchy pop tunes.

8. Grace – "Pull Up"

o Genre: Upbeat

o Performance: Grace Khuabi is a Belgian singer-songwriter known for her dynamic

performances that blend pop and R&B influences. Grace's performance was

characterized by her dynamic stage presence engaging the audience with her lively

choreography.

The winner was selected by a combination of jury and public votes (50% each). The public and the jury

each had a total of 585 points to award.

After all votes were announced, we could confirm the final result of Eurosong 2025. “Strobe Lights”

with a runaway margin, will represent Belgium in Basel, next May:

Luxembourg - Steve S

Welcome back for another year Luxembourg.

Luxembourg's Song Contest was held on  25 January 2025 to select its representative for Eurovision in Basel this year. There were 7 entries and here is my summary.

Top Pick - 184 points, Laura Thorn with “Le Poupee Monte Le Son”  - yes, another song about a doll.
This song was a clear winner. It has so much going for it - upbeat pop song, snappy choreography, and builds to a strong vocal climax. And a striptease thrown in to keep the viewers’ attention. A song that suits modern day Eurovision, with its pop beat and just enough experiential difference to keep everyone watching and voting. The footage of Luxembourg’s past winning song by  Frances Gall introduces Thorn’s 2025 song, and I have to say that it’s no coincidence that it’s 60 years since that song won Eurovision. Are the stars aligned for Luxembourg? Perhaps.

Runner - up - 126 points, A country song by band Zero Point Five. The song is titled, “ Ride”. This was a surprising finish for me, as I felt the song was ordinary, and did not get my attention at all. I cannot understand how this song actually beat Thorn in the public vote. Anyway, I’ll move on.

Luzac was third with his song “ Je Danse”. This song melded dance, rap, and modern performance art. Different and kept me interested. The public vote showed solid support for this proposal.

Rhythmic Soulwave - a six piece band with diverse interests of jazz, pop, Latin, soul- performed their R&B song “ Stronger” and fared pretty well. Well performed and a song soundly constructed with a climax that the lead singer,  Carmen Carbonnell Suarez, nailed. They had a strong stage presence. It was my personal runner up.

Further down we had a rock band One Last Time with their song, “ Gambler’s Song”. I got quite excited when this band started as I felt the beat calling me but I was soon disappointed as there were too many spoken words and not enough head banging.

Sixth place was another group - Mana - with their song “Human Eyes”.  Enjoyable but needed the wind machine.

Seventh place was a dance number performed by Rafa Ela. Titled “ No Thank You”, and that sums it up really. It was repetitive- maybe she could have borrowed a few words from “ Gambler’s Song” to pad out this proposal- and then it may have crept up in the voting.

All in all, it was an entertaining show and looks like Luxembourg is here to stay. They will definitely be making the final in 2025, and with the polish that can come with a couple of month’s practice, I think top 10 finish is achievable.

Montenegro - Oliver R

They say to begin as you mean to go on, and if the Eurovision gods
follow this mantra we are in for one heck of a national final season.
Our first selection of the year, coming from returnees Montenegro,
gave us drama and controversy before 2024 was even over.

Montesong's inaugural edition featured 16 entries, most of which were
performed fully in Montenegro's national language. 2022 representative
Vladana Vučinić hosted and organised the event alongside Marko
Todorović. Notable contestants were:
Tamara Živković - "Poguban let" - originally on the reserve list, this
pop song quickly became a fan favourite but failed to connect on stage
Đurđa - "To ljubav je" - shades of Elsie Bay in this jury-friendly
entry, performed by a vocally solid if not slightly awkward singer
Kejt - "Obala raja" - returning from the 2018 NF in which she
performed as Katarina Bogićević, Kejt's DnB-influenced song is the
only one to feature a significant amount of English
Nina Žižić - "Dobrodošli" - the fan favourite going in was Who See's
featured vocalist in 2013. The song is what I would call a karaoke
screamer, others might call it a power ballad, but vocals in the first
half let her down

Neonoen - "Clickbait" - this whimsical rock song, with sporadic
English lyrics including "Nebitno gay ili straight", was well
performed by the four-piece rock group - described as "fun",
"fascinating" and "oddly familiar for attendees of a music festival in
Zabjelo in June 2023".
Glumci Bend - "San" - I have never seen anything like this in an NF.
Glumci Bend are a group of actors that teamed up for this
musical-theatre-esque entry.
Baryak - "Dva srca" - an art rock song with a very competent
performance, cementing its status as an option
Milena Vučić - "Škorpija" - my personal favourite, Milena performed
this rock song well and clearly spent money on the staging (and
Youtube views).
Also performing: Anastasija Koprolčec - "Kraj", Tina Džankić - "Nova",
Nemanja Petrović - "Među zvijezdama", Bend 9 - "Stop War", Luka
Radović - "Kada dođe maj", Isak Šabanović - "Ljeto, ljeto, ljeto",
Dolce Hera - "Repeat", Verica Čuljković - "Čuješ li"

Results were decided by a jury including seven former Eurovision
artists and a national televote. Nina Žižić won the jury vote ahead of
Neonoen and Milena Vučić. Nina however was rewarded with only fourth
in the televote, behind Baryak first, Neonoen second and Đurđa third,
making Neonoen the inaugural Montesong winners with "Clickbait".

But remember that festival in Zabjelo? After a video surfaced of the
band performing "Clickbait" there, Neonoen withdrew from Eurovision,
and RTCG decided to send Nina to Basel with "Dobrodošli", making her
the first artist to represent independent Montenegro twice. One day
after the NF, Vladana resigned from her role, citing a "moral
obligation" - it was a fun way to start the season, but Montenegro
still has a long way to go.

Clickbait

Nina Zizic