Belgium 2019: All you need to know about Eliot and his entry “Wake Up”
This year the national broadcaster of Belgium, RTBF , opted for a internal selection in order to determine its Eurovision representative at Tel Aviv. Eliot was the broadcaster choice for Eurovision 2019 with his entry “Wake up”.
A few words about Eliot
Eliot Vassamillet, is a 18 yo singer born on December 29 ,2000. Eliot got fame around his name after participating in The Voice of Belgium 2018, reaching at the first live show of the talent show, under the team of singer Slimane Nebchi. Despite surviving all auditions, batttles and knockout rounds he was the first act to leave the show during its first live. After his participation at The Voice, the young artist held several concerts around the country while this year he is finishing high school. His talent and wide acceptance by the public were enough to make RTBF to appoint him as the country’s next Eurovision act.
The entry “Wake up”
Eliot’s song ‘Wake Up’ is a melancholic pop ballad , written in collaboration with Pierre Dumoulin. Pierre Dumoulin of Roscoe group was behind the country’s Eurovision 2017 entry City Ligths which came 4th in the grand final in Kiev. The known composer contacted the young artist as soon he was over with his participation in The Voice.
Pierre Dumoulin described the moment he noticed Eliot for the first time as something special and outstanding: “The moment I saw Eliot’s blind audition, I felt he had that little something extra that I look for in an artist, the sensitivity and fragility which are so necessary to convey emotion.”
Eliot stated on his collaboration with Pierre Dumoulin:
Pierre has invited me to his home at Liege. I told him my background and expectations. At the age of seven I got my first guitar, two years of solfeggio, my passion of Anglo-Saxon pop music and melancholic songs. Pierre made me listen to a demo, which would later become Wake up and I immediately hooked. We talked together about the topics of the song. Wake up is a call to youth to improve the state of the world and mobilize for peace. This is a positive message that we want to pass on.
Here are the lyrics of the song:
I wake up every nightI can’t find anyone to pray
somewhere in the light
Changing all up
I ‘m afraid, on the side
Looking out for the lines to say
Someone has the light
Feeding our fire
I came to fight I came to fight over you
Don’t want your lies don’t want your lies I need truth
I came to fight I came to fight over you
No one will cry, no one will cry if it’s true
I’ll wait for the signI can’t find anyone to stay
But there’s something in the light
Saving our lives?
And I can’t face you now
No I won’t break you down
If I can’t find you
I won’t hide you
It’s not what I do
I came to fight I came to fight over you
Don’t want your lies don’t want your lies I need truth
I came to fight I came to fight over you
No one will cry, no one will cry if it’s true
Belgium will be competing in the second half of the 1st semi final on May 14. Below you can watch the official music video of Eliot’s Eurovision 2019 entry, the creative team if which were:
- Regie: Jef Boes
- Executive producer: Ilse Joye
- Producer: Jordy Weyers
- Dop: David Doom
- Art director: Sara Silva
- Edit: Engel Doyen
- Grading: Xavier Dockx
The Eurovision Story So Far
Belgium is one of the countries to have participated in the Eurovision SOng Contest since its first edition back in 1956. After 30 years the country achieves to win the contest in 1986 with the 13 yo Sandra Kim and her entry “J’aime la vie“.
The country has finished last in the contest 8 times while in two of these occasions didn’t receive any point at all. In 2003 with the group Urban Trad and their song “Sanomi” it almost reached its second victory finishing in the 2nd place, only two points behind Turkey and Sertab Erener with her entry “Every way that I can“.
Since then Belgium has qualified to the finals only 5 timed while 9 times it failed to reach the grand final show. Latest failure was last year with Sennek and “A matter of time” which failed to reach the final although the juries ranked her 9th in her semi final.
