Now several months on from Eurovision 2024 we’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2024 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that. We thought we’d have a deep dive into these acts and give you our opinion on What Went Wrong. Today we’re going to discuss Belgium’s Mustii.
In part six Daniel, Jazzi, and Kittens discuss Mustii from Belgium.
Who is Mustii?
Mustii is the stage name for singer Thomas Michel Mustin. As well as singing Mustii is well known in Belgium for acting, songwriting and being a judge in Belgium’s version of RuPaul’s Drag Race. As an artist, Mustii has released two albums in his career. He released his first album “21st Century Boy“ in 2018, followed by “It’s Happening Now” in 2022. Alongside his two albums Mustii has also released three EPs. In terms of chart success Mustii has had several top 40 hits, his most successful being his track “21st Century Boy”, which reached number 9 in the charts.
Mustii isn’t just known for being a singer in Belgium however. In 2014, Mustii took to the stage in a production of the show “Dèbris” – which was showcased in theatres in Belgium. In 2015, he reached even higher heights as he performed in a production of “L’Auberge du Cheval-Blanc” at the Royal Opera of Wallonia. This success has lead to Mustii being nominated for, and also having won awards in Belgium. Mustii won “Revolution of the Year” at the D6bels Music Awards in 2016. As well as Music and Theatre, Mustii has also starred in movies in Belgium these were entitled “Odd Job” and “Les Surivors”.
Mustii’s Eurovision song “Before The Party’s Over” was written by Thomas Mustin himself, alongside Alloysius Lloyd, Arianna D’amato, Benoit Leclercq, Charlotte Clark, Nina Sampermans and Pierre Dumouilin. The track was produced by Benoit and Pierre alongside Tobie Speleman.
What are the issues with the selection?
Daniel – I do prefer the Flemish National Final, but I don’t see a problem with how RTBF select their entry. They’ve given us the likes of Blanche and Loïc Nottet in the last 10 years, both of whom have songs that are still incredibly popular in the fandom. The biggest issue however is they didn’t send Chérine.
Jazzi – I think the selection is fine, it’s worked most years, in terms of getting Belgium a qualification in the contest, I feel this was really a blip in terms of what went wrong this year, don’t think much of that can be attributed to the selection method itself.
Kittens – I do think they did fine with the selection this year. An established artist who really felt like a great fit for the competition stylistically. I was really excited for Mustii when they were chosen, and it seemed like they did good hype wise as well at least initially. The only thing I would say is that revealing so early may have impacted on their hype cycle.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Daniel – The song I think yes, absolutely. The act? Not so much. The vocals never seemed to be quite right throughout the entire season, and when you send a powerful song that needs those good vocals badly and you can’t provide them then you’re going to be up a proverbial creek without a paddle.
Jazzi – When the song was first released my initial thoughts were that the song and artist were matched up really well. However as time went on and we saw pre-party performances, you could tell something was off with the ending of the song, it did feel really repetitive and intense in the last 30 seconds, potentially too intense for audiences watching at home.
Kittens – I do love this song but I don’t think they really thought properly about how it was going to be used on the Eurovision stage. The build is so slow, and I think it lacked that initial big impact to hook listeners in and get their attention. Mustii faltered in the pre-parties but did a bit better in the arena, but just didn’t kick it up quite far enough to sort the vocal issues. I really wish there had been more made of crowd reaction, but that can’t be relied upon anyway. I think a revamp might have solved some of the problems, but….see staging question!
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Daniel – No. The key strength of the song was the last 30 seconds. That last 30 seconds had the worst staging of any part of the song. Mustii seemingly just aimlessly flailing or punching the air, it needed a big finish that they for whatever reason didn’t deliver on. Also the outfit is not it.
Jazzi – I felt the staging actually worked quite nicely, it had shades of the music video which I think worked really well. I do think at times the staging could have been darker, particularly in the slower moments of the song, the bright orange lighting didn’t really compliment the song until the explosion at the very end. While I quite liked the staging I can see how it may of been easy to lose Mustii in the sea of microphones at the start of the song, which may have created a disconnect from the audience.
Kittens – Another victim of stage too big artist too small in my opinion. Lots of missed potential here to create something truly dramatic. I dislike the mic-prop thing, it just felt cheaply done, and the low camera shots really show this off. I really disliked the outfit as well – it just seemed really messy and I wanted something dark and dramatic instead to match the song. Really feels like a vision for the performance got lost here.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Daniel – Even if the staging issues I mentioned above were fixed, I think it would be borderline. I just don’t see any reason why a televoter would go for this song over the wealth of others, they brought a jury song to a televote fight, and that’s only going to end one way.
Jazzi – I think the issue with this song is, it was always more of a jury grabber, than a televote grabber. You can see this in the way Mustii performed the song and the heavy emphasis on the big vocals in the performance. I do think there are elements that could have been changed such as the ending not being as monotone and repetitive, – as in there being points where Mustii switches up his vocals. I think there were chances for this to qualify if the intensity was dialled down and the staging changed more throughout the performance, but in a televoting only semi-final the chances were slim I would say.
Kittens – While I echo what Daniel & Jazzi have already said about this being a jury song, I just think it needed to be so much bigger (bigger!) to survive. It is possible to present this kind of song effectively, but I don’t think they had it, and it needed so much better in production to give it the drama. I think they really should have listened to the fans who said that the last 30 seconds were the best part of the song and revamped it musically. I also feel like they lost a lot of momentum with the song generally – there was so much hype for the selection and it just fell flat at some point and did not pick up again!
What are our outlooks for future contests
Daniel – I actually have high hopes for Belgium, both RTBF and VRT, in future contests, I think this is more of an exception to quite a solid 2020s for them both, and (sorry Angus if you’re reading this) I could honestly see Belgium win the lot, or at least come close, within the next decade.
Jazzi – I think the outlook for Belgium is fine, they will keep selecting semi-established artists under RTBF, and I think for the most part it usually works out okay for them. I do think they could choose something a little more adventurous and less safe, however they will be back among the qualifiers in 2026 I am sure of it.
Kittens – I feel like the main problem is that they are not seeing the bigger picture. A perfectly good pop song for sure but not a challenge or anything spectacular. Poorly produced to win a song contest, fine for the radio/streaming. Staging looking cheap and incomplete. Everything just needs to be refined so that it’s bigger and better. Being safe will only take you so far.
Belgium’s Eurovision Journey
Belgium was one of the debutant countries at the beginning of the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956. For the first edition, countries could submit two songs, and for Belgium that year, ‘Messieurs les noyes de la Seine’ by Fud Leclerc and ‘Le plus beau jour de ma vie’ by Mony Marc represented the nation. To this day we do not know the final results of Eurovision 1956. Belgium have taken part in 64 Eurovision Song Contests; however, they have only ever won once: in 1986 with Sandra Kim and the song ‘J’amie la vie’, scoring 176 points.
Following an impressive seventh place in 2023, Belgium chose Mustii to represent them with “Before The Party’s Over” in 2024. Mustii scored eighteen points in the second semifinal, placing thirteenth.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Belgium could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Tim J