Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of the Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our eighth part Loïc, Kittens, and Daniel discuss what went wrong with Belgium.
Who is Red Sebastian?
Seppe Herreman is no stranger to competitions, having first appeared on Belgium’s Got Talent aged 14 in 2013, making it to the final of the competition.
He took some time after this to discover himself, and studied Pop Vocals at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent. The artist Red Sebastian was born in 2021, and he has steadily been releasing music under the identity since, including an Album and EP. He returned to the talent show world earlier this year, going on to win the Flemish show Sing Again, which spotlights those who missed out on stardom at the first attempt.
What are the issues with the selection?
Loïc – I don’t have many criticisms when it comes to Belgium’s national selection, it stood out as one of the best this year. I’d love to see them keep it going. That said, I’d suggest reconsidering the role of the judges, they didn’t really bring much to the table.
Kittens – Honestly for me this was one of the strongest selections of the year. I could have seen about half the artists win and become one of my favourites of the year immediately. A small selection of songs, artists bringing stuff that is a bit different from the norm. I am a bit disappointed to see everything in English like Daniel says, but I also don’t think the problem is the selection in general.
Daniel – Where on earth are the Dutch language entries? Nederlandstalig music has experienced a massive new wave of popularity since the late 2010s, but this is a resurgence that seems to be completely lost on VRT, even as Dutch language songs dominate the local charts. Get with the times and feed me Nederpop bangers. Also the X factor style judges really need to go because we’re way past the need for people telling the televoters what to think. (Especially if you book MEROL and don’t even let her perform!!!)
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Loïc – Was the song good ? Hell yes. Was it the best option for Eurovision? Probably not. This genre doesn’t exactly scream “instant top 5” at Eurovision though in my book, it absolutely should but that’s just the Dance music fan in me talking. Red Sebastian delivered a powerhouse performance, vocally speaking.Tthose high, sustained notes were no joke. Impressive, yes, but also likely the most polarizing part of the entry. Maybe it felt a little too “in your face” for the general public? And if I’m being honest, I do think something was missing. Red Sebastian might’ve needed a bit more stage charisma to push the performance from “solid” to “standout.”
Kittens – I really don’t think this was a performer problem. Right from the start they have been engaging and high performing. And the song was absolutely great for me personally – but equally I know that there’s a big problem with Dance music at Eurovision which I could write an essay on (and maybe one day I will). This kind of music tends to be much more divisive than most others, and while I don’t think that’s a fault of the song itself, it could be a reason why it struggled.
Daniel – Good enough for Eurovision? Yes, without even a shadow of a doubt. Well-suited to Eurovision? I’m not as sure, our site’s resident BPM goblin (situated just above me) will probably go on a much longer version of this than me, but dance and techno music just doesn’t seem to gel with Eurovision.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Loïc – The staging definitely hit all the right marks : it elevated the song and had me thinking, “Okay, this could genuinely be a top 5 contender.” The use of doppelgängers was a brilliant creative choice and, honestly, could have been pushed even further to maximize impact. That said, the somewhat muted audience reaction felt like a setback. It’s a shame, because that kind of energy (or lack thereof) can really affect the perception of a performance. And while the final drop of the song was full of potential, the climax on stage didn’t quite match that intensity. It felt a bit underwhelming when it needed to be explosive.
Kittens – I genuinely gasped when I saw the staging. There’s so much accuracy involved here, so much clever use of outfits, posing and so much precision required… And they really did pull it off! Anyway, yes, staging was excellent – but I do think we had some similar songs that it might have struggled to ‘one up’ in the semi.
Daniel – If you’re into Eurovision enough to read something like this, then you’re into Eurovision enough to have seen people absolutely losing it over this staging. The stage show was great, and elevated the song very well, but sadly in Belgium’s case not well enough.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Kittens – Honestly it’s hard to see this objectively but I feel like they did everything right. I echo Daniel’s thoughts below : it wasn’t like they half-assed this. They put everything into this and it just didn’t work out.
Daniel – Yeah, no. If it didn’t qualify in the package that was presented then there was just nothing that they could’ve done. Sometimes the votes just go against you.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Loïc – I completely agree with both Daniel and Kittens. Honestly, I’m not sure there’s anything Belgium could have done better here. In this case, changes likely wouldn’t have made a significant difference. If anything, Belgium’s real misfortune might have been competing against Cyprus. The two entries shared a similar sound, and when it comes to televoting, that kind of overlap can split support in unfortunate ways.
Kittens – I honestly just hope they don’t take this as a sign to become boring and retreat into a no-risk zone. So much talent on show in the selection means that it would be a great shame if it was left to decay. Sometimes more borderline risky choices don’t pan out – but you gotta take the L and move on.
Daniel – VRT looking ahead to 2027 need to get at least one Dutch language song for the next Eurosong or face my eternal wrath. There’s no good reason to not have your language own even on the menu.
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 noyès 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.
Belgium chose Red Sebastian to represent the nation with “Strobe Lights” in 2025. Competing in the first semi-final, Belgium scored 23 points, placing fourteenth and ultimately missing out on the Grand Final for the second year in a row.
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