Belgium has officially confirmed that ESSYLA will be their Eurovision 2026 representative with the song “Dancing on the Ice”.
About “Dancing on the Ice”
The song was composed by ESSYLA, Nicolas d’Avell and Emil Stengele, with lyrics by ESSYLA and Barbara Petitjean. ESSYLA has said that the song is about hope and an anthem about the determination of youth who, despite the fragility of our world today, keep Dancing on the Ice.
Who is ESSYLA ?
ESSYLA, the stage name of Alice Van Eesbeeck, hails from Perwez in Walloon Brabant. She first came to public attention by reaching the final of the ninth season of The Voice Belgique in 2021. Raised on French songs, ESSYLA developed her tastes by listening to American Jazz, folk, rock and funk legends. She perfected vocal technique at the IMEP in Namur allowing her to refine her artistic identity. Lyrically, ESSYLA shares the concerns of young women with a focus on female empowerment.
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.
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News source : EBU
Photo credits : James Barbosa / RTBF
Tim J 
Rory Gannon