After years of fairly average results, Belgium have finally worked out a pretty successful Eurovision formula. We saw both Loïc Nottet and Blanche finish in 4th place, and Laura Tesoro in 10th, so the pressure is on this year’s artist Laura Groeseneken, who will be going by the stage name Sennek, to continue this successful streak and bring Belgium yet another Top 10 finish, or perhaps a win?
Belgium were pretty quick to announce their act for this year, and first impressions were promising. With a beautiful and jazz style voice, we expected an entry that was a bit more low key than perhaps Laura Tesoro’s entry, but something that’s as cutting edge as both Loïc Nottet and Blanche’s entries. It’s fairly safe to say that Belgium have delivered once again, with their entry A Matter of Time surely bound to follow their recent success.
This entry was certainly worth the wait, as we’ve got a song that so perfectly suits Sennek’s voice. It definitely fits in with her jazz style, but it’s not so jazzy that it will exclude the listeners who don’t enjoy that genre. It’s also the type of song that could be a Bond theme song, as it has that grandeur about it, and with a good staging this could really elevate that darkness within the song.
What I really enjoy about this song is that the verses are so understated, but it builds into such a powerful chorus made powerful simply by her voice. It’s a very simplistic song, but yet still manages to feel incredibly complex and three dimensional, and I think that it’s a type of song we don’t often hear at Eurovision. It’s also managed to use simple rhyme and avoid making it sound cliché, which is a challenge in itself.
The staging of this song I think will be kept simple, as too much happening on stage will take away from her incredible vocals. Something artsy would suit the song, and using lighting will help highlight the highs and lows of the song. It definitely has a huge potential on stage, and it’s one of the songs I’m very excited to see translated on stage.
All aboard… the 007 train!
I think this will be a fairly easy Top 10 finish for Belgium, unless they manage to really stuff it up in the staging department. This is the type of song that any nation could be proud to send to the contest, as it shows an actual creative thought process that’s gone into the song, but it’s also something that suits the actual artist that will be performing. It all just feels so organic and natural, and I think both the televoters and the jury will buy into this big time.
For Belgium, it really is only a matter of time before they win, and if it happened this year I wouldn’t be mad…
Our rating: 9/10
If you support Belgium at Eurovision, make sure to vote for Sennek in our Eurovision 2018 poll! Watch her official video below, and check out our Eurovision 2018 playlist on Spotify.
