Loïc Nottet, second at The Voice Belgique, the Walloon edition of The Voice and will be on stage in front of millions of people in Vienna tomorrow. Win or lose? In essence that is not really about it, it is about sincerity, giving the best of yourself and, above all, being true to yourself.
Text: Jens Geerts
According to connoisseurs a good contender, at least original and cool, the 18-year-old Loïc Nottet with his song Rhythm Inside. Despite his young age, he is super ambitious, a true perfectionist but also closed and mainly concerned with what he likes to do, singing. In The Gay Issue, Loïc reveals something of himself for the first time ...
How does it feel to be allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest?
"I feel pretty good. I do what I like, so that feels good. I'm just someone who sings, nothing more and nothing less. Of course I am a participant in the song festival, but in the first place I am a singer. "
Have you always been a fan of the song festival?
"To be honest, not really, no. I knew the song festival existed, but it wasn't until I was selected that I really learned what a great concept it is. A lot of European countries make a fantastic show together and have great fun, so I think it's a super idea. "
Have you heard other participants?
'No. I have decided not to do that because I do not want to stress and be put under pressure. I know my song Rythm Inside is different, it's not a typical song festival song. I don't want to listen to other songs because I don't want to compare myself with other artists and then suddenly get under high voltage. "
What is it like to suddenly go from The Voice to Eurovision Song Contest participant?
"I finished second at The Voice Belgique and then I signed a contract with Sony Music. And then, I believe the RTBF (the French-language channel), contacted Sony to ask if I was interested in participating in the ESC (Eurovision Song Contest, ed.) And then Sony called me.
I did not immediately say "yes." I said: Also, I'm going to have to think about that. I also thought very carefully about the proposal. I am a completely new artist without songs, style or photos. Without anything and I wanted to be sure that we had enough time to do everything we had to do to prepare it properly. That is why I could not immediately say "yes."
Can you say what the underlying message is of Rhythm Inside?
"Like I said, Rhythm Inside is different. It is very powerful and clean in terms of music. It is pure. The universe of the song is dark. I mean, in my mind I see it as something dark. But not as something bad, I mean the color that I see when I hear Rhythm Inside.
The underlying message is that we are all the same. For example, you can have a beautiful, slender girl living in a street, but also a fat woman who is just as beautiful as that girl. Rhythm Inside tells that story: "We are all different, we all have a different personality and we are all different, but everyone has a heart and blood flows through everyone's veins. Everyone is human. Whether you are rich or poor, we are all the same. "Because we are all different does not mean that we cannot walk hand in hand in the same direction. We have to help each other because we are human and yes, of course there is rich and poor, thin and fat, but that is not important at all. "
What was the atmosphere in which you wrote it?
"I was alone in my room somewhere around midnight and just sat down and played behind the piano and suddenly I found very cool chords. I knew that I wanted to tell something about my sadness. I think equality is very important and I wanted to say that in my song because I think it is important that an artist propagates what he thinks and that the audience can respond to it. "
And everyone wonders what the words "rapppabab" and "rompanpan" mean ...
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Read the answer to this question and the rest of the interview in the new edition of The Gay Issue!