Belgium: Jeremie Makiese to represent the country at Eurovision 2022

Belgium: Jeremie Makiese to represent the country at Eurovision 2022
Wednesday, 15 September 2021

  • Belgium has internally selected Jeremie Makiese to represent the country at the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest next year in Italy. 

    Hello Europe! This is Brussels calling.... and we have out first Eurovision 2022 act! Belgium's broadcaster, RTBF, has announced Jeremie Makiese as the country's next Eurovision representative in Italy for the 2022 edition. Jeremie was revealed this morning on RTBF’s Radio Vivacite.

    Back in June the Belgian act, winer of the 9th season of The Voice Belgium, had expressed his interest in representing the country at Eurovision. Now he sees his dream come true and will fly the flag next year in Italy. 

    The talented act in his first reactions feels blessed and honored with the assignment: 

    In the following weeks the 20 year old act will release his first single while his Eurovision entry will be prepared over the next months. 

     

    A fews words for Jérémie

    Jérémie is 20 years old and originally hails from Berchem. Born in Antwerp into a family of musicians, Jérémie grew up alongside his three brothers and his sister. Now living in Uccle, Jérémie is perfectly bilingual French-Dutch.He currently studies geology and enjoys playing football as he is playing with for D3 Amateur team Wallonia Walhain..

    Very young, Jérémie became a little football prodigy. At the age of 13, he joined BX Brussels, Vincent Kompany's club . Although he sang since his early childhood in church, the young talent also discovered a passion for singing a few years later. It was during a singing competition in which his father had entered him and which he won hands down that the passion for music came into his life. It was this victory that prompted him to register for the castings of The Voice Belgium shortly before celebrating his 20th birthday.

    He took part in The Voice Belgique this year, the Walloon version of The Voice, being part of Beverly Jo Scott’s team.During his blind audition her performed amazingly  Labrinth’s song 'Jealous', making all four coaches turn around for him. Throughout his participation on the talent show he delivered several songs including James Arthur’s “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” and Bruno Mars & Anderson Paak’s “Leave The Door Open”. As singer his style is close to soul and RnB music and he likes to sing in both French and English.

    He won the competition with an impressive 53% of the public vote leaving second as runner up Alice Van Eesbeeck. Watch him below deliver in the final a captivating performance of the song that he started his whole journey with in the competition: 

     

    Belgium in Eurovision 

    Belgium is one of the countries to have participated in the Eurovision SOng Contest since its first edition back in 1956. After 30 years the country achieves to win the contest in 1986 with the 13 yo Sandra Kim and her entry “J’aime la vie“.

    The country has finished last in the contest 8 times while in two of these occasions didn’t receive any point at all. In 2003 with the group Urban Trad and their song “Sanomi” it almost reached its second victory finishing in the 2nd place, only two points behind Turkey and Sertab Erener with her entry “Every way that I can“.

    Although the country has managed to qualify to the final 5 times the last decade, with Loïc Nottet in 2015 and Blanche in 2017 achieving the best results coming 4th in the final, the last two years it hasn’t been that story.  In 2018 with  Sennek and “A matter of time” , failed to reach the final although the juries ranked her 9th in her semi final. In 2019 internally selected  Eliot represented the country in Tel Aviv with his song “Wake up” which failed to reach the grand final.

    In 2020 Hooverphonic were internally selected to perform "Release Me" in Rotterdam. Following the cancellation of the contest by EBU due to the coronavirus pandemic, a consultation between the VRT, the French-speaking public broadcaster RTBF and Hooverphonic led to VRT announcing that the band will represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. RTBF considered it a logical decision to offer Hooverphonic and the VRT this opportunity and postponed their turn for participation for a year until 2022.

    Hooverphonic represented the country in Rotterdam with their song 'The Wrong Place" and after qualifying from the 1st semi final show the finished 19th in the final with an overall total of 74 points. 

    News Source: RTBF.be

    Photo Credit : RTBF.be/ Hadrien Hanse