After Mustii's unfortunate non-qualification in Malmö, the pressure is on for Belgium's two public broadcasters to make the final again and restore the country's qualification streak at Eurovision.
This year, Flemish broadcaster VRT has again organised their popular national final format Eurosong, hoping to build on Gustaph's 2023 success with his song Because of You.
Ahead of tomorrow morning's grand final, the Aussievision team has listened to all eight songs, and ranked them in order from favourite to least favourite, with points being allocated at a rate of 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 4, 2 and 0. Tie-breaks are decided by the highest single score for the song, working down from 12 points until a split can be found.
Check out below to see which songs scored highly with our team!
8. Lenn, Air Balloon (45 points)
Highs: 10 points from Melanie
Lows: 0 points from Cooper, Hayley, Joel, Laura, Liv and Tim, 2 points from Craig, Dale, Jamie, Sam and Troy
"I always have a soft spot for this type of song - just such easy listening" ~Melanie
7. Stefanie Callebaut, Gloria (50 points)
Highs: 12 points from Melanie, 10 points from Jamie
Lows: 0 points from Craig, Dale, Emma, Fleur, Sam and Saskia, 2 points from Cooper, Hayley, Joel, Laura and Tim
"This song is EPIC for me! Vocals are amazing!" ~Melanie
"The Gloria song is the most bizarre thing I have ever heard." ~Hayley
"OMG, what an amazing performance and voice in her Eurosong live performance. It is something different and stands out from the other acts. Stefania could be a real outside chance of winning, despite being down in the Eurosong odds." ~Jamie
"Gloria started so strong, but the strange vocal, while compelling isn't quite melodic enough for it to overcome its cringe factor." ~Troy
6. Grace, Pull Up (88 points)
Highs: 8 points from Hayley and Kiel
Lows: 0 points from Jamie and Melanie, 2 points from Fleur
5. LEEZ, Perfectly Imperfect (100 points)
Highs: 12 points from Fleur, 10 points from Tim and Kiel
Lows: 2 points from John Christian, Liv and Saskia
"This is so ready to go to Basel. Such slick production and so well composed in all the right places. My only concern is those 'Yooooouuuuu's' and 'Ooooooohhhh's could start grating on the ears after it gets blasted a few times on repeat. But if Belgium wants to send a piece of edgy gal pop, this is just the ticket." ~Kiel
"I love this. It's kind of reminiscent of Loïc Nottet in 2015 to me. It has an edgy feel to it. This might just be my favourite song from the national final season so far." ~Fleur
"Again, this has a great beat to it that really builds the song up. I think the song is really great and has a strong emotion to it. I really like this one." ~Tim
4. Jelle van Dael, Monster (127 points)
Highs: 10 points from Dale, Fleur, Hayley and Saskia
Lows: 4 points from Cooper, Emma and Joel
"This has a level of Scandi about it but it's just a really well produced song with some great peaks and troughs and has a ear-wormyness about it." ~Dale
"Just a very well constructed and delivered pop song. Jelle has a great presence and vocal that conveys the emotionality of the track well. Has a great epic feel and the lyric-less section of the bridge is a standout." ~Saskia
"Do we need another song with Monster in the title? Probably not, but this is an earworm with a decent hook. This monster won't leave my head - dix points." ~Fleur
3 - Le Manou, Fille à Papa (132 points)
Highs: 12 points from Cooper, Emma, John Christian, Sam and Saskia, 10 points from Joel and Laura
Lows: 0 points from Kiel and Troy, 2 points from Melanie
"I've heard that the lyrics are atrocious but luckily for me I don't know a single word of French so I'm having an absolute blast playing this song on repeat. I'm obsessed with the production, it is on trend with the sound we're hearing a lot of in the national finals this year as well as current industry trends. This is an excellent tune that I hope makes it to Basel." ~Cooper
"Very catchy beat that doesn't get stale despite its repitition and excluding the French lyrics the song feels like a classic electronic song you'd hear on Triple J whilst hanging out with friends at the beach." ~Saskia
"I know everyone thinks it's pretentious when you complain about the lyrics of a song that isn't in English, but... good lord the lyrics of this song are dumb. It's a shame, because Le Manou has a strong stage presence and the production on this track is truly next level, but I just find it intensely grating to sit through 3 minutes of a "daddy's girl" telling us about her expensive presents (and there's not the right lightness of touch for this to pass as satire or irony for me). Both very good and very painful all at once." ~Craig
"What a little groover this song is! I can totally see this becoming a firm favourite in my playlist." ~Joel
"I love the 90s dance beat, this would be another excellent, catchy choice for Belgium." ~Laura
"This is a such a beautiful Belgian bop! By far the most sophisticated and original entry in this strong line-up in my opinion. I love the juxtaposition between the strings in the beginning and bridge with the techno-beat that pulses throughout the rest of the track. This song makes me very nostalgic for the excellent Euro-pop that dominated the 2000s. Finally the Flemish broadcaster sending a Eurovision entry in French would be a great symbol of unity for Belgium." ~Sam
"I love this throwback to my clubbing days in the 90's but don't think the vocals are anywhere near as strong in the live performance we have seen so far. Hopefully she can tidy it up a bit before the final as I would love to see this at Eurovision." ~Emma
2 - Mentissa, Désolée (141 points)
Highs: 12 points from Craig, Hayley and Laura, 10 points from Emma, John Christian, Liv and Troy
Lows: 2 points from Kiel
"I've been a fan of Mentissa's for a few years now, and I was so excited to see her in the Eurosong lineup. This song is absolute french pop perfection, and is particularly smooth and catchy in the studio version. The live showcase performance could perhaps benefit from finding another gear, and I think Mentissa may struggle against a strong entry from Red Sebastian this year - but regardless of how she does on the night, I foresee a French radio hit and I know this is going to be on my National Final playlist for many years to come. Belgium, vote for Mentissa! (and if you don't - RTBF, get her number for next year!)" ~Craig
"Little disco-ish bop with hints of funk thanks to the slap base and simple but catchy vocal-line hooks. This would be fun but I think it'll need clever staging to make it interesting enough to cut through." ~Troy
"From the flourishes of strings to Mentissa's vocal delivery, this song is so polished, classy, and radio-friendly but in the best possible way. It sounds like an international hit, it's so catchy and I absolutely love it!" ~Laura
"I can't quite pinpoint why I like this so much. I love a good clappy pop song and it reminds me of something I'd be bopping along in the car to. A feelgood enjoyable entry but possibly needs a bit more drama towards the end of the song to build it up a little more." ~Emma
"If it's not Le Manou, I wouldn't be sorry if this is the entry despite the title is translated to "Sorry", but I won't lie that she has the vocals and the strength to make the case into Top 10 conversations." ~John Christian
1 - Red Sebastian, Strobe Lights (150 points)
Highs: 12 points from Dale, Jamie, Joel, Kiel Liv, Tim and Troy, 10 points from Cooper, Craig and Sam
Lows: 0 points from John Christian
"I can see myself dancing and dissociating to this in the club. That's a compliment." ~Troy
"Yeah ok, NOW I see why Belgium is favourite to win Eurovision 2025. THIS IS THE SONG that'll take out the crown. The audio sounds so fat it's bursting at the seams, which will surely amplify in a stage environment. Hits some pretty fantastic high notes too." ~Joel
"On first listen I wasn't completely sold - I wasn't sure if Red Sebastian's vocal worked with that powerful beat. On second listen everything clicked, I'm obsessed with the progression and daring musicality of the entry. Doing big falsetto notes with a pulsing club beat isn't going to work for everyone but I think there is a lot of potential for a big fan favourite here. Where other singers let the drop do the work, Red Sebastian said "hold my drink" and hit some of the highest notes of national final season." ~Liv
"In a really stacked lineup with at least three other big standouts, Red Sebastian and its dirty techno beats get the slight edge from me to fly the Belgian flag in Basel. It's like they've taken the best of Muusti last year and transported it into a Brussels rave club. Provided he can hit those high notes and the staging is on point, this could be a real contender to get Belgium back into the Grand Final after last year's shock non-qualification." ~Kiel
"There is something special about this. The mix of the *heavy* dance track with Red Sebastian's really unique voice just works. Ok the verses aren't all that much, but the highs are too high to ignore." ~Dale
"The obvious Eurovision candidate in this lineup. I have a couple of little niggles, some of which are completely irrational (as an Australian, the Americanism "cotton candy haze" sets my teeth on edge), but essentially this is a strong piece of EDM which builds well and clearly lends itself to a memorable stage performance. Belgium has a tradition of sending this sort of edgy pop stuff (Loic Nottet, Blanche, Hooverphonic), and Red Sebastian looks likely to follow in their footsteps (and probably into the top 10 at Eurovision). Great work!" ~Craig
"This has a lot happening and I love every aspect of it. The beat in the intro and the build up and the drop is amazing. We know that the vocals are going to be pretty strong and it has a great sound to it. I do feel like my jaw is on the other side of the room however but it's fantastic. Will definitely stand out in May if this goes through." ~Tim
"WOW! This is a punch in the face of a song and honestly... kinda like it. Whilst I have a concern about how long it takes to get to the first beat drop (over halfway through the song) but when it does go crazy it goes off. Stage this like some underground Berlin rave scene and it will shine in Eurosong and Eurovision" ~Cooper
"I can see why Belgium are the early favourites in the odds for Eurovision. This song is an absolute dance banger and has the feel of the early 90s. Red Sebastian will be extremely hard to beat and I can see him potentially finishing in Top 5 at ESC." ~Jamie
"Like its title suggests this is the perfect song for a rave! This would be something bold for Belgium to send to the Eurovision stage, and I can imagine the Basel crowd absolutely going off at this banger." ~Sam
Eurosong will take place on Sunday morning (Australian time) commencing from 6:45am AEDT.
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
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