Belgium sends one of their biggest bands Hooverphonic to Eurovision
After finishing in top 10 three times in a row (of which two years were 4th places) from 2015 until 2017, Belgium failed to reach the final of the Eurovision Song Contest during the past two editions. Instead of sending young and fresh talent, which they did in the past few years, they now opted for Hooverphonic, one of the biggest band of the country. With their song ‘Release Me’, they are going to try to bring Eurovision success back to Belgium.
The band was started back in 1995 and consists of founding members Alex Callier and Raymond Geerts. Throughout the years, they changed singers a couple of times, most recently in 2018, when 19-year-old artist Luka Cruysberghs joined the band. They said before that their Eurovision entry would be a typical Hooverphonic song and they delivered. ‘Release Me’ has the characteristic cinematic and atmospheric quality they are known for. It is moody and dramatic like a classic James Bond soundtrack. The song does not play around and starts off with one of the main hooks to immediately draw you in. Luka perfectly conveys the emotion of wanting to be set free from someone she loves, but is unable to say goodbye to. Callier wrote the song in a period when his dad was terminally ill, but could also be interpreted as being about a love affair. The tone of Luka’s voice fits the suspenseful and grand orchestral instrumentation perfectly. I’m not entirely sure if the track is instantly catchy enough to wow the televoters in May, but juries should eat this up.
If, of course, Hooverphonic delivers live on stage too. In the past two years Belgium sent songs worthy of a place in the final, but poor staging let them down. The guys of Hooverphonic are experienced professionals though and Luke is known to be an excellent vocalist, so a spot in the final is within reach if they can incorporate the moody mystery of the tune into their live performance.
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