BELGIUM

The Belgian song was unveiled on March 5^th via the release of the official video on youtube. The next day the song has its premiere on Belgian radio station MNM. Back in September, it was announced that Laura Groeseneken, under her stage name Sennek, had been internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster VRT and her song would be announced in March. The song she will be singing is “A matter of time”

The video takes place in a number of settings – a theatre, an empty swimming pool, staircases, fancy stated glass windows,  - and any of this, or none, could influence to the stage show. She is also wearing a number of different outfits any of which could be her stage costume. Most of the time she is looking away from the camera which is an interesting perspective and could possibly imagine her singing this in profile during the first verse.

The song is a very jazzy number with more than a nod to twenty-first century James Bond themes. It starts with a verse which is only backed by a few piano chords and this is then followed by another verse but this time the piano is joined by drumming. There is brief pre-chorus which is the lull before the chorus. The pace and pitch changes drastically and really catches your ear. In particular the repetition of the word ‘echoes’ is a very clever touch. The change back into the verse is a little clunky but it pretty hard to condense so much direction in 3 minutes. We have another verse, pre chorus and chorus before the song ends with the backing gently fading away like it is falling down a tunnel.

Overall this is a very classy, well-produced and well thought through entry. Obviously the proof will be in the live performances a as to how well she can actually deliver this and hopefully we will get some soon. This fits very well in the lineage of recent Belgian entries and long standing fans and watchers will not be disappointed by what Belgium deliver this year. The juries are going to absolutely lap this up but I am a little hesitant as to how encouraged televoters will be to sit up and vote for this. Although it is a great song, is it a song that compels you to vote for it. Although I would live for this to be up near the top at the end I have a feeling it will rumble just below where it deserves.

ARTIST –  Sennek

SONG – A matter of time

MUSIC - Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier, Maxime Tribèche

LYRICS - Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier, Maxime Tribèche