Never before the controverse was so omnipresent at the worlds most legendary music festival. The ESC of Malmö is one for the historybooks. How symbolical this Switzerland win. Although neutrality no longer seems of this world when innocent children are paying the price.
But it should be about the music. United by Music is not a hollow sentence. It’s a way of life. For artists and audiences worldwide 🌍From Europe to Australia 🎶🇪🇺🇦🇺
ArtistCongratz
A great song with a message should always win. 🥇 Congratz on a flawless, ground-, border-, award-🙈and code breaking performance finding a 🆕 «Nemo»🤜🏆🤛
Special Congratz to my contemporaries Malin Åkerman & Petra Mede👸🏼👸🏻🇸🇪, ultimate professionals, presenting and hosting this 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in difficult circumstances 👏🎙️🎧📻🎶Dear Malin, Petra, On a slightly smaller scale;) but nonetheless extremely fun- we’re definitely colleagues;), (picture taken yesterday in the studio of our local radiostation 🎙️whilst me (also in white;)) presenting and co-hosting a Eurovision parade throughout history 🎶 Which felt amazing, so I can only imagine what it must feel like to actually host the Eurovision Song Contest 💭🥰😍Also Special Congratz to this years runner up Croatia🇭🇷and No 3 La Douce France 🇫🇷, our personal favourites« Finding Nemo next level »
Halfway through Belgian music week ArtistCongratz would like to shed some more spotlight 🔛our national music scene. Once more lots of international potential is detected🎶🙌
After ESNS, the annual awardceremony in the Dutchspeaking part of Belgium is on our schedule. They are called The MIA’s, short for Music Industry Awards. This year they were held in Antwerp. Organized by vi.be (supporting our Belgian music scene💪🎼) and national channel VRT.
Join us for some captivating images of absolute highlights⤵️ during the show:
After last years “natural high” on top of the Atomium in Brussels by Oscar & The Wolf, meet this year’s showstarter: Gustaph, border breaking performer/creator in 2023. “Because of you” keeps inspiring audiences and artists, The song turns out as one of the most successful Belgian entries of the Eurovision Song Contest. (Picture by Jokko/VRT)Meet multi-talent Pommelien Thys, hot in Flanders because of her own unique artistic approach. Besides acting in different series, writing her own songs and performing them with panache, she also designs her own ecofriendly, conscious 🌱fashion 🔛 stage. She wins no less than five Music Industry Awards. CONGRATZ indeed Pommelien! 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (pic by Jokko/VRT)Pommelien in concert 🎵 💃🩰The MIA “Breakthrough of 2023” goes to thankful “nominee-along-such-talented-fellow-artists” Aron Blommaert. Nicely presented by Miss Loena Hendrickx, European Champion, our national pride in Figureskating 🥇⛸️ (pic by Jokko/VRT)And this long braided multi-awarded beauty waltzes through lalaland and “Different Waters📀” by the name of Coely, our international hip hop pride. She was handed her prize by a famous Belgian goofy influencer called Average Rob⤵️🦸🏻(pic by Jokko/VRT)
Average Rob; not quite that average where Marvel’s characters are concerned
And this is Portlands Jenthe Pironet (best alternative 🎸) on the left, alongside Metejoor, also nominated in different categories🙌🎵🎶Jenthe also wins the award for the most heartwarming speech, dedicating his prize to medical science and care ❤️🩹 (pic by Jokko/VRT)Rapper winner Brihang definitely has a heart for all things going wrong in the world 🌎 ⬇️ “make music not war & cease all fires.” Hear his Peace pleas(e)🎶 ✌️(pic by Jokko/VRT)Another moving moment highlighting the ceremony. All time Flemish audience favourite Hugo Sigal dedicates his award for best (Flemish) popular to his late partner on and off stage Nicole, who sadly passed away too soon. (pic by Jokko/VRT)A lifetime of folky music is crowned🤴🏻🎶. With lyrics involving all our daily concerns like bread 🥖, spoons 🥄 and… WiFi of course. Bart Peeters gets his special award by another national icon Raymond van het Groenewoud. (pic by Jokko/VRT)CONGRATZ to all winners and nominees 🙌, check all of them 🔛 https://mias.vrt.be (pic by Jokko/VRT)
Kate Ryan, iconic artist who also defended our colours at Eurovision back in 2006 🇧🇪 remember her famous knee move while bringing her now-evergreen “Je t’adore”🎵♥️ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3JHnre0q3ow
And this far-from-freaky-fellow I interviewed more than a decade ago with his band Freaky Age. Cheers to Lenny Crabbé👋🥂, son of Luc Crabbé (Telstar/Betty Goes Green)
Meet Lenny number two :), also a very gifted musician
And this must be the most famous soundman🎤in Flanders. In the picture a lot but always his likable self. Whom everybody knows simply by his first name: Pascal.
And last but not least a selfie 🤳 with these multitalented ladies, pianist/designer Tylaine (in the middle) and singer Zohra🎶🎤How about a red wall instead of the regular carpet… Don’t you just love this quote from «The Voice»? An absolute work of art adorning this wall of the locker room @ music lab Trix Antwerp Thank you VRT, TRIX, Sportpalace & VI.Be for including ArtistCongratz 🎶
Quittersday today? Not where the Artists in our spotlight are concerned!
But first things first. ArtistCongratz wishes all of you fine readers a Happy healthy Creative 2024 with lots of fascinating and inspiring blogposts regarding talented people in different artforms.
Before we are headed North to spot & congratulate rising talent 🎵at ESNS in the Netherlands next week, what better place to kick off our year/Belgian presidency than in the very heart of Europe.
Did you know that the European Parliament regularly organises art-exhibitions in their office buildings?
Last Tuesday we rediscovered artworks of a unique artist we interviewed before in 2022. (Picture by Dorothy Declerck)
Place to be? The Spinelli building in Brussels, where MEP Beatrice Covassi hosted this remarkable exhibition with the characteristic narrative paintings of Antoine Waterkeyn⤵️ inspired by “antiheroes” throughout history.
Biblical inspiration with Samson Et DalilaA talk with MEP Beatrice Covassi & the artist Napoleon revisited by Antoine WaterkeynSpecial thanks to interior designer Dorothy for the spot 🔛picture(s)
Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Love it or leave it but by all means live it if you like !
Europe, Australia, even parts of Asia and the Middle East manage to unite in music every year around mid May. 2023 has all eyes and ears 🔛Liverpool ▶️🎵
So go for it contestants 🎵
BUT… ArtistCongratz has one special request⤵️
EUROPE, do save tonight’s votes for a very special candidate 🇧🇪.
Here are 7 undeniable reasons why you should vote Belgium into the finals TONIGHT⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
1. BECAUSE OF the irresistible, inspirational, beyond professional ARTIST Gustaph aka Stef Caers, who worked his way from back to front slowly but surely, so well deserved 🎤🎼💪✍️
2. BECAUSE OF Gustaphs undeniable taste in fashion🕺💃. #waltervanbeirendonck
3. BECAUSE OF the spot-on-lyrics of the sing-a-long to become evergreen, written by Gustaph himself and multi-talented artist Jaouad Alloul
4. BECAUSE OF the undeniable starquality of ECS’s most quirky “back-to-front-vocals” Monique Harcum, Chantal Kashala, Sandrine Van Handenhoven and Gustaph of course
5. BECAUSE Belgium deserves MORE Eurosong kings and queens along Sandra Kim, who won 37(!) years ago
6. BECAUSE of the great story behind the scenes, telling all of us that it’s never too late for break through!
7. BECAUSE OF (all of) YOU!!!
From ArtistCongratz to Gustaph & his entire dreamteam: go go go and get qualified for this Saturday’s finals ! Your blog host, Gustaph style xxx
вітаю! Congratz to Ukraina! The invaded country manages to conquer the heart of Europe, in more ways than one. Eighteen years after Ruslana and her Wild Dances prevailed in Istanbul, and six years after Jamala won in Stockholm, Malush Orchestra repeats the victory in “Torino”🎶
Did the best song win last night? Maybe not. But something greater seems to have occurred across Europe that will for ever mark this 66th Eurovision contest in history.
Overwhelming support beyond an entire continent 🇪🇺for a country in dire straits because of the most lame invasion.
💙🏆 💛
“Wicked” Runner up United Kingdom 🇬🇧 said it all when interviewed by leading Lady Laura Pausini.
Here’s what Eurovision is all about:
« Unity, peace, love, togetherness! »
and let’s not forget “The Muse”: The Sound of Beauty indeed:
Here’s your blog’s personal Top 5, besides Ukraine 🇺🇦and Belgium 🇧🇪 of course;-). Well done Jérémie and Cie!
1. 🇳🇱The Netherlands “De Diepte” by a fine fairy from the North called S10 – Oooh, aaah; her song and her lived voice went deeep🎵👸- Stien appeared in a stylish black designersuit by Viktor & Rolf.
2. 🇮🇹Italia “Brividi” by Alessandro Mahmood and Blanco- « Grazie ancora per il 7 per Belgió e il 12 per questa profonda espressione olandese 🇳🇱 » Your own song really gave us « shivers » Or rather «Brividi»🎶📳
3. 🇪🇸Spain – The fastest «Slo Mo» ever by Chanel also wins “cutest bling costume” 🏟🐂👯♀️, What’s in a name?
4. 🇲🇹Malta – «I am what I am» True that, Emma Muscat sure knows how to put her Piano on Top🎹
5. 🇳🇴Norway – « Give that Wolf A Banana » Congratz Subwoolfer, Dances-With-Wolves🎬-is-now-officially-revisited🐺🍌🙃
Some more impressions of a swirling evening into a night full of suspense🔃
A Tik Tok star⏳ was in for a “wicked win”, almost…✌️🇬🇧 Congratz 🏃♂️ 🆙Sam -Space Man- Ryder! 🥈A very special mention for Laura Pausini, her stunning intro medley, dazzling x times changing wardrobe, and her a cappella performance accompanied by the entire audience in Turin. “Nel blu di pinto di blu…Volare.”💓 Also CONGRATULAZIONI on a magnificent presentation by Laura, Mika (flanking Laura in the boomerang♻️🔼) and Italian tv host Alessandro Cattelan🙌👌, by her side in the Volare moment.⬇️All time classic “Nel blú di pinto di blú is like a true Italian anthem worldwide🎶💙
Hope you didn’t miss out on the stunning performances by last years winner/revelation Måneskin and the one in 1964(!) Gigliola Cinquetti. They highlighted the evening while points were gathered from all 41 countries including Australia🇦🇺
« Supermodel », 🆕song by Måneskin🤌 the band’s badass bassplayer (also a millenniumbaby like our Jérémie), Victoria de Angelis rocks and embodies just that 🎸👯♀️ As well as lead singer Damiano David of course. A new virtual? statue of “The David” is in order. Michelangelo just might inspire a next Måneskinsong💭 🎵 🎑🌚
Gigliola, still a vision, and only 16 when she won in 1964🥇Did you know she participated twice? In 1974, coming in 2nd after ABBA (Waterloo) with only 6 points less then the Swedish fabulous four 🎶
Germany 🇩🇪turned out to be the ultimate underdog of the evening but Malik Harris took it like A RockStar, gracefully. « Your song, your win ❤️🩹 »
And last but certainly not least a thank you 🤗note to Serbia🇷🇸 to remind us of our basic Covidproof duties 🧺💦🧽🧴🚻 in order to be and stay healthy. “Biti zdrava, biti zdrava” means just that! Health IS our most precious gift 🎁 😷🩺⚕️ Music helps us to cherish it, an ultimate key to our well being 🎼
Ciao Torino, alla prossima! Belgium for host!🇧🇪❤️🩹🇺🇦❓
Usually this blog takes on a different kind of artists but nowadays I find myself under the soccer spell;-) What a better way to start a newfound summer with the grass that binds Europe.🇪🇺🇧🇪
I came to this conclusion in five acts. At the risk of sounding lyrical: especially since my country has a very good chance of winning this European championship🇧🇪🤞🤞🏆
1. Soccer is Film 🎥
2. Soccer is Drama 🎭
3. Soccer is Music 🎶
4. Soccer is Fashion👚
5. Soccer is Art 🖼
1.Mind those reruns in slo mo…Corners, angles, bird perspective…#blockbuster
4. Pink & Turcqoise are the new black! The field has become a true runway! The latest trend? Pastel fluo shoes seem to be the new must haves for every player🦋 #newprojectrunway
5. When that body language hits the big green, players unfold their ultimate movements, in result of years of practice and talent coaching. #artistcongratz
Soccer is all that! Never offside where this insider is concerned😇Keep scoring those goals ⚽️ #reddevils
Off to the Finnish! 😉 Fingers crossed for tonight in beautiful Saint Petersburg, one of the most artful cities ever:
ArtistCongratz 