Mustii ©BelgaImage
What will you be thinking about when you go on stage this May 9?
Often in moments of great stress, I am completely incoherent and I blurt out banalities to those around me to relieve the pressure. The other option is to completely withdraw into myself. I don’t know what to answer you… I know the scene. But this is the first time I’m going to experience something like this. What is certain is that I will be afraid. I hope it will be a positive fear, not one that paralyzes.
At what point will you say to yourself: “mission accomplished”?
I’m already telling myself that now! No, I’m kidding… In fact, since I started the project, I’ve been checking box by box. Today, I am already very proud of the song. It looks like me, it is in my DNA and I will still be proud to perform it during my next concerts. The first reactions from the public and the media are positive. All this gives confidence. We don’t come to Eurovision like losers. But you shouldn’t disappoint either. I have to be proud of my performance. To be honest, I don’t think too much about the rankings. When I watch this in three or four years on YouTube, I especially want to be able to tell myself that I gave everything and that I was in phase with my project.
Eurovision is a TV show and therefore cameras. Is your acting training an advantage?
In my artistic journey, music arrived after training as an actor. When I sing, I always think about the performance, the show, the visual, the physical aspect. For me, a stage is a playground. I have experience in these practices and I am also familiar with cameras. I shouldn’t be the only candidate in this case, but this background will help me, that’s for sure.
Are you more Sandra Kim or Måneskin?
In your opinion? More like Måneskin, of course. By winning in 2021 with their song Zitti E Buoni, they opened doors. Måneskin changed the way some people looked at Eurovision, including mine. I really enjoyed their performance. And then it boosted their career. They’ve opened for the Rolling Stones, collaborated with Iggy Pop and are at Rock Werchter this summer. It’s all a dream. Sandra Kim is our winner. Maximum respect. But that’s another thing. Both kitsch and cult…
All the major specialists of the Competition speak of a “Eurovision” style. It’s what?
I made the same observation. I often hear “it’s not Eurovision enough” or “it sounds like Eurovision”. Well, when you listen to Abba, Sandra Kim, Måneskin, Marie Myriam or Loreen, winner of Eurovision 2023, there is not really a common recipe. I rather think that there are no rules at Eurovision. It’s a mistake to go with a formatted song. The best thing is to stay true to your DNA and be authentic.
Is it important for you to arrive in Sweden with a strong message?
Yes. That, on the other hand, I wanted to do. The theme of Before The Party’s Over is unifying. The song says that you have to live as intensely as possible, take complete responsibility for yourself and try everything before the end. In the last verse, this sense of urgency is reinforced with the choir at the end of the song and this idea of “all together”. It makes perfect sense to present such a message at Eurovision, whose slogan is unity in music. All this, while we know that the world is divided and violent.
Album and National Forest
Life doesn’t stop at Eurovision. On October 19, Mustii will sing at the Ancienne Belgique, in Brussels, and it is already sold out. On February 1, 2025, the singer/actor will tackle Forest National for the first time. His next album is planned for this fall. “A very personal record. Before, I used intermediaries and fictional characters in my songs. For this third album, I’m no longer hiding. Musically, it will be varied with different sounds and energies. A bit like a roller coaster. It doesn’t have a title yet but I’ve already decided it will end with Before The Party’s Over. For the rest, it’s a surprise…
