Belgium’s Jérémie Makiese will be performing at the Eurovision Song Contest finals on Saturday night, where he’ll sing ‘Miss you’ on the big stage at this year's edition in Turin, Italy.
The 21-year-old unveiled the song on Thursday night at the semi-finals, where he was the first artist to be announced as having made it to Saturday night's prestigious final.
Audiences have praised the song for its harmonious mix of styles, reflecting the Belgian artistic scene of today.
Makiese defines his artistic universe as one between soul, gospel and R&B, while saying he is fascinated by all styles: “I love music, that's all... And I want to bring people together.”
Makiese describes ‘Miss You’ as a pop song, with classical overtones and hip-hop rhythms, into which he puts a bit of his soul.
“This mix proves that all styles can come together and live harmoniously. This is also what Belgianness is all about, and it totally fits me,” he said.
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Born in Antwerp to Congolese parents, Makiese moved to Brussels at the age of six and is fully bilingual. He is no stranger to the general public: at only 20 years old, he won the 9th edition of The Voice Belgium in 2021.
Curiously, he is also a footballer and recently signed a one-year contract as a goalkeeper with Excelsior Virton in the Belgian Second Division (D1B).
Belgian jury members
The 66th Eurovision Song Contest is taking place on 10, 12 and 14 May in Turin, Italy. As is the case every year, each national delegation will form a jury which will award points to the participating countries.
The results of the Eurovision Song Contest are made up of 50% public votes and 50% points awarded by the professional jurors (meeting at the headquarters of the participating television station).
This year's Belgian jury members are: RTBF's Deputy Entertainment Director Joël Habay, DJ and producer Alex Germys, music journalist Rino Gallo, and singers Julie Compagnon and Elia Rose.
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Two "back up" jurors are also provided for in case one of the members is absent. They are choreographer Joëlle Morane and singer and candidate of season 9 of The Voice Belgium, Jenny.
The jury will assess the vocal abilities, the stage performance, the originality of the song and the overall impression of the show, meeting at the RTBF headquarters to vote after reviewing all the performances in the dress rehearsal and on the TV show.
Belgium have only ever won Eurovision once in 1986, with Sandra Kim who was 13 years old at the time.
Ahead of tonight's final, which will also be streamed on Youtube, you can listen to Belgium's Jérémie Makiese
