Belgium's Eurovision representative faced criticism after her debut performance
Following her first live performance ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, Belgium’s representative, Essyla, faced a wave of criticism from viewers.
Some fans didn’t like her performance, sparking a lively online discussion about it.
A potential setback?
Essyla’s first appearance with her contest song “Dancing on The Ice” did not impress the audience, to put it mildly. The Belgian singer had significant trouble hitting the high notes, and she often ran out of breath, making it difficult to perform the vocal parts smoothly and cleanly. Listeners immediately noticed this, and social media was flooded with comments suggesting that with such a lackluster performance, the Belgian singer is a prime candidate to be eliminated before the contest’s Grand Final.
Essyla’s Response
After a wave of hateful comments, the singer didn’t stay silent and posted an emotional message on Instagram Stories, where she honestly admitted her mistakes but called on her fans to show some humanity.
“Okay, we all agree that in that video yesterday I sounded like a f***ing dead cow, but you weren’t there. You don’t know the context or how things really went,” Essyla wrote. “I’d like to remind you that we need to be kind to one another. I’m a human being; we’re all human beings, not robots.”
The singer admitted that she’s been singing since she was 15, and yesterday’s comments made her doubt that she’s doing what she does best in life. To regain her confidence, she needed an extra rehearsal.
“I needed a rehearsal today to prove to myself that I’m capable, and I am. Don’t drag a dog underwater if it’s a bulldog (a new expression I just made up). I’m heading to Amsterdam (where the biggest Eurovision pre-party, Eurovision In Concert, will take place) with all my strength and my diva moves. The world is already full of crap, so don’t be jerks,” the artist concluded.
The singer also added ironically: “I can sing this! It’s my song, God.”
Belgium’s Curse at the Contest
Belgium has indeed had serious vocal issues at the contest in recent years, and the situation with Essyla looks like a continuation of this unfortunate trend. In 2024 and 2025, the country’s representatives, Mustii and Red Sebastian, were confidently among the top ten favorites of the contest according to bookmakers, but failed to make it to the final precisely because of unstable vocals during the decisive performances.
The same fate befell singer Sennek in 2018. She failed to deliver a convincing live performance of her complex ballad “A Matter Of Time,” causing the jury to rank her ninth in the semi-final, while viewers awarded her only 20 points. Ultimately, this resulted in a painful failure to advance to the final. We’ll see very soon on the Eurovision stage whether Essyla can handle the nerves and break this “curse.”
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