In Malmö, Belgium just managed to achieve a left-half-of-the-scoreboard result for the second time since nearly winning the contest with Sanomi in 2003, but unfortunately the country is rather used to missing the final.

This year, Flemish broadcaster VRT tried a whole new format for Eurosong, beginning with casting shows and a second-chance round, before three semi-finals each with four songs were held. The jury was made up of four experts: besides Eurosong guru Bart Peeters, it also featured a very enthusiastic Ruslana. Finally, the six-song final at Antwerp’s Sportpaleis saw Axel Hirsoux winning in a true Rybak-dimension landslide victory, leaving the teenie favourites “Bandits” behind on 2nd place – with not even the half of the winner’s total points.

Axel Hirsoux from Wallonia surely knows how to sing. His musical past involved French Eurovision entrant Natasha Saint-Pier, when he ended up in her team in “The Voice” last year – and now his path has even crossed with Ruslana’s, considering she was – recognisably – his biggest fan among the Flemish jurors on the Eurosong panel.

Mother was co-written by Rafael Artesero, who also wrote La Mirada Interior and hence is an idol for certain #esc chatters. This brings us to the music of Belgium 2014, a dramatic piece with a lot of space for pathos. And the singer fills this space easily, at all possible levels. This isn’t exactly Marta Roure on stage!

However, the very well-written and even better-performed song can’t hide the obvious: The lyrics. The lyrics… were surely written by someone who is not Axel Hirsoux. They could have been a bit more subtle, but they aren’t. And so, the Belgian singer is right in the middle of a huge cheesy package which doesn’t do the well-written music any favour. Or does it?

My verdict is really difficult to decide for this one. Belgium 2014 shines in terms of the music and the vocal performance, but totally drowns in the schmalz of the lyrics. I am convinced one could find more subtle but no less affectionate lyrics for a song about the love for one’s mother. But will the televoters and the juries care? No. Would Belgium 2014 still be the same package without these lyrics? No. And now don’t look shocked if I tell you that I predict a top 10 result here. And that – under the line – I rather like this. I didn’t care about the lyrics of O Julissi either.

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