“Not right, but the public has decided”: ‘The party is over’ for Mustii, who does not reach the Eurovision finals

Song festivalHe did everything he could, but unfortunately: the party is over for Belgium. Thomas ‘Mustii’ Mustin (33) did not survive the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Before The Party’s Over’. Our Belgian hopes were found wanting by the public. After Gustaph managed to qualify last year, another bitter pill. A ticket for the final was also not available in 2018 and 2019.

LOOK. Mustii ends up in the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest

Mustii had set himself a clear goal in advance: survive the semi-finals, and then perform in the final show on Saturday. “It is a difficult job, because the level is sky high,” he said a few days ago. “Surprises can always happen in a match, and I realize that I have a lot to prove. But I’m just going to do that.” Not so, as it turned out last night in the Malmö Arena in Sweden.

At first we could only hope that Swedish television would send our country to the final as the last, as happened during previous editions of the Eurovision Song Contest with Laura Tesoro and Blanche. Disillusionment soon followed – unfortunately. No Mustii in the grand final on Saturday, after the Walloon entry Eliot and the Flemish Sennek could not make any progress in recent years.

Stronger candidates

It was certainly not due to the preparation or guidance. Behind Mustii – who surprised with a subtle political statement on his arm during the second semi-final – was a team that really believed in him, and with whom the singer had a good bond. Perhaps the build-up to ‘Before The Party’s Over’ – which only really takes off in the last minute – was just a little too slow, and technical problems occurred during the pre-parties. (concerts that – in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest – are organized at various locations, and where the current crop can already perform their songs to the fans) still a role.

Then doubts arose about Mustii’s vocal capabilities, and the bookmakers lost faith in a high odds. That also happened in Malmö during one of the last ones dress rehearsals something went wrong in terms of technique, will not have helped the Walloon candidate to keep his stress level under control.

During the second semi-final, Mustii showed a subtle message of peace, by writing ‘Peace’ on his arm © AP

Eurovision Song Contest commentator Peter Van de Veire also tries to understand where things went wrong for our entry. “Of course it is a shame in the first place,” he says. “He may have made just a little too little connection with the audience and the viewer at home. And considering the latter gave all the points on Thursday evening; that may have ruined him. It looked great, had a very nice message and a tight structure – but there were clearly stronger candidates. You only have three minutes, and everything has to be right in that Olympic time frame. Song: check. Performance: check. Voice: slightly less check. And the result? No final for Mustii. I don’t think that’s right, but the public has decided. From now on we will just support Joost.”

Croatia is top favourite

In any case, the explanation for this voting behavior will only follow later. Then we know how the different countries chose, and how badly Mustii was left out. In the meantime, Mustii thanks everyone who believed in him on Instagram Stories. “Thank you so much for your support,” he wrote. “Thank you to my wonderful team. I’m ready for the next chapter. The party is never over.” Although the Eurovision Song Contest train is now thundering on without him, towards Saturday. Then it’s time for the grand finale.

Mustii responds on Instagram. © RV

This year the favorite has also been signed off. Croatia has been in the list of bookmakers for some time now pole position. For example, Baby Lasagna and its ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ currently have a 41 percent chance of winning. The Swiss entry Nemo and its ‘The Code’ and the Ukrainian candidates alyona alyona & Jerry Heil and their ‘Teresa & Maria’ complete the top three. Bambie Thug – the self-proclaimed ‘witch’ from Ireland – is receiving a lot of support online, as is the Dutch entry Joost Klein. Whether one of them can still cause a surprise in Malmö and allow the Croats to miss out on their very first victory will become clear on Saturday evening.