Last night Laura Tesoro was crowned the winner of Belgium’s Eurosong national final, meaning she’ll be heading to Stockholm with her song “What’s the Pressure”. But reaction has been mixed, both among fans and for Belgian Eurovision stars. And some of them really had something to say.
Sandra Kim (1986)
Bravo #lauratesoro veel succes en proficiat ! ????
— SandraKim (@real_sandra_kim) January 17, 2016
Sandra Kim – who got Belgium’s first and only Eurovision win 30 years ago – offered Laura good luck and congratulations.
Kate Ryan (2006)
Laura is niet mature en sexy genoeg voor dit nummer, i’m sorry maar mijn stem ging uit naar #Tom #eurosong
— Kate Ryan (@RealKateRyan) January 17, 2016
Kate Ryan threw some major shade, saying “Laura is not mature and sexy enough for this song. I’m sorry but my voice went out to Tom.” Hey, she’s just being honest! Ten years ago Kate failed to qualify for the final in Athens with the fan favourite “Je t’adore”. Can Laura do better in Stockholm?
Tom Dice (2010)
Ik wil wel iets zeggen maar te weinig tekens beschikbaar #eurosong
— Tom Dice (@TomDiceOfficial) January 17, 2016
Tom Dice seemed to be holding back from saying what he really thought about Eurosong, tweeting that “I want to say something but not enough characters available”.
Axel Hirsoux (2014)
Veel succes @Lauwraaaaah_ enjoy your moment on Eurovision! You are The best! #eurosong#eurovision
— Axel Hirsoux (@Axelhirsoux) January 17, 2016
But there was no drama from Axel Hirsoux, who had nothing but kind, supportive words for Laura. Awww…
BJ Scott
Bravo darling !! You did a great job !! https://t.co/7C83UcKtIkhttps://t.co/p6UwsLEVDQ
— Beverly Jo Scott (@BeverlyJoScott) January 17, 2016
BJ Scott, who was Loïc’s mentor on The Voice Belgique, co-wrote “Rhythm Inside” and was on the Eurosong expert panel, had some praise for Laura.
I knew some people here would go mad because of Kate’s opinion. First of all, just because she did not make it to the final does not mean she’s not a fab singer (’cause she is) and that she should not say what she thinks. I saw some people commenting on her age (“more than mature”). That’s a nasty blow, but Kate’s not 60 – she’s 35, so she’s young. I agree with what she said. Maybe it wasn’t something most people expected to hear, but she’s right.
Anyway, good luck.
This is a run-of-the-mill X-Factor/Idol 70s karaoke song and performance. Laura deserves better. The song is quite pathetic. Bad choice Belgium, Tom had the best song.
@EugeneESCUK The international jury could be fake … Did someone know the spokespersons of each country ? I mean VRT could have chosen people with accents to announce “fake points”. There was already a fake background, they could have made up this thing in the studio. (When VRT doesn’t put money in its show, anything can happen). Moreover, they didn’t call any “huissier” who could have confirmed the votes … As far as Tom’s reaction was concerned, he wasn’t even surprised by the results and he wasn’t sad, disappointed or idk. Anyway, these are speculations about the show. I don’t… Read more »
As a person who didn’t know Laura and never heard the song before today, my first impression is that it isn’t that bad, I kinda like it, and I don’t see how it “doesn’t fit her”, but again, that’s my first impression.
One thing is true, it doesn’t scream “ESC winner” to me either, but hopefully it will pass the semifinals and with a good improvement and a proper staging might even do well.
I agree 100 % with Kate Ryan comment about winning song and singers.
I can’t wait for this funky, catchy, vibrant enjoyable song to make the final! The quality so far is really high can’t wait to see what else is to come.
@EugeneESCUK
Those views and the general popularity for Laura is mainly because she’s the only one that already had a significant fanbase before she started on Eurovision. She played a character on one of the biggest Flemish soaps and has a huge teenage following. Obviously the one with more fans will get more votes.
I agree with Kate 🙂
Kate has some nerve, she was clearly sexy and mature enough ,*cough* more than mature enough *cough*, and look where that got her.
I think Laura will easily qualify for the final with a little more polishing
Katie was so right. Laura doesn’t fit the song and Tom was flawless.
I never got Kate Ryan’s popularity. One of the most ordinary songs ever. She didn’t qualify, so she should keep her mouth shoot.
Please pick Tom !! Not Laura… I know its to late but maybe you can change it?? I hate my country now 🙁
It is true that many types of performances worked well at the ESC. Unfortunately, it does not apply the type of performance that she presents here.
Axel is always a dear; I want to hear more about Tom; And I feel like it’s ok to take Kate Ryan’s tweet lightly, but she might better zip her mouth if Laura does well in Eurovision…
Here is my opinion: 1) Laura can sing but she can’t hit high notes (and I think everybody agrees with that) 2) It’s clearly not a good song for her (regarding to her voice) 3) I definitely think she won’t make it to the Grand Final (and I have a good example for that: Denmark 2015 which is ‘similar’ to Laura’s song) 4) There are a lot of fans on ESC Facebook page saying that it’s bullshit, they sometimes say it’s too cliché and others say there is some plagiat from Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” or Fleur East’s… Read more »
why so much shade? And kate ryan first who asked your opinion and secondly you didnt pass the semi final and you were a favorite so keep your mouth closed 🙂
Maybe she looks a bit like Lena Meyer Landrut but whole her entry is much more similar to Ann Sophie.
@mawnck: “I don’t think anyone is saying that Laura can’t sing”… Oh yes, I am saying it (among many others). She clearly can’t sing live, none of her 3 live performances were good. She’s trying to hit notes that she can’t hit, she’s trying to do all these raspy melisma things with her voice that she’s clearly incapable of doing, and she’s somehow trying to compensate this with that fake smile that she has during the whole performance… The end result sounds and looks awkward, with Laura being off key most of the song. I kinda get Kate Ryan’s comment:… Read more »
I don’t really trust the taste of a lot of wiwiblogg’s commenters anymore after seeing how much a lot of them still uphold some terrible acts that flop (Edurne, Elhaida, Maria Olafs to name just a few) lol. Laura is a great singer and even if you dont like her how can someone make sense of the amount of hate she’s getting?? She’s just a girl who got chosen less than 24 hours ago. Even Nado from Germany didn’t get this much hate when he was chosen. I think she has a decent shot at hitting the top 10, nothing… Read more »
“I honestly cannot understand the amount of hate Laura is getting.” There’s a huge difference between “hate” and “Belgium made the wrong choice”. I don’t think anyone is saying that Laura can’t sing – clearly she can – or that the song is not good – clearly it is. It’s just not a good song for HER. It doesn’t fit her talents. She looks and sounds out of her depth. She’s TRYING to sell it, but the soul music fans among us aren’t buying it. Her voice doesn’t have the power or emotion to put it across. Maybe some day… Read more »
I honestly cannot understand the amount of hate Laura is getting. Her song is really catchy & groovy and has that sound that is just so infectious! If she can perfect a dance routine and improve on the staging I cannot see why she wouldn’t pass to the final. It’s a really strong choice, one that makes you want to get up and dance! Tom still lacked the stage presence he needed to work on whereas Laura was upbeat, into her song and SELLING IT.