The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2025. Next we review Belgium, who have chosen Red Sebastian with “Strobe Lights”.
Have we found our new favourite colour? Read on to find out!
Red Sebastian – “Strobe Lights” (Belgium Eurovision 2025)
Review: Red Sebastian – “Strobe Lights”
Antranig: I’m not much of a dancer. I could stand still in a club listening to an epic banger with no problem. But even I can’t stand still when “Strobe Lights” is playing. This song takes control of your senses like a viral infection, in the best possible way. Musically, it is so addictive and ensnares every inch of your body, like some sort of hallucinogenic. The music video is packed with some exceptional ideas and if they can bring this vibe to the Eurovision stage, I think Belgium have a serious case for a Top 5 finish.
Score: 9.5
Scarlett: The heaviest-hitting part of “Strobe Lights” is its production. The song captures just the right energy, dark and clubby; time feels suspended, just as the Alice in Wonderland-inspired lyrics suggest. However, something feels missing, even with Red Sebastian’s vocals swirling between the peaks and valleys of the melody. I think it’s because layering his acrobatic vocals on top of such a strong electronic track is almost too much. I wish that each element had more space to breathe without competing with one another.
Score: 4.5
Jonathan: “Strobe Lights” is a masterclass in how to produce a dynamic song that grips listeners from start to finish. Commencing with a dark and seductive opening, the gradual build of techno beats keeps you entranced. Red Sebastian’s powerful vocals then provide a resounding climax that feels seamless with the song, rather than shouty and unnecessary. The journey is captivating, and ultimately results in a true banger of a track. This party is where I wanna stay.
Score: 9
Simon: Very authentic techno-rave from Belgium with impressive vocals from Red Sebastian. The problem is that it doesn’t feel accessible enough for a mainstream crowd and at times it seems like the lyrics are distorted from the track itself. It becomes more of a shock effect with the long high-pitch note held at the end and I miss something genuine to connect the listener to the song. Hopefully the staging will get that connection clicking with the audience to carry Belgium into the final.
Score: 6.5
Belgium Eurovision 2025 ranking
In the Eurovision 2025 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
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Andreas: 8.5 Bernardo: 6.5 Burak: 8.5 Cinan: 8.5 Deban: 6 Jordi: 6 Lucy: 7.5 |
Pablo: 8.5 Ruxandra: 9 Suzanne: 4 Tom: 6.5 Tomas: 9.5 William: 6 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a high of 9.5 and a low of 4.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.40/10
What do you think of Belgium’s Eurovision 2025 entry? Share your own score and review for Red Sebastian’s “Strobe Lights” below!
This should come with a health hazard warning. Very seizure inducing all around.
Not worse than Georgia in 2016
Or Cyprus 2016…
Or Czech Republic 2022.
(Were there others?)
Belgium 2,5/12
I think Red Sebastian does not have enough power in his voice for this song.. The electronic parts makes me want to dance though..
In order to sing “Strobe Lights” properly, one needs to be able to sing “G” notes in four different octaves. Red Sebastian can obviously do this very well. (I cannot do this, so I’m rather irritated and a bit jealous. Anyhow, onto the song…) “Strobe Lights” is a dance track with coincidentally the same rhythmic beat as Cyprus’ song “Shh” this year. “Strobe Lights” doesn’t change its G minor key throughout; despite these limitations, the song contains memorable rising and falling melodies and some fun crunchy chord developments. When combined with Red Sebastian’s wide vocal range, this all makes a… Read more »
Meh.
I can’t listen to it many times, it’s irritating to me. I like versus but the drop and falsetto gets annoying fast. I see it as a borderline qualifier.
5/10
I’ve no idea why this was suddently deemed at risk. It’s a solid song with a solid live. I feel the dichotomy of Belgium is affecting how this one is perceived, cuz when they had everything under control they hit a snag and when they had to scramble they ended up in a great place. I trust this one to be done extraordinarily live.
I fully understand everything you say, however, I believe this to have always been “risky”, moreover with a 100% televote. But I hope I am wrong as it is one of my favourite entries and I can vouch for the live performance (from Amsterdam).
This one is a showstopper. It will smash it.
I can’t really listen to it tbh, it’s too psychedelic for me, but I must admit that the guy can definitely sing
This song is very short lived. It sounds good the first few listens and I really liked it when it was released, but later on with time it got boring. Now Red Sebastian does have excellent vocals, but it’s the song that’s dragging everything down.
1. Belgium – Red Sebastian – Strobe Lights – 10/10 – this takes me to a magical place and captures a specific mood incredibly well. The vocal performance is excellent and the production builds into a perfect climax, lifting the listener into the stratosphere. Red Sebastian really needs to release an extended club remix of this track, it would be on constant loop in my playlist. The music awakens something in my soul which for me is what music is all about, so this rightfully sits at the top of the tree for me.
This is one song that has grown on me since being selected. Hints of Bronski Beat and Communards from UK in the 80s. Another one to watch
BELGIUM – This is a song that had a pretty big pre-selection hype! Did it deliver? This atmospheric electronic track definitely has a lot in its advantage. For one, Red Sebastian is a flawless vocalist, and he is able to hit those high notes every time. Also, the song is very well-produced and feels like a finished product of someone who gets the modern industry. The song certainly has a potential to become a big hit – both of stage and on the radio. While the vibe is very immediate, the melody takes time to be absorbed, which might be… Read more »
Amazing score thank you <3
Not a fan of the song but I have to admit, those high notes are pretty amazing!!!
28th place: Belgium: For a particular time when it was first released, I kinda vibed with this song. Ultimately though, old school Western rave never was my thing. For what it wants to do it’s a solid track but really far from my personal preferences. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons with Luktelk, a song I really liked but that one was more towards the dark electronica side which is dear to me. Strobe Lights is more in your face, more rave and way less alternative and thus not to my liking. I am curious about how it will fare… Read more »
Old school Western rave is definitely my thing so I think this explains our differences on this one Thanos. Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely love some alternative rave but i think this is the closest we are ever going to get in Eurovision so it has to sit at the top of my list. I agree with you on Luktelk, I liked that one as well but I really don’t see the comparison, they are very different genres and styles. Strobe Lights is much more closely aligned with We Will Rave in my mind, even though the latter… Read more »
Yes, ultimately I think it’s a matter of personal preferences here. As I said, I feel like this song is perfectly good in its own genre and in what it wants to achieve. And it surely is the closest song to rave we have got at Eurovision for as long as I can remember (as you said We Will Rave was watered down – a lot if I may add).
I don’t like it. The song I still like a bit more than the voice, which I find shouty. I don’t like vocal gymnastics for the sake of it. If they have to happen, they should at least sound pleasant and enhance the song instead of diminishing it.
Belgium – I just can’t quite pinpoint what makes me not want to go out of my way to listen to this one. It’s a nice dance tune and it’s not terrible. I think the higher notes don’t sit right with me, and I’ve had to listen to those quite a lot. Wish I could say more about this one, but I’m having trouble. 4.5/10
Oh my gosh, it’s in the jury lead at the time of writing this
This song it’s quite good. I don’t think this is surprising. I found surprising Australia being on the top.
I’m not surprised by that at all, especially when they tend to leave the big hitters to the end. It’s pretty professionally produced and well put together and there’s not that many holes to poke in it.
Well, it does not mean anything. Usually the top scorers are revealed at the end. Among the remaining 17 acts to be revealed 10 of them are for sure higher