Finally! There’s not been many more long-awaited Eurovision follow-ups than Loïc Nottet’s. The Belgian singer helped re-start the Belgian revival at Eurovision in 2015, when he placed 4th with “Rhythm Inside”. Now, nearly 18 months later, Loïc is finally back in the music scene. His new single, “Million Eyes”, was released to streaming services this morning before the video arrived later.
Loïc Nottet — Million Eyes
Unsurprisingly, for Loïc, it’s a dark, moody electro-pop track. The song also perhaps hints about why it’s taken so long for Loïcto get back in to the game. “Million Eyes”, as its heart, is raw and emotionally charged. “Too, different, I’m scared of judgement”: there’s fragility running throughout the song. The glare of the public and the “million eyes” watching, forcing him to put on a fake smile as a mask.
It’s a theme that some people will obviously both identify and sympathise with. Loïc is laying it all out in public on this track and that strength must be commended.
There is, however, an overriding sense that maybe the song is too emotional. Loïc’s vocal here is not going to be appreciated by everyone. It bounces from the raw vocal cracks to a slightly overwrought key change in the final verse. It never feels out of control — which we wouldn’t expect from Loïc, anyway — but it does feel distracting.
The greater issue, perhaps, is that it’s hard to truly like the song. It doesn’t feel truly accessible, even on repeated listens. “Rhythm Inside” had an air of coolness about it, yet “Million Eyes”, for all its emotion, feels cold. It’s perhaps too personal to Loïc, therefore making it impersonal to a wider audience.
Of course, Loïc wasn’t exactly been doing nothing in his time away from the music scene. He triumphed on last year’s season of France’s “Dance avec les stars”. It’s no surprise to see Loïc showing off those dance skills once again in the official video. His pro partner on the show, Denitsa Ikonomova, showed her support in a tweet earlier today:
Aaaaaaamazing…!!! Du 200% @L0oiic ???? #LaVoixCestToi #GrosSuccès https://t.co/skSp1Tdh1z
— Denitsa Ikonomova (@DenitsaOff) October 27, 2016
What do you think of “Million Eyes”? Are you glad to see Loïc back releasing new music, or does the new single not work for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
The song is amazing ! Loïc is so talented. Million Eyes should be #1 all over the world. 🙂
This actually reminds me of Markus Feehily’s efforts. I think it’s pretty good. Not every day pop and that’s a great thing. It’s awesome to hear original tracks.
That last bit you called distracting was my absolute favorite part, it’s that part that finalized this track as brilliant some days I do find the song emotional enough to shed tears which is amazing in my opinion and a positive thing. I don’t watch Eurovision. I’m from Canada and it doesn’t air here. I only just came across this guy last week when stumbling upon this song
This was one of the few songs in a long time that I really like. Whether or not Loic would get the opportunity again to go to ESC and whether or not he would actually get to win, he really deserves it. That’s some talented young man. Absolutely love this, finally something refreshing in the genre!
A good song by a great artist. Hope we hear more from him soon!
This is mesmerizing. He has a unique style.
The King is back! 😀
Awesome he’s already num 1 on Itunes in Belgium. Loïc deserves it 🙂
Love the song and the video is really cool. Loic has a great voice and uses it well here, and I love how he uses dance to interpret the song, rather as Kate Bush (who I adore) would have done, although I suspect Loic is a better dancer than Kate ever was.
video not available in australia :/
Since when is an artist being too personal? This song is AMAZING, nothing less to expect from Loïc!
Show your appreciation. Buy it now!!!
Very Loreen sound wise, but a thousand times better vocal wise.
This has to be the best Eurovision related song this year! I love it. The video is captivating too. It’s intelligent, different and freaking amazing! Deserves replays and sucsess!
(If I was X factors Nicole Schzingwhatsthespelling it would say something like its ‘1940s bananas that makes me twerk to the nearest plantation – you got it on, pulled it back, opened up and shoved it in – yassss)
( Please note I’m not Nichole Schzingwhatsthespelling so I’m just gonna say it was awesome. )
Beautiful video, beautiful song, beautiful Loïc 🙂
the song is really good! i love it!
well worth the wait, this song would be all over the charts if Loic was more famous
He should do Eurovision once again! Belgium will win within the next few years and with the right song he could be the one to do it actually. Pure talent!
I quite like it actually. It is a bit dark, but I just love his voice and overall appearance.
Loic is one of the best artists in Eurovision history! He has such unique style, he deserves to be known worldwide. Europe is so much better in music world than USA.
I actually like the song! I’m a fan of very emotional tracks and this is no exception. I like the vocal cracks, they add an edginess to the song. I think the song is still accessible, the subject matter of the fear of being judged is very relatable. The video is also impressive as it showcases Loic’s talent, in singing and dancing, without any distractions.