Who is Eliot Vassamillet? Belgium's 2019 Eurovision entry who will be singing 'Wake Up'
22 March 2019, 17:22 | Updated: 22 March 2019, 17:28
The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 16, 2019.
Who is Eliot Vassamillet, Belgium's entrant for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest?
Eliot is an 18-year-old high school student who has previously appeared on Belgium's answer to The Voice, where he made it to the live finals.
The singer will have to compete at the Eurovision semi-final on May 14 and 16, but is aiming to go all the way to the top and win the grand final on May 14.
One catch is that the Eurovision contest will clash with Eliot's summer exams, but he explained: "I will miss some classes but the school is behind me and supports me very much... It will be difficult to deal with Eurovision and school exams but I will do my best."
Eliot - Wake Up - Belgium 🇧🇪 - Official Music Video - Eurovision 2019
What has Eliot said about representing Belgium in Eurovision Song Contest 2019?
Eliot has admitted that he was a novice to Eurovision when he entered the competition, having not seen the contest throughout his youth.
While he explained he wanted the inspirational anthem, Wake Up, to have a "global message", he insisted that it was not directly about climate change protests but is a "good coincidence" that the theme fits.
He explained: "The world has fallen asleep and the new generation, the young people, need to make things move and wake up the world...
"The song is about making people ask questions to themselves...
"I thought it was important to have young people singing this song, because it's about the young generation.
When is Eurovision 2019 and where will it take place?
This year's Eurovision ceremony will be held in the city of Tel Aviv after Israel won for the fourth time in Eurovision history last year.
It will take place on May 18, 2019 with a televised ceremony that's set to include a show-stopping performance from global icon Madonna.
Two semi-finals will preceded on May 14 and 16 but the United Kingdom doesn't have to compete in these.
Along with France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, the UK is one of the 'Big Five' - a selection of countries who are the biggest financial contributors to the competition so don't need to go through the semi-final rounds.
