For Axel Hirsoux, taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest, is a dream which  comse true. This humble young man from Charleroi will soon take to the stage in Copenhagen to show the world what he has to offer musically with his song. He will perform ‘Mother’ in Semi Final 1 at the Europe’s favourite TV show .

Born in 1982, he grew up in the rural town of Courcelles. During his early years he studied music theory for 5 years after which he learned to play the trumpet. In 2001 he first took part in a singing contest. One year after he met his vocal coach Nell, who took his vocal performance to a higher level and even today he is still working with her. At the age of 23 he registered for the Star Academy in France where he just missed out on being selected. But Axel did not give up. In 2007 he sang Vivo per lei to an audience of 1500 people with the French star Hélène Segara.

Meanwhile, he regularly performed with an amateur group in a performance of the famous musical Notre Dame de Paris.

In 2013 he made his debut in the Walloon version of The Voice. He ended up in the team of Natasha Saint-Pier but had to say goodbye after the battles. His love for the Eurovision Song Contest encouraged him to enrol in the Flemish national selection show, Eurosong 2014.

The singer, 32 years old, nicknamed ‘the Walloon Pavarotti’, will sing in the semi-final tonight.

It was on the 24th of May, 1956, that Europe saw the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. After more than five decades featuring some 1100 songs, the contest has become a modern classic, strongly embedded into Europe’s collective minds. It is one of the longest running television shows in the world. Nowaday, the contest is one of the most typical European traditions and without doubt, Europe’s favourite TV show!

 

Claudio SANNA