BELIUM – We all saw the final of The Voice Flanders where Duncan Laurence gave a smashing performance but it was the statement of a finalist who made the headlines after the show. Wannes Lacroix, only 16 years old stated he wants to go to Eurovision Song Contest.
On Friday evening it becomes clear who can call themselves The Voice of Flanders 2019. With Bocholtenaar Wannes (16) and Genkenaar Ibe (17) there are even two Limburgers among the four finalists. Especially the first one is put forward as a top favorite, although he prefers to keep the favorite role off. “I do not assume that I am going to win, but I am already working on the future. That is how I would like to participate in Eurosong. ”
Wannes Lacroix seemed destined for this final. The young Bocholtenaar already shone in the Studio 100 series De Avonturen by Lolly Lobroek and the musical 14-18. He also studies “Dramatic Word Art” at the Kunsthumaniora in Hasselt and dreams aloud of a life in showbiz. During the Blind Auditions in which he sang “Locked Out Of Heaven” by Bruno Mars, he had to wait until the very last second for his future coach to print Koen Wauters. “I hadn’t been a boy because of you,” Alex Callier responded. Wannes answered with a smile and kept his smile throughout the entire process.
On the way to the final, Wannes impressed with “Drunk in Love”, a song by his great heroine Beyoncé. Such stars then seemed far away for Wannes, but look, a performance with his coach already followed. Tonight he will be relieved on stage by Duncan Laurence, who won the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend. He himself comes from the Dutch The Voice circuit. “I find that really special,” says Wannes. “I’m going to try to ask him how you can focus on Eurosong and which trajectory you should follow.” Ava Max, also known for the super hit “Sweet But Psycho”, will be on stage later.
Wannes is not nervous. “That will come in the course of Friday, but I think I will sleep well. By the way, I don’t consider myself a top favorite and Ibe that Ibe is going to win. Limburgers among themselves, he says, he winks. He himself will kick off with “Shallow” from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper “because the song suits me”. As Wannes continues in the final, Michael Man’s “Man In The Mirror” and Pink’s “What About Us” will follow, which he sang earlier in the live shows.
The showbiz beast already let it slip that he does not say “no” to paparazzi who come to lie with him in the garden.
“That is the sign that you made it,” he explains. “I’m not that far yet, but sometimes I have to take a selfie on the street. I always try to make time for fans. There are also a few people from the music world who have contacted me, so I look positively at the future. Negative experiences? Sometimes I get a nasty comment but oh well, those are empty people. When I found out that I fell for men, they responded very well.”
