Eurosong 2004 did not end well for Biba Binoche. After a spectacular performance and a clash between Biba and some of the members in the Eurosong jury, the final verdict came in : Biba would not be one of the finalists. So that’s the bad news, but was it a total disappointment for Biba?

Surely not. Firstly, Biba Binoche does not belong in Eurosong, where mediocracy is king and being commercial is the highest goal. Indeed, most of the songs up to this moment have more or less been straight copies of other hits or, well, just plain boring or bad (the winner of the second episode scored highly on all these points).

Je chante pour toi, on the other hand, is undoubtedly a quality electro song that cannot be left out of a second Biba album. Moreover, after the great performance of Xandee (who, without a doubt, has to win this contest) last week, Biba was only the second artist to really shine on the stage with a great act (involving a copy of herself in the form of drag queen Star).

It is a shame that some of the jury members cannot set their prejudices aside (after all, what good could former big brother star Betty do after all) and cannot acknowledge the quality of both the song and the performance. On the other hand, Marcel Vanthilt – who is feared by most artists for his, some would say rude, comments – was very positive about Biba. The fact that Biba was supported by back-up singers should not be held against her (there were some obvious voice overs in other acts).

So, Biba will probably have to set her sights a bit further (outside of Belgium) to get the recognition she rightly deserves. And she will, seeing that the plans to launch Biba outside of Belgium are going very well. To round it up : a big thumbs up for Biba and if you need a great electro song : go out and buy Je chante pour toi, once it is released by Mostiko

• January 25,2004
• biba binoche