We had an interview with Mustii

We had an interview with Mustii, who will represent Belgium at Eurovision this year with he song « Before the Party’s Over »
-Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Who is Mustii according to you?
My real name is Thomas Mustin, I’m living in Brussels and Mustii is some kind of « alter ego », Mustii is me but it’s me under a microscope, it’s a persona who helps me to show all of my emotions and feelings in a bigger way.
I’m seeing myself as a multidisciplinary artist, I started as an actor (always wanted to be an actor, since I was a child) I play for theatre, television and cinema, but music is also a super important medium for me, I love to put some theatricality in my music, my favorite thing is to be on stage, to connect with audiences, the performance, I’m living for it ! I love to change, to transform myself and I’m always looking for contrasts, to create bridges between power and vulnerability for example. I don’t want to be put in a box, I love to do really different things, for example I’m a judge in Drag Race Belgium where there’s all the glam, the strass the fashion and stuff and at the same time I’m shooting in a really dark and cold thriller movie in which I’m playing a young tough masculine bad guy… Always want to get out of my comfort zone, I want to live to the fullest.
-You started your career with acting. How did you discover your interest in music?
When I was at the theater school, my roommate had some synthesizers and piano, so when I came back home at night after the students parties, I tried to play on his stuff, and step by step, little by little, I instinctively started to compose and write some melodies and demos… after that I created my first rock band. Always loved the idea of being the frontman. I’ve been singing since I was a child, and there are no other artists in my family but my father had a lot of vinyl’s so I grew up listening to a lot of different artists, from Lou Reed to Bob Dylan, from The Beatles to David Bowie, The Rolling Stones or Black Sabbath, The Clash, Talk Talk, Depeche Mode, etc…
-How did the Eurovision offer come about, Could you tell us a bit about this process?
It was during the shooting of Drag Race Belgium Season 1 more than 1 year ago ! Early morning when I was at the make up, one of the RTBF bosses came to me to ask if I agreed to represent Belgium at Eurovision 24 ! It was crazy for me, almost like a dream, it was really early in the morning and I was really tired but this question woke me up instantly !
I was so touched and honored. I do this job to experience extreme and big emotions so no reason for me to say no to this wonderful challenge ! I will learn a lot and meet amazing new people and artists !
-Could you tell us a bit about your song « Before the Party’s Over »? How did the song come about and what is its story?
it’s the closing song of my next album which will be released in a few months, and for me it was the right choice for Eurovision because it contains a mix and a contrast between power and fragility. There are several layers to the song, you can have different interpretations of it. It’s about resilience, it’s for those who struggle in life for whatever reason, it’s a scream of life, an ode to life, a wake up call, we don’t have a lot of time so we have to live to the fullest.
I have 2 references related to the song, one David Bowie song called « memory of a free festival » which also contains a big choir at the end and the Tchekov’s play « the three sisters ».
I composed the song with Pierre Dumoulin and Ben Leclerq one afternoon and the first thing that appeared was the choir melody at the end (I got a soul on fire, I’m gonna raise roofs tonight…). I very quickly wanted to hear this song sung by a large number of people to intensify the unifying and symbolic aspect of the song but I didn’t want professional singers, I wanted to hear the energy and the life of « everyday people », people from all around the world. it is also a way of taking the Eurovision slogan “united by music” literally !
-We can see that you’ve portrayed your talents well in the music video; it’s of very high quality. Could you tell us a bit about the shooting of the video?
I had the chance to work with the wonderful director Bjorn Tagemose (he worked with Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, iconic artists that I adore) and the creative director Deborah Bloemen, they completely understood my universe, we wanted this contrast between vulnerability and power, a touch of darkness and glam, to translate the feeling of urgency behind the song was the great challenge, the life pulse !
I am proud of my team because it represents Belgium in its entirety, I am surrounded by Flemish, Brussels and Walloon people, once again this proves that music can unite! And something cute ; you can almost see the colors and lights of the Belgian flag in the video. There are a lot of symbols in this video, these microphones which represent all the voices of the choir, this cry of life. The need to let go completely, there is a necessary abandonment, it’s almost mystical, a purge, an exorcization, letting the demons come out…

-You mentioned that there would be some influences from the music video in your Eurovision performance. Could you give us a hint? What can we expect from you in Malmö?
Yes there are some clues in the video clip, I want to stay faithful to this universe that we created but let’s keep some mystery haha. What I can say is that I have my own creative team and it’s the same team for the video and for the performance 🙂
-You are one of the favorite countries this year. How does it feel to be a favorite?
I don’t want to think too much about it and stay focused on the work, I want the process to be joyful, I want to learn a lot and meet amazing new people. I’m especially happy that the song resonates with many people, that’s the most important thing for me.
-There are still months until Eurovision. How are you preparing for Eurovision?
A lot of different things at the same time, sport, coaching for the body and voice, rehearsals, promotion, moments of relaxation with my loved ones, I also have good advice from Gustaph who represented Belgium last year. I love him so much !
-Your song is well-loved in Turkey. Finally, do you have a message for our followers in Turkey?
Thanks a lot, I’m deeply touched. I went to Turkey when I was bit younger and have so good memories of it! I wish you all the best, live your life to the fullest, don’t be scared. As would say Frank Herbert, « fear is the mind killer », so have no fear, be yourself. Lots of love.