The next interlocutor of our colleague Jovana Jovac is the first international guest from this section — it is the Belgian representative from the last Eurovision held in Liverpool, Steph Caers, known by the stage name Gustaph.
Who is Gustaph?
Gustaph represented Belgium in Liverpool on the Eurovision stage this year, finishing on the 7th place in the Grand Final. He is a gifted and accomplished musician, a devoted teacher with a stunning personality, and someone I had the pleasure of discussing Eurovision with. Gustaph is unapologetically himself.
Hi! So, I’m Gustaph, I’m a 43 years old, queer, pop artist from Belgium, who took part in Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool with my song „Because of you“.
Gustaph has moved and inspired so many young people around Europe with his passion, love, and acceptance during his appearance at Eurovision 2023. But if he had a chance, what would he advise his younger self?
I would say to my childhood self to always trust your gut feeling, to have faith in what is promised, and to have faith in the work that you put into your talent and your craft.
I wondered what his very first memory of Eurovision was, and I found out:
My first Eurovision memory was in 1986 when I was five years old. I remember Sandra Kim winning for Belgium with „J’aime la vie“ at Eurovision. I also vividly remember the year after when Belgium had to organize the Eurovision Song Contest, watching with all of my family. And I still remember watching Johnny Logan win. And I’ve always been a fan because Eurovision is quite a big deal in Belgium, it always has been, and it’s always been a dream to be part of this beautiful contest.
Gustaph, as now we now know, has always been a huge Eurovision fan, but he is also someone adored by Eurovision fans, and someone with a bunch of experience with the competition. Here are all of his Eurovision appearances and opportunities:
Well about my Eurovision experiences, it all started for the first time in 2018 when I was asked to be a backing vocalist for Sennek, who was the contestant for Belgium. I was previously invited in 2016 to be part of the Eurovision experience as a solo artist, but the time wasn’t right for me, as I was still touring with „Hercules and Love Affair“, a band I was a part of. So two years later when they asked me to join as a backing vocalist I was very happy. And then in 2021 I was asked to be a vocal coach and the backing vocalist for „Hooverphonic“, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This experience definitely pushed me into feeling that I could have a place in Eurovision because you get to see how everything works, how the bookmakers work, how rehearsals work and it definitely helped me to kind of have something of a navigation, when it comes to Eurovision.
How does the experience of being a Eurovision backing vocalist differ from being the lead singer?
While being a backing vocalist, of course, is different from being a lead artist. I’m thinking in both cases you’re representing your country, and you do that with a lot of pride, but as a lead artist I could, you know, have a delegation, and I could lead the delegation with a vision. I could pick the people I wanted to work on that vision with. So there was very much a difference because I was definitely in the driver’s seat, but I look back on those three experiences with a lot of love and a lot of contentment.
I asked Gustaph what he hopes to see more of on the Eurovision stage.
Especially with last year, I am quite happy that there was so much diversity when it comes to the people who were on stage when it comes to the sort of songs, the sort of genres. I think it was quite a diverse bunch this year and I think I would like to see Eurovision continuing with that trend. There can be a folklore song, and then there’s a pop song, and there’s a metal song. I think that diversity of artistry, diversity in music, in songs is very important, and really elevates the whole Eurovision contest to a beautiful level. So I just want Eurovision to continue this diversity and continue to urge artists to be their authentic selves in that sense.
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The artist has an unbelievably rich career, and I was very curious to find out if there was a project that stood out to him or that he felt the most connected to.
I feel connected to a lot of projects I did, I look back on the beginnings of my career when I was called Steffen, with a lot of love. I look fondly back to my collaborations with „Hercules and Love Affair“ but I guess, at this moment in time, I feel the most connected to what I’m doing right now as Gustaph. This definitely elevated me to a level where I am heard by more people, and it’s very a beautiful thing to realize I can put music out now and there are people who want to listen to that music. So I feel very much connected to Gustaph because it really represents where I am standing right now as an artist.
Gustaph, besides being a full-time charming person, and an amazing performer, is also a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. About how he balances the two careers and his thoughts on education, we find out:
Yes I am a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, and I actually studied there myself. I got my master’s degree in that same school, so I have a very big connection and a bond with this institute in Ghent. I think it’s beautiful that I can apply knowledge and experiences to my students. Because that’s kind of the point, I think. I think I can give them advice from an artist’s point of view, from a writer’s point of view. And also sometimes help them to maybe not fall into certain traps I may have fallen into, even if it’s just through the advice, because sometimes they’ll have to find their own way and their own steps. But I find it very nice to be able to do that and to support young people. While they also teach me a lot of stuff, because, you know, they are really and completely into what is happening musically, into the latest things and developments in pop music and music in general. It’s really inspiring to see the passion and to see the enthusiasm that they have towards music. It’s a double direction in that sense where it inspires me, and inspires them. So that is beautiful. When I am teaching I absolutely love to really fall into someone else’s vision, meaning my students’ vision, because I kind of have to forget who I am and serve them. And the great thing about that is it gives me a little bit of an escape, it gives me a little bit of room for my own artistry. And I find that teaching therefore makes me, in my case, a more focused artist because I get to sometimes jump in and out of it, in that sense. I think that distance creates something that really helps me to be an artist, so – voilà!
The Eurovision community has felt particularly seen and understood through the lyrics of Because of you ever since we first heard it, while the LGBTQI+ audience has been dancing and crying to the song months after the contest. It must feel absolutely rewarding and amazing knowing that you managed to provide comfort to a great number of people, and Gustaph agrees.
„Because of You“ did reach an LGBTQI+ audience which was, of course, what the song was about. The song was an оde to the queer community and an ode to the chosen family. Yes, I still get messages from people about the song, and it’s it’s so endearing and beautiful because that song was meant to be a pat on the shoulder for people and the fact that actually comes across to people is the most beautiful gift you can ever get as a songwriter, as an artist. So I am tremendously proud that the song had that kind of impact on people, and yeah, that’s really beautiful, I’m absolutely grateful for that experience.
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What does the concept of „chosen family“ mean to Gustaph?
The chosen family for me represents the people that have been there for you, and that have become your family, that have become the people that support you, that will get you to a place where you feel you can accept who you are in a safe space. I think a lot of queer people do this in our communities because, in a lot of ways, and in history especially, no one took care of us so we have to take care of ourselves. And even though I come from a very loving family, and have a very good bond with my parents, and my brother, I still had to find my own tribe, and sort of find my own people, my chosen family, and I think it just is something that for queer people comes quite natural. It is such a beautiful thing and that’s why I really wanted to embrace that message in „Because of you“.
As we know, Belgium has already decided who is going to represent the country in Malmö. Gustaph mentioned that it’s a great honor to “pass the Eurovision torch” to the talented Mustii, and we wanted to know more about the new Belgian contestant.
Yes, I am passing the torch to Mustii this year, he’s the Belgian candidate for 2024. I think he’ll do very well his work „21st Century Boy“ for example is a great, great piece of music. He has something of a darker sense of pop sensibility which I think is very interesting. He’s a great performer and he’s also an actor, so he really can command the stage. I think the darker pop sensibility combined with his great theatrical personality will do wonders on the Eurovision stage, so I’m very excited to see what he will come up with.
Gustaph’s 12 points go to…
My 12 points go to, and this is my classic, it is „Where are you“ by Imaani from 1998. That’s a beautiful song I always loved. I sing the song live now at gigs, cause I love it so much. So when it comes to Eurovision songs, even though there are so many great songs, if I have to make a choice it will be that one.
