Axel Hirsoux
For Axel Hirsoux, taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest is a dream come 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 the song Mother.Born in 1982, Axel Hirsoux grew up in the rural town of Courcelles, near Charleroi. His love of music was in his blood even as a child.
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.
A love for the Eurovision Song Contest
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 song Mother is a powerful classic ballad with a simple and understated mise en scene, beautifully executed by eminent choreographer Isabelle Beernaert. The song was composed by Rafael Arte Sero and Ashley Hicklin. Mother is a David Poltrock production.
He sings his song with his whole heart and dedicates it to all the mothers of the world, and by extension, to all women.
It is probably not a number you would expect to hear at the Eurovision Song Contest, but in Axel's view the universal message of Mother is in fact very suitable for the festival.
For Axel participating in the Eurovision Song Contest is a dream come true. He likes to think back to all the years he sat and watched the Eurovision Song Contest and told himself that one day he would participate in it.
He regards it as a very important event on an artistic level, and hopefully it will prove to be a good start to a professional musical career.
The writers
Rafael Artesero is a Spanish singer-songwriter who also wrote Que me quiten lo bailao for the Spanish entrant at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Lucia Perez. The Andorran entries from 2005 La mirada interior performed by Marian Van Der Wal and Sense tu performed by Jenny in 2006 were also written by Rafael.
Ashley Hicklin is a British singer/songwriter who co-wrote Tom Dice’s Me And My Guitar (Belgian 2010 Eurovision Song Contest entry finishing in 6th place). He has also written songs for several Belgian artists including Born Crain, Sioen and Kato.
