25-year-old Seppe Guido Yvonne Herreman is better known by his stage name, Red Sebastian. Named in tribute to his love of the crab in The Little Mermaid, he is no stranger to the public eye. In 2013, he made his debut on Belgium's Got Talent, with Eurovision alum Gustaph serving as one of his lecturers at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK). Having competed against Jelle Van Dael and Mentissa, among others, at Eurosong, he soared to victory and is now bringing the red rave to Basel. We caught up with him to learn more.

Hi, first and foremost, how are you?

It's been a very busy ride because, even before doing Eurosong, you have to do all the preparations for Eurosong and make the song, doing the whole pre-selection thing was already very busy and a lot, but then you win, and then it explodes, and you have to do even more. And I think when Eurovision will be here, the 13th of May or even, like, the third of May, when we're going to Basel, then it will definitely be, like, the most I will have to do. But, you know, I am so happy that I can be the representative of Belgium this year and that I get the honour of doing it, so I'm up for all the hard work, and I love to do it.

What an exciting 2025 so far... You must be thrilled with how it's playing out. What's been the highlight?

Um, what's been the highlight? Well, 2025, so far, the highlight for me is that I will be performing on my birthday, the 13th of May, in the first semi-final. That's something that, you know, I think is already a highlight – that I will get to do Eurovision. But to be performing on my 26th birthday is, you know, something that I can't describe. It's just a magical, wonderful feeling that I will be on stage celebrating my birthday but also celebrating Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest. So I hope people will, you know, give me the best birthday present ever and help me qualify for the final.

We absolutely love Strobe Lights. Tell us a little about the process behind the scenes in creating the song.

Well, Strobe Lights was actually the twelfth song that I created for the Eurosong pre-selections. I've done a lot of pop songs in that time; also, like some ballads, you know, I tried everything, but I hadn't written that club banger yet. So I wanted to create a real, you know, club rave dance song that you couldn't resist, and you want to be on the dance floor for the whole song. And you don't want to, you know, go home, or you just won't go to the side. You won't want to go to your chair. You just want to stay on the dance floor and just lose yourself in the moment.

So we watched some footage of, you know, the Zillion. It's a very famous club of the late 90s and early 2000s in Belgium. And I really got into, you know, like, the clubby vibe. That's how we created Strobe Lights. We also wanted to include some Belgian history in it. And we have a wide history range – dance, EDM, techno music and the rave scenes. And I just wanted to do something traditionally Belgian but also honour, you know, my true love for, like, big vocals, like Whitney, Christina, and Mariah. So I really wanted to combine the two. And, yeah, I am very, very happy with it.

Did you always intend the song for Eurovision?


Well, yes, it was, you know, written for Eurosong. So, yes, it was always intended for Eurovision. It was also, like, the last song I wrote, so only, like, a couple of weeks before the deadline. So yeah, the moment I heard the demo, we, you know, created something. I always have this habit of, like, you create a song, and then you don't listen to it for a week, and then you listen to it again, and if it still moves you, if it still makes something happen inside of you, then it's a good song, and Strobe Lights was, from all the songs, the song that stood out the most to me and that I felt like, if I ever get the honour of representing Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest, is going to be with this song.

Who is your favourite Eurovision entry?

Of all time? Well, I would say it's Loreen. And I know that's a very cliche answer, but she just changed the whole game. You know, it was 2012, and I was watching, you know, the finals and saw her win with Euphoria. That moment was just for me. It was game-changing. I was watching, and I was just in awe of her talent, in awe of the way she sang for the arena, made the arena sing with her. It was just perfection, you know. Everything was perfection. And it's my favourite Eurovision song of all time, I would say. And she's a queen.

Belgium has had a very strong history at Eurovision. Do you have a favourite Belgian performance?

I do, actually. There are a lot, and it's hard to pick just one, but I am still very much in love with the performance of Rhythm Inside by Loïc Nottet. I thought it was very strong, and I love that song, and I love that performance, and I love the way that he directed everything. You know, he did everything himself, and he's such an inspiring artist. So I will pick that one, and I like to sing it.



Who do you feel is your stiffest competition? I think everyone. There's something for everyone. I feel like it's a very dynamic year where there's every genre. As someone who watches every year, it's always, you know, you have something for everyone. And this year, I feel like it's even more like that. You know, everyone's doing their thing, and there's something for everyone.

Hmm, I don't know if there's, like, someone or one country that really, really, really is my, my stiffest competition, but I would say every one of them. I think every one of them kills it. But if we're going to speak of high notes, I mean, that's kind of my thing, the thing I feel most comfortable with, then I would have to say JJ is also, like, doing very high notes and doing them amazingly. So, yeah, maybe Austria. Besides that, it's a very different song. But, I mean, it's based on, like, the high notes and the vocals. Maybe Austria.

What can we expect from your Basel performance?
I can't tell you too much, but I will say that I want to, you know, capture the club experience and really bring the underground rave to the stage and turn the whole arena into one big rave party with a lot of red elements and a lot of strobe lights.

What is your Eurovision ambition?

Well, I'm in it to win. In a competition, you don't have to compete if you don't want to win. So I believe in winning, and if you don't believe in it, it's not going to happen. If you believe in it, there's a chance that it will happen. So I'm going for it. I'm really working hard at the moment, and I'm hoping that, you know, the stars align and that I, you know, will have the chance to qualify for the finals. I hope to bring the Eurovision Song Contest home to Belgium. It would be so lovely because it would be exactly 40 years after our first and only win by Sandra Kim. So, yeah, I'm going for that goal.

If you could record with one other Eurovision artist. Who would you work with?

I would record with Loreen. Obviously, she's just an amazing singer and an amazing performer. I love her musical style. And if I had to do a collab with someone from this year's competition, I love Sissel's vocals. I love her vocals so much. Yeah, she's an amazing singer from Denmark, but I also love Gojo. I really have a good connection with him. He's so fun. I love his song. Yeah, maybe those two.

And lastly, aside from Eurovision, what other 2025 plans do you have?

Well, I am actually doing a lot of shows after Eurovision. I'm looking forward to that, and I am also looking forward to releasing my album at the end of this year. It's been my dream to, you know, have my album released. I already did, like, an album, as you know, but it was more like a school project. I really think Eurovision is like the kickstart of my career; I hope it will be.

So I'm really looking forward to releasing new music and my album, and I hope that, yeah, it will get me to tour all around Europe so I can connect with all the Eurovision fans and new fans that I gained through Eurovision or my music. So yes, I'm looking forward to the artist's life. Thank you for the lovely questions, and maybe we will see each other in Basel, and if not, rave with me on Strobe Lights on the 13th and hopefully 17th of May, too!