Jacques Hustin
Encyclopedia
Jacques Hustin was a Belgian
singer-songwriter
and artist
who was successful in his homeland in both fields, and is best known internationally for his participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
.
. From an early age, Hustin was interested in both music and painting. He studied art and design, and worked at various times as an illustrator, stage designer
and composer of incidental music
. He released his first album in 1966 and moved to Paris
, where he lived for several years.
" ("Flower of Liberty") was chosen as Belgium's representative in the nineteenth Eurovision Song Contest
which took place on 6 April in Brighton
, England
. The 1974 contest is notable for the participation of a number of artists who were already internationally-known names (Olivia Newton-John
, Gigliola Cinquetti
, Mouth & MacNeal
), also as the contest which served to launch the winning group, ABBA
, into global superstar
dom. In this very competitive field, "Fleur de liberté" finished in ninth place of 17 entries.
In 1978, Hustin took part in the Belgian Eurovision selection for a second time, but on that occasion his song "L'an 2000 c'est demain" ("The Year 2000 is Tomorrow") lost out to "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie
" by Jean Vallée
(which went on to finish second in the 1978 contest
, Belgium's highest placing to that date).
, which featured singers and musicians from Wallonia.
Hustin continued recording and performing until the late 1980s, when he decided to bring his musical career to a close in order to concentrate on painting. He ran an art workshop in the Belgian Ardennes
for ten years, and continued to paint up until his death.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who was successful in his homeland in both fields, and is best known internationally for his participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
Early career
Hustin was born at LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
. From an early age, Hustin was interested in both music and painting. He studied art and design, and worked at various times as an illustrator, stage designer
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
and composer of incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
. He released his first album in 1966 and moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he lived for several years.
Eurovision Song Contest
In 1974 Hustin's self-penned song "Fleur de libertéFleur De Liberté
"Fleur de liberté" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in French by Jacques Hustin....
" ("Flower of Liberty") was chosen as Belgium's representative in the nineteenth Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
which took place on 6 April in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The 1974 contest is notable for the participation of a number of artists who were already internationally-known names (Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
, Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of "How Do You Do".-Career:They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth and Maggie MacNeal...
), also as the contest which served to launch the winning group, ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, into global superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
dom. In this very competitive field, "Fleur de liberté" finished in ninth place of 17 entries.
In 1978, Hustin took part in the Belgian Eurovision selection for a second time, but on that occasion his song "L'an 2000 c'est demain" ("The Year 2000 is Tomorrow") lost out to "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie
L'Amour Ça Fait Chanter La Vie
"L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed in French by Jean Vallée...
" by Jean Vallée
Jean Vallée
Jean Vallée is a Belgian song writer and performer. Vallée was made Knight in the Order of the Crown by HM Albert II in 1999.-Career:...
(which went on to finish second in the 1978 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
, Belgium's highest placing to that date).
Later career
In 1975 Hustin hosted a series of programmes called La Guimbarde for Belgian television channel RTBFRTBF
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone is the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium...
, which featured singers and musicians from Wallonia.
Hustin continued recording and performing until the late 1980s, when he decided to bring his musical career to a close in order to concentrate on painting. He ran an art workshop in the Belgian Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
for ten years, and continued to paint up until his death.