Rhythm Inside (Loïc Nottet song)

Belgian singer Loïc Nottet became prominent after finishing second in his native singing competition The Voice Belgique in 2014, as part of Beverly Jo Scott's team.[5] She would eventually help Nottet write his debut single, "Rhythm Inside", while production was solely handled by Luuk Cox.[6] It was mastered by Stuart Hawkes at the Metropolis Studios in London, United Kingdom.[7] After a snippet of the track surfaced online prior to its premiere,[8] "Rhythm Inside" was released for radio airplay on 10 March 2015 and was first broadcast by Belgian radio station VivaCité.[9] The song's digital availability followed one day later in various countries, conducted by Sony Music Entertainment.[1]

"Rhythm Inside" has been described as an alternative-inspired pop, new wave, R&B, electro, soul and hip hop song.[7][10][11][12][13][14][15] Its minimalistic instrumentation consists of finger clicks, percussion and synthesizer pads.[14][16] While Shioban Palmer of The Daily Telegraph described the track as "punchy and funky",[17] Moustique's Sébastien Ministru noticed a "tribal atmosphere".[16] Lyrically, Nottet stated that the song deals with moral universalism.[18] Music critics also identified other lyrical themes; according to Theo Vatmanidis of EuroVisionary, "Rhythm Inside" is about "getting attuned to a cosmic rhythm of love".[11] A writer of RTVE concluded that the track "conveys[s] the mechanism of our hearts is invariable and that only our individual decisions mark what we will leave in this world". They further wrote: "Do not force yourself to please others, find your own rhythm and you will see that you do not walk alone".[19] Daphne Dee of Wiwibloggs noted that the singer "philosophise[s] on good and evil".[8] One line in the track is "We gonna ra-pa-pap, ra-pa-pap/We gonna ra-pa-pap tonight", which Nottet sings in a reggae-inspired accent to modulate the sound of a beating heart.[20] Another editor of Wiwibloggs mentioned that the singer provided gospel vocals in the song.[21]

Various music critics found "Rhythm Inside" to be reminiscent of music released by singers Sia (pictured left) and Lorde (pictured right).[8][12][22]

Music critics positively received "Rhythm Inside". In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from individual critics, praise was outspoken towards the song's catchiness, as well as its contemporary and dark nature. Nottet's voice was commended alongside the track's complex lyrics and production. Overall, the reviewers on the website gave "Rhythm Inside" 8.31 out of 10 points.[21] Benny Royston of Metro called the track "slick, smooth and almost hypnotic",[23] while Moustique's Ministru praised its production and described Nottet's voice as "confusing, transgender and powerful".[16] Echoing Ministru's thoughts, an editor of B.Z. noted that Nottet's English pronunciation during the song had a Wallonian accent.[15] Multiple reviewers likened "Rhythm Inside" to material released by Sia and Lorde.[8][12][16][22] The track would go on to win in the Hit of the Year category at the 2015 D6bels Music Awards,[24] and it was also crowned as the best song in Belgium's history at the Eurovision Song Contest by website Songestival.be in 2018.[25]

An accompanying music video for "Rhythm Inside" was uploaded onto Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel on 10 March 2015, although it has been since deleted.[26] The same day, the clip was first broadcast on Belgian television channel La Une.[9] It was directed by Josh Brandão and Nicolai Kornum at the BlitzWerk studio in London,[4] while Nottet carries credits for the clip's storyboard, outfits and choreography.[27] It starts with shots of cogwheels and other mechanism, while Nottet is eventually presented sitting on a red chair wearing black clothing. Subsequently, shots of a topless man looking at his phone, a woman staring in a compact, a girl wearing a dress and holding a doll in her hands, as well as a boy playing video games are shown. Over the course of the next couple of seconds, several other people are introduced; some of them later stand next to the aforementioned persons in similar postures. Interspersed, water and red paint is ejected on Nottet, and eventually on the people. The clip ends with a "soaking wet" Nottet looking into the camera.[4][26] Several shots in the music video are pulsating or blinking.[26] According to Chris Haplin of Wiwibloggs, the clip "focuses on opposites and fighting conceptions, with shots including two young girls: one a beauty queen, the other playing with dinosaurs".[4] Shioban Palmer of The Daily Telegraph likened the music video to the work of Jedward.[17]

fictional character Alice (illustrated by John Tenniel) is portrayed by Justine Vercleven in "Alice in Nightmareland".[3]

In May 2015, a "dance-based reinterpretation" of the song titled "Alice in Nightmareland" was released online. Nottet carries several credits, including the director, costume designer and choreographer.[3] The music video commences with the sentence "Before being a singer, I was and am a dancer" being displayed onscreen, after which shots of "creepy" and "evil" nurses walking inside a hospital are shown.[3] A surgeon subsequently appears, carrying a screaming woman (played by Justine Vercleven) wearing a yellow dress. He brings her into a room where she is ultimately left alone sitting on a chair; she runs to another room to perform choreography with the aforementioned nurses and surgeon, who also undress her in white. After all falling asleep, the woman awakens again and proceeds to leave the building. Running in a multicolored forest, she finds a clock on a tree and subsequently encounters a "shirtless, gyrating" Nottet. They perform choreography in the forest and in an abandoned building. Both are eventually found by the nurses and surgeon presented in the video's beginning and fight against them. The video ends with all standing in one line and staring at the camera.[3][28] According to Halpin of Wiwibloggs, Vercleven plays the character of Alice. He likened the clip and choreography to Sia's music video for "Elastic Heart" (2013) and suggested it was a source of inspiration for Nottet.[3]

A third and final music video for "Rhythm Inside" was uploaded onto Nottet's YouTube channel on 13 October 2015.[29] The clip begins with several people—including Nottet—placed inside a container. A man subsequently opens one of its doors and leads the persons to a warehouse. In groups of two each, selected people are tied up, showered down, undressed and then led into another room. When coming for his turn, Nottet manages to run away through a hallway, and reaches another room similar to an amphitheatre. However, the singer falls down towards the video's end and is approached from behind by a creature whose face cannot be seen.[2][29] Robyn Gallagher of Wiwibloggs opined that the music video took place in a "bleak, dystopian sci-fi world", while identifying The Hunger Games, as well as the music videos for Lorde's "Team" (2013) and Stromae's "Ta fête" (2014) as possible inspirations.[2] She further concluded that "there are echoes of events in the real world, both past and present", and likened the creature introduced towards the visual's end to "the sort of creature that wouldn't be out of place on an episode of Doctor Who".[2] An editor of NRJ suggested that the people at the beginning could have been brought together for human experimentation.[30] Jonathan Hamard of Pure Charts described the clip's atmosphere as "subdued and disturbing".[31]

For promotion, Nottet performed the song on several occasions. He first appeared on the radio stations Qmusic and Joe FM on 30 March 2015.[32][33] In April 2015, the singer performed for MNM,[34] while for The Voice Belgique on in May 2015.[35] Other performances in 2015 include on NRJ in June,[36] on Één in July,[37] and on NRJ's C'Cauet programme in December.[38] In 2017, Nottet sang "Rhythm Inside" for RFM in March,[39] for Qmusic's Q-Beach House event in July,[40] as well as for VivaCité's Viva for Life event in December.[41] "Rhythm Inside" was also included on the setlist of the singer's Selfocracy Tour, which ran from 2017 to 2018.[42] The track was covered by several artists, including singers Sennek,[43] SuRie,[44] and Lidia Isac,[45] as well as the band Elaiza.[46]

• Digital download[1]

1. "Rhythm Inside" – 2:52