This year's EUROVISION forced a lot of people from around the world to immerse themselves into several prominent discussions pertaining to peace, unity and many controversies revolving around the event. Yet the competition also brought out a plethora of immensely talented creatives from across the globe under a massive spotlight. 

One of the highlights of this competition was Belgium's representative Thomas Mustin or as the world currently knows this performer's alias "Mustii". 

Mustii's phenomenal performance of 'Before The Party’s Over' at the Semi-Finals stole the hearts of millions; officially putting the impeccably talented artist under the radar as a lot of people's favourite as he showcased his sensational vocal abilities to the world. 

We recently had an exclusive chat with Thomas Mustin aka Mustii about what his experience was like being a participant in EUROVISION, the rehearsal process, the significant meaning behind the message 'PEACE' that he branded on his arm during his performance, his acting journey and much more. 

Hi there Thomas. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing?

Thank you for welcoming me! I feel much better now! The whole Eurovision process was very tiring and took a lot of energy. I'm happy to move on now and start concentrating on my projects including my next album and my acting projects.

But first I have to breathe a little and take some time out for myself too because it's been a long time since I've done that!

I would love to begin our conversation by asking what it was that brought you closer to the field of entertainment. Was there ever a specific moment growing up where you realised you wanted to try out your luck in this industry or did it happen at a later stage of your life? 

I wanted to become an actor since childhood. I was a fairly shy and an introverted child. During my teenage years, my parents had the idea of enrolling me in theater classes and that was a real trigger for me. It was firstly something therapeutic then it helped me find my way! 
I have always loved playing characters, transforming myself, and getting out of my comfort zone. After college, I went straight to an acting and cinema school, and my music developed at the same time but I see my musical project as a form of acting therefore "Mustii" is a kind of character; an alter ego.

Who were your significant inspirations growing up? 

I'm a real fanboy and there are a lot of figures and icons that made me curious and helped me gain the confidence to want to try things. I think of Madonna for the self-confidence aspect, and I think of David Bowie for his jack-of-all-trades and performative aspect.

When I was a little boy, I was also fascinated by actors like Leonardo Dicaprio and Grace Jones. I was lucky enough to be immersed in this culture, thanks to my parents. They passed on to me their love of cinema, music and literature.

There were vinyls everywhere in our house from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath to Depeche Mode and many more!

Although my first big cinematic blow was Mulholland Drive by David Lynch. I even wrote a thesis on him- the way he builds his world, the way he directs his actors and everything about him is fascinating! 

You have just finished participating in one of the biggest music competitions in the world- EUROVISION. First of all, huge congratulations on that! Walk me through the entire process of how you became a finalist representing your country. 

Thank you so much! I learned a lot of things during this whole process. There were good and bad elements. I came out very tired but with a lot of lessons learned. It was one of the directors of the Belgian broadcast RTBF who asked me to represent Belgium.

She visited during the day when I was filming a Belgian Drag Race (a show in which I am a judge) and asked me if I could do these artistic jobs to challenge myself, to take risks, to experience extreme emotions and to get out of my comfort zone, so I said yes quite quickly! 

The whole process was a little tarnished by a complicated year, with a lot of tensions, controversies and politics, so there was a particular and tiring pressure. But I am nevertheless proud of my song which resembles me, which is my DNA and which will be found on my next album.

The song has had a very good life all over the world, I didn't expect that, it's a very nice platform for me! For the rest, there were a lot of frustrations with the show itself. 

It's difficult to not always have 100 percent control over things, and a lot of things went wrong internally but I don't want to dwell too much on this subject. I want to keep the positives and remember the wonderful meetings I had with all these incredible artists and the way my song resonates with the public.

How does it feel to finally represent your country and getting a chance to showcase your sensational vocal abilities on such a global stage?

Even if I am not of a nationalist nature, the fact of representing your country is something quite strong and moving. This pressure of having to make people proud is also particular but I tried not to think about it too much. The song was very well received in Belgium and that's s already a victory for me! :)

Talk to me more about your performance and involvement in EUROVISION. Did you have any jitters before finally going on stage in front of thousands of people for the Semi-Finals? 

The idea was for the staging of the performance to be as faithful as possible pertaining to the spirit of the video clip. I am very proud of the clip which for me highlights all the contrasts that the song contains; power and vulnerability, glam and melancholy. 

In all honesty, I am not completely satisfied with the final result of the performance and the staging for different reasons but once again, I try to keep the positives of this crazy adventure.

This EUROVISION revolved around a lot of controversies yet significant discussions about representation, unity and demanding just actions from the organisers. We also witnessed you showing the term "PEACE" to everyone during your performance.  

What made you personally stand on this initiative and how are you enjoying the immensely positive reception you are currently garnering from around the world pertaining to your message and your performance?  

I didn't think too much about it. It was an instinctive act which in my opinion had nothing political about it. Peace is a gentle, constructive, hopeful word. I was tired of all the controversies, the pressure, the turn of events.

It no longer felt like a celebration, so I took the initiative of writing this pretty word in black pearls... that seemed sweet, powerful, hopeful, and also quite consistent with the meaning of my song! I am happy that a large number of people understood the meaning of the message. :) 

Some say that it cost me my place in the final but I really don't think that has a link! 

How was your experience like meeting your wonderful fellow competitors like Bambie Thug, Nemo and everyone else affiliated with this event?

This is one of the most positive points of the adventure- the meeting with wonderful artists from different backgrounds. I still keep in touch with some. For example, the meetings with Nemo and Slimane were magnificent, and we have a WhatsApp group to keep in touch.

We were in the same boat, I never felt the competition aspect, we were more like classmates. I'm also a very big fan of Olly Alexander (since a long time) so it was such a pleasure to meet him!

EUROVISION crowned Switzerland as its new winner! What was your reaction to finding out about Nemo's victory? 

I wasn't surprised. I suspected it and I was so happy! They deserve it, they are an excellent performer. The song is spectacular and Nemo is particularly endearing. 

You have also delved into distinct creative endeavours besides music including that of acting both on-screen and offscreen. Talk to me more about your experience working on productions such as 'HAMLET' and 'Romeo & Juliet'. 

Theater is the most formative thing for me. That's what I started my journey with. It requires rigor and discipline. After completing school, I had the chance to play 'Benvolio' in 'Romeo and Juliet' on a big tour across France and Belgium and then I achieved an acting dream; to play Hamlet. 

The ultimate character- so rich and inspiring for an actor. The text has not aged a bit. Hamlet could be quite a young person today with his delusions. It's crazy how this text still resonates. I also liked the fact that in Emmanuel Dekoninck's production, there was a live music group, some David Bowie, some rock and it's completely coherent and in line with Shakespeare's text!

What according to you has been the biggest difference while performing onscreen in films and short-films as compared to performing live on stage? 

I believe that the differences are technical but the soul of the actor, the essence of the game remains the same. Although what is enjoyable on stage is the direct relationship with the spectator; that's what I like above all (in my concerts too) is to be able to address the spectator eye-to-eye directly. We are not addressing a mass but rather individuals.

If given an opportunity, is there any creative on your radar that you would absolutely love to work with in the future? 

Oh, with a lot of people! For example, I would dream of working with Florence Welch, David Lynch, and Xavier Dolan. It's beautiful to dream haha. 

You are also about to star in the phenomenal upcoming film by the talented Michiel Blanchart. What can you tell us about this specific project? 

I am particularly excited about one project. The film is called "La Nuit Se Traîne". 

This is the first feature film by the very talented Michiel Blanchart who has already been noticed in numerous festivals with his short film "You're Dead Helen", all the way to Hollywood (Sam Raimi is also a fan of Michiel's work).

It's a thriller that takes place during one night in Brussels among others including Jonas Bloquet, Jonathan Feltre and Romain Duris. I play the role of a bad guy, a little brute with shaved hair and a metal grill. I like compositional roles and counter-employments. 

That's what makes me vibrate- the splits from going glam from Drag Race Belgium to the darkness of this film. We all have many different facets within us and it's beautiful to explore them! I loved this shoot, the script and the team were very strong so I really hope you like the result! 

What's next for you, Thomas? Any other upcoming projects in the pipeline for this year that you'd like to tell us about? 

The release of my film "La Nuit Se Traîne". I also spent a lot of time in the studio for the release of my new album at the end of the year and the preparation for my future concerts (Hopefully in several places in Europe)! 

I still have the dream of directing my own film and it has always been on the back of my mind.