Stef Caers (; born 5 July 1980), known professionally as Gustaph (stylised as GVSTΛPH), is a Belgian singer-songwriter, producer and vocal coach. He represented

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is the upcoming 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is set to take place in Liverpool, United Kingdom, after , winner of the with the song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, was unable to meet the demand ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, United Kingdom with the song "

Because of You Because of You may refer to: Music Albums * ''Because of You'' (James Darren album), 2001 * ''Because of You'' (Ne-Yo album), 2007, and the title song (see below) * ''Because of You'' (Tony Bennett album), 1952, and the title song, a cover ...

" and finished 7th place.

Biography

Caers was born on 5 July 1980 in

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Haina ...

. He started his musical career while studying at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, initially using the stage name Steffen. In 2000, he scored a hit with his debut single "Gonna Lose You", which reached number 22 on the Flemish singles chart. He subsequently released a second single, titled "Sweetest Thing". Following these releases, Caers began focusing more on songwriting and producing. He also became active as a backing vocalist, providing backing vocals for, among others,

Lady Linn Lady Linn (born 27 april 1981, in Sint-Amandsberg) is the artist name of the Belgian singer Lien De Greef. She does live performances with her group ''Lady Linn And Her Magnificent Seven''. The band brings a mix of jazz, pop and soul. Biography ...

and

Willy Sommers Willy Sommers (born Willy Jeanne Jean De Gieter in Uccle, Belgium on 9 August 1952) is a Flanders, Flemish singer and television presenter. He sings Schlager music and is described as an "unsophisticated crooner". His hits include "Zeven Anjers Z ...

. In the early 2010s, he joined the band Hercules and Love Affair as one of the lead vocalists. Caers performed as a backing vocalist for Sennek at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broa ...

and for Hooverphonic at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. In addition to his career as a singer, he works as a vocal coach, and as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. In November 2022, Caers was announced as one of seven participants in ''Eurosong 2023'', the Belgian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. His entry "

" won the final on 14 January 2023 and represented Belgium in the

, United Kingdom, finishing 7th place.

Personal life

Caers is gay, and came out at the age of 14. He chose his stage name based on his father's godfather's name, Gustav.

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustaph (singer) 1980 births Living people 21st-century Belgian singers Belgian LGBT singers Belgian pop singers Belgian record producers Belgian singer-songwriters Belgian male singer-songwriters English-language singers from Belgium Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Belgium Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2023 Hercules and Love Affair members Musicians from Antwerp Musicians from Leuven Vocal coaches LGBT Eurovision Song Contest entrants