40 years after winning Eurovision, Sandra Kim recalls exploitation, financial hardship

Forty years after winning Eurovision with her song "J’aime la vie", Belgian singer Sandra Kim has spoken out about how she was exploited at the time and denied royalties for years, leading to financial hardship.

Born in the Liège region, Kim was only 13 years old when she won the popular competition, which at the time lacked strict rules regarding the age of participants.

She received zero royalties from the hit song for two years when it was first released and at its peak popularity, in addition to forfeiting an unusually high 50% of her earnings to her then-manager.

“At the time, I was a minor, and it was my parents who signed a contract on my behalf. I’d say it was very draconian, very harsh, with lots of restrictions,” Kim told RTL.

“They’d worked it all out carefully. So, from all the success of ‘J’aime la vie’, I didn’t receive a single penny at the time.

"Everyone thought I’d become rich, but I didn’t. Now, it brings me a little something, but it’s true that at the start, it didn’t bring me anything at all."

Kim said she mainly had fond memories of the people who supported her during her 1986 Eurovision experience, but still harbours resentment towards her former manager for the exploitative contract.

In the wake of international fame, the young star eked out a living by doing often-unpopular commercials and what she described as "miserable gigs" that sometimes entailed abuse from the audience, including having food and objects thrown at her on stage.

“I had to earn a living somehow,” Kim recalled.

“I’ve been to places where people threw coins at me because they didn’t want to see me. When I was doing an advert for fricadelles, I got a fricadelle right in the face. We laugh about it now, but at the time I took it very, very badly.”

Kim’s 1986 victory remains the only time that Belgium has won the Europe-wide singing competition.

Her performance captivated the continent and became a source of pride for Belgians, but also prompted the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to introduce a minimum age of 16 for future participants. Kim therefore still holds the record for youngest artist ever to win Eurovision.

Her song "J’aime la vie" was written by Jean-Paul Furnémont and composed by Angelo Crisci. Its lyrics celebrate a love of life, joy, and the vigour of youth.

The lyrics also include a line in which Kim claims to be 15 years old, though she was only 13 at the time.

While this was highlighted by some delegations, it did not end up keeping Belgium from an undisputed victory with a then-record-setting 176 points.

In the years that followed, Kim pursued a long-standing musical career, released several albums and adapted her repertoire as she grew older, eventually distancing herself from the image of the "Eurovision child".

She has since become a respected media personality, serving as a judge on music programmes, a regular guest on RTBF shows, and a familiar face in broadcasting in both Wallonia and Flanders. In 2020, she won the first series of the talent show The Masked Singer on VTM.

Kim will announce the Belgian jury’s points during the Eurovision 2026 final on Saturday 16 May in honour of the 40-year anniversary of her win.

• Read more: Lost in music: Belgium's mixed record at Eurovision