Previously, Nottet had participated in his native singing competition The Voice Belgique in 2014—where he finished second and thus rose to prominence—and had chosen Scott's team.
"Rhythm Inside" has been described as an alternative-inspired pop, new wave, R&B, electro, soul and hip hop song, with its minimalistic instrumentation consisting of finger clicks, percussion and synthesizer pads.
The track represented Belgium in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria after being internally selected by the country's public broadcaster RTBF.
During Nottet's minimalistic and black and white-themed show, he was accompanied by four backing vocalists while the background LED screens displayed white 3D boxes moving to the song's rhythm.
Commercially, "Rhythm Inside" reached the top 100 of several countries after the Eurovision Song Contest and peaked at number one in the Wallonian and Flemish regions of Belgium.
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.
[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".
[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".
[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.
[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.
[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".
[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.
[46] Belgian broadcaster RTBF confirmed their intentions to participate in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest on 3 June 2014, however without mentioning the selection method for their entrant.
[48] On 10 March 2015, RTBF held a press conference at the Maison de Vienne in Brussels, where "Rhythm Inside" was unveiled as the Belgian entry for the contest.
[60] Described as minimalistic and black and white-themed, the singer's show sees him accompanied by five backing vocalists—Katie Bernstein, Michael Storrs, Susanna Marie Cork, Sarah Covey and Nicolas Dorian.
Paidraig Muldoon of Wiwibloggs thought the show had avant-garde elements,[52] while The Fader's Michael Cragg drew attention that Nottet and his backing vocalists visually created a "human chess board".
[14] Nottet's performance was praised by the Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel,[62] however an editor of The Guardian criticized the singer's facial expressions, stating he "mainly looks like he is suffering from indigestion".
On the first occasion, the country finished in second place with a total of 149 points, including 12 from the Netherlands, France, Finland and Denmark, ten from Hungary, Spain and Estonia, as well as eight from Russia and Australia.
[63] In the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Belgium finished in fourth position, gathering a total of 217 points, including 12 awarded by the Netherlands, Hungary and France, ten by Sweden and Russia, and eight by Germany and Belarus.