Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
---|---|
Former participating broadcaster | Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC; 2004–2021) |
Participation summary | |
Appearances | 16 (6 finals) |
First appearance | 2004 |
Last appearance | 2019 |
Highest placement | 6th: 2007 |
External links | |
Belarus's page at Eurovision.tv | |
For the most recent participation see Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 |
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 16 times, making its debut in 2004 and having its last appearance in 2019. The country has been unable to participate in future contests following the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) suspension of broadcaster BTRC from the EBU, which became effective in June 2021. [1] The country's first appearance in a final was in 2007, with the song "Work Your Magic" performed by Dmitry Koldun, where it placed sixth; this remains Belarus' only top ten placement. Belarus also qualified for the final in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019. More recently, the nation had planned to take part in the canceled 2020 contest and was disqualified from taking part in the 2021 contest.
Belarus entered the contest in the same year that semi-finals began to be used to determine who would compete in the final. Belarus has qualified for the final six times: in 2007 with "Work Your Magic", in 2010 with "Butterflies", in 2013 with "Solayoh", in 2014 with "Cheesecake", in 2017 with "Story of My Life", and in 2019 with "Like It".
Alexander Rybak, the winner of the 2009 contest representing Norway, expressed an interest in composing an entry for his birth country Belarus. [2] Rybak's song "Accent", performed by Milki, competed in the Belarusian national final for the 2015 contest, [3] placing fourth.
Belarus originally planned to participate in the 2021 contest, and were set to perform in the first half of the first semi-final. On 9 March 2021, Galasy ZMesta was announced as the chosen entrant with the song "Ya nauchu tebya (I'll Teach You)". [4] However, the entry was disqualified on 11 March, as it was decided by the EBU that the song was in violation of the contest's rules. Belarusian broadcaster BTRC was ordered to submit either a new version of the song or an entirely new song that is compliant with the rules, or face disqualification. [5] On 26 March, BTRC submitted the song "Pesnya pro zaytsev (Song about hares)" (Russian : Песня про зайцев), also sung by Galasy ZMesta, as Belarus' new entry, however that song was also disqualified, again for the same reasons as their previous attempt, and Belarus was subsequently disqualified from the 2021 contest altogether. [6] [7]
On 28 May 2021, six days after the 2021 final, the EBU voted to suspend BTRC's membership. BTRC was given two weeks to respond before the suspension came into effect on 11 June, but there was no public response. [1] The broadcaster was expelled from the EBU on 1 July, therefore losing the rights to broadcast and participate in the contest. [8] It was subsequently stated that the expulsion would last for three years, however Belarus would have to re-apply for membership after it expires. [9]
X | Entry selected but did not compete |
Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Aleksandra and Konstantin | "My Galileo" | English | Failed to qualify | 19 | 10 | |
2005 | Angelica Agurbash | "Love Me Tonight" | English | 13 | 67 | ||
2006 | Polina Smolova | "Mum" | English | 22 | 10 | ||
2007 | Koldun | "Work Your Magic" | English | 6 | 145 | 4 | 176 |
2008 | Ruslan Alehno | " Hasta la vista " | English | Failed to qualify | 17 | 27 | |
2009 | Petr Elfimov | "Eyes That Never Lie" | English | 13 | 25 | ||
2010 | 3+2 feat. Robert Wells | "Butterflies" | English | 24 | 18 | 9 | 59 |
2011 | Anastasia Vinnikova | "I Love Belarus" | English | Failed to qualify | 14 | 45 | |
2012 | Litesound | "We Are the Heroes" | English | 16 | 35 | ||
2013 | Alyona Lanskaya | "Solayoh" | English | 16 | 48 | 7 | 64 |
2014 | Teo | "Cheesecake" | English | 16 | 43 | 5 | 87 |
2015 | Uzari and Maimuna | "Time" | English | Failed to qualify | 12 | 39 | |
2016 | Ivan | "Help You Fly" | English | 12 | 84 | ||
2017 | Naviband | "Story of My Life" | Belarusian | 17 | 83 | 9 | 110 |
2018 | Alekseev | "Forever" | English | Failed to qualify | 16 | 65 | |
2019 | Zena | "Like It" | English | 24 | 31 | 10 | 122 |
2020 | VAL | " Da vidna " (Да відна) | Belarusian | Contest cancelled [lower-alpha 1] X | |||
2021 | Galasy ZMesta | Entries disqualified [lower-alpha 2] | Disqualified X |
Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2009–2011 | Alexander Martynenko | |
2012–2016 | Marat Markov | |
2017–2019 | Olga Salamakha |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(November 2019) |
Year | Commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Denis Kurian | Did not participate | |
2003 | Ales Kruglyakov, Tatyana Yakusheva | ||
2004 | Ales Kruglyakov | Denis Kurian | |
2005 | Elena Ponomareva | ||
2006 | Denis Dudinskiy | Corrianna | |
2007 | Denis Kurian, Alexander Tikhanovich | Juliana | |
2008 | Denis Kurian | Olga Barabanschikova | |
2009 | Ekaterina Litvinova | ||
2010 | Aleksei Grishin | ||
2011 | Leila Ismailava | ||
2012 | Dmitry Koldun | ||
2013 | Evgeny Perlin | Darya Domracheva | |
2014 | Alyona Lanskaya | ||
2015 | Teo | ||
2016 | Uzari | ||
2017 | Alyona Lanskaya | ||
2018 | Naviband | ||
2019 | Maria Vasilevich | ||
Not announced before cancellation | |||
2021 – 2024 | No broadcast | Did not participate |
Show | Commentator | Channel | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Evgeny Perlin | Belarus 1, Belarus 24 |
Belarus has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in every edition since its inception in 2003 until 2020. The Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC), then a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has been responsible for the selection process of its participants since its debut. The country hosted the contest at the Minsk-Arena in 2010 and again in 2018.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Mum" written by Andrey Kostyugov and Sergey Sukhomlin. The song was performed by Polina Smolova. The Belarusian entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of a semi-final which was a televised production and an untelevised final held on 10 February 2006 and 27 February 2006, respectively. Fifteen competing acts participated in the semi-final where the top three entries as determined by a public televote qualified to the final. In the final, an eight-member jury panel selected "Mama" performed by Polina Smolova as the winner. The song was later retitled for the Eurovision Song Contest as "Mum".
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Hasta la vista" written by Eleonora Melnik and Taras Demchuk. The song was performed by Ruslan Alekhno. The Belarusian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected through the national final Eurofest 2008, organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final was a televised production which consisted of a semi-final and a final held on 21 December 2007 and 21 January 2008, respectively. Fifteen competing acts participated in the semi-final where four entries qualified to the final: one entry selected by a public televote and three entries selected by a nine-member jury panel. In the final, the jury panel selected "Hasta la vista" performed by Ruslan Alekhno as the winner.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Butterflies" written by Maxim Fadeev, Robert Wells and Malka Chaplin. The song was performed by the group 3+2 featuring Robert Wells, who were internally selected by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC) to represent the nation at the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway after broadcaster All-National TV (ONT), which was to take over BTRC, failed to receive EBU membership. 3+2 and the song "Far Away" were initially announced as the Belarusian entry on 25 February 2010, however the band opted to withdraw their song and the replacement entry, "Butterflies", was announced on 19 March 2010.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Solayoh" written by Marc Paelinck and Martin King. The song was performed by Alyona Lanskaya. The Belarusian entry for the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where "Rhythm of Love" performed by Alyona Lanskaya was initially selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting, however the singer opted to withdraw her song and the replacement entry, "Solayoh", was announced on 7 March 2013.
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Marsa, Malta. The Belarusian entry was selected through a national final, organised by Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The final was held on 29 August 2014. Nadezhda Misyakova and her song "Sokol" won the national final, scoring 15 points.
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Belarusian entry was selected through a national final, organised by Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The final was held on 4 October 2013. Ilya Volkov and his song "Poy so mnoy" won the national final, scoring 18 points.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Time" written by Uzari, Gerylana and Maimuna. The song was performed by Uzari and Maimuna. The Belarusian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of fifteen competing acts participating in a televised production where "Time" performed by Uzari and Maimuna was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting.
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Volshebstvo (Magic)" written by Vitaliy Kurovskiy, Ruslan Aslanov. The song was performed by Ruslan Aslanov. The Belarusian entry for the 2015 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of both telephone vote and the votes of jury members made up of music professionals. After winning both the televote and jury vote, Ruslan Aslanov and his song "Volshebstvo" were declared the winners.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Help You Fly" written by Viktor Drobysh, Alexander Ivanov, Timofei Leontiev and Mary Susan Applegate. The song was performed by Ivan, which is the artistic name of singer Alexander Ivanov. The Belarusian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where public televoting selected the winner. "Help You Fly" performed by Ivan was selected as the winner with 23,167 votes.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the sixteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It took place in the Belarusian capital city, Minsk on 25 November 2018 at the Minsk-Arena. It was the second time that the contest was held in Belarus, after it staged the 2010 edition at the same venue.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Forever" written by Kirill Pavlov and Yevgeny Matyushenko. The song was performed by Alekseev. The Belarusian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of fifteen competing acts participating in a televised production where "Forever" performed by Alekseev was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Like It" written by Yulia Kireeva, Viktor Drobysh and Zinaida Kupriyanovich. The song was performed by Zena, which is the artistic name of singer Zinaida Kupriyanovich. The Belarusian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected through the national final Natsionalny Otbor, which was organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where a jury panel selected "Like It" performed by Zena as the winner.
Zinaida Alexandrovna Kupriyanovich, sometimes known professionally as Zina Kupriyanovich or Zena, and now known as Zina Bless, is a Belarusian singer, actress, and television presenter. Kupriyanovich represented Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Like It", placing 24th in the final. She has additionally cohosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Minsk, and voiced the Russian dub of the eponymous character in the film Moana (2016).
Belarus originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Da vidna" written by Uladzislaŭ Paškievič, Valeryja Hrybusava and Mikita Najdzionaŭ. The song was performed by the band VAL. The Belarusian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands was selected through the national final Natsionalny Otbor, which was organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of twelve competing acts participating in a televised production where "Da vidna" performed by VAL was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 19th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by France Télévisions and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The contest was held on 19 December 2021 at La Seine Musicale in Paris, France, following the country's victory at the 2020 contest with the song "J'imagine", performed by Valentina. This was the first time the contest was held in France, as well as the first Eurovision event to be held in the country since Eurovision Young Dancers 1999 in Lyon and the first to be held in Paris since Eurovision Young Dancers 1989.
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Warsaw, Poland. Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) selected Arina Pehtereva with her song "Aliens" through an internal selection. She achieved 5th place with 130 points.
Belarus had originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They internally selected Galasy ZMesta as their representative, initially with the song "Ya nauchu tebya ", but the entry was deemed ineligible to compete by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) due to violation of the contest's rules against political entries. After their replacement entry "Pesnyu pro zaytsa " was also deemed ineligible, Belarus was disqualified from the contest on 26 March 2021. This was the first time Belarus was absent from the contest since the country's debut in 2004. Belarus was originally set to compete in the first half of the first semi-final on 18 May 2021.
Galasy ZMesta is a Belarusian band that was formed in 2020 in the city of Baranavichy.
"Ya nauchu tebya (I'll Teach You)" (Russian: Я научу тебя) is a song by Belarusian band Galasy ZMesta. The song was selected by the Belarusian national broadcaster BTRC to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, but was rejected by the competition's organisers for having content which they believed was too political in nature. The music video was also taken down from the official Eurovision site.