Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | ||||
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Country | Belarus | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Selection among Eurofest 2012 participants | |||
Selection date(s) | 24 February 2012 | |||
Selected entrant | Litesound | |||
Selected song | "We Are the Heroes" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | Failed to qualify (16th) | |||
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "We Are the Heroes" written by Vladimir Karyakin and Dmitry Karyakin. The song was performed by the band Litesound. The Belarusian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan was selected through the national final Eurofest 2012, 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 2011 and 14 February 2012, respectively. Fifteen competing acts participated in the semi-final where the top five entries qualified to the final. In the final, "All My Life" performed by Alyona Lanskaya was initially selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting, however the entry was later disqualified due to vote rigging and replaced by runner-up "We Are the Heroes" performed by Litesound.
Belarus was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 24 May 2012. Performing during the show in position 5, "We Are the Heroes" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belarus placed sixteenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 35 points.
Prior to the 2012 contest, Belarus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eight times since its first entry in 2004. [1] The nation's best placing in the contest was sixth, which it achieved in 2007 with the song "Work Your Magic" performed by Dmitry Koldun. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Belarus had only managed to qualify to the final two times. In 2011, Belarus failed to qualify to the final with the song "I Love Belarus" performed by Anastasia Vinnikova.
The Belarusian national broadcaster, National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC), broadcasts the event within Belarus and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The broadcaster has used both internal selections and national finals to select the Belarusian entry for Eurovision in the past. For their 2012 entry, BTRC announced that they would organise a national final to choose Belarus' entry, the first time since 2009.
Eurofest 2012 was the national final format developed by BTRC to select the Belarusian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The competition consisted of a semi-final and final held on 21 December 2011 and 14 February 2012, respectively. Both shows were broadcast on the Belarus 1, Belarus TV and Radius FM as well as online via the broadcaster's official website tvr.by. [2] [3] The final was also broadcast online via the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv. [4]
Artists and composers were able to submit their applications and entries to the broadcaster between 1 November 2011 and 25 November 2011. At the closing of the deadline, 56 songs were received by the broadcaster and 115 artists applied for the competition. Auditions were held at the Youth Variety Theater in Minsk where a jury panel was tasked with selecting up to fifteen entries to proceed to the televised national final. [5] The jury consisted of Alexander Tikhanovich (chairman of the jury, singer), Inna Afanasieva (singer), Alexey Khlestov (singer), Anatoly Yarmolenko (director of the ensemble Syabry), Nikolay Skorikov (executive producer of the TV channel Belarus 1), Yuriy Vashchuk (singer-songwriter and television presenter), Leonid Shirin (composer), Evgeny Oleinik (songwriter and producer), Alexander Mezhenny (choreographer) and Dmitry Baranov (national final project manager). [6] Fifteen semi-finalists were selected and announced on 6 December 2011. Among the competing artists was 2011 Belarusian Eurovision contestant Anastasia Vinnikova. [7] The competing entries were presented to the public in the lead up to the national final through special diaries that aired to promote the competition, a weekly review programme broadcast online via the broadcaster's official website and aired on Belarus 1 and Belarus TV. [8]
The televised semi-final took place on 21 December 2011 at the BTRC studios in Minsk, hosted by Denis Kurian. Prior to the semi-final, a draw for the running order took place on 16 December 2011. A 50/50 combination of votes from ten jury members made up of music professionals and public televoting selected the top five songs to qualify to the final. [9] The jury consisted of Alexander Tikhanovich, Inna Afanasieva, Alexey Khlestov, Anatoly Yarmolenko, Nikolay Skorikov, Yuriy Vashchuk, Leonid Shirin, Evgeny Oleinik, Alexander Mezhenny and Dmitry Baranov. [10]
In addition to the performances from the competitors, the show featured guest performances by 2011 Belarusian Junior Eurovision contestant Lidiya Zablotskaya, members of the Theatre of Modern Choreography D.O.Z.SK.I, Inna Afanasieva and Alexey Khlestov. [8]
Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Result |
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1 | Anna Blagova | "You" | Anna Blagova, Victor Rudenko | Eliminated |
2 | German | "Keep Faith" | Dmitry Karpinchik, Yuri Mantachik | Eliminated |
3 | Aura | "Hands Up!" | Evgeny Oleinik, Yulia Bykova, Svetlana Geraskova | Eliminated |
4 | Alexandra Gaiduk and Natalia Baldina | "Loveless" | Maxim Oleinikov, Andrey Glushko, Alyona Gorbachova | Eliminated |
5 | Gunesh | "And Morning Will Come" | Isa Melikov, Zahra Badabeyli | Advanced |
6 | Anastasia Vinnikova | "Shining In Twilight" | Leonid Shirin, Yuriy Vashchuk | Eliminated |
7 | The Champions | "It's Your Time" | Olisa Emeka Orakposim, Vyacheslav Lyschik | Eliminated |
8 | Yan Zhenchak and Outerplain | "We Are the Candles" | Yan Zhenchak | Eliminated |
9 | Ekivoki | "Number One" | Alexander Sukharev, Dmitry Apolenis | Eliminated |
10 | Victoria Aleshko | "Dream" | Evgeny Oleinik, Julia Bykova, Svetlana Geraskova | Advanced |
11 | Alyona Lanskaya | "All My Life" | Leonid Shirin, Yuriy Vashchuk | Advanced |
12 | Uzari | "The Winner" | Yuri Naurotski | Advanced |
13 | Nuteki | "Superheroes" | Mikhail Nokarashvili | Eliminated |
14 | Litesound | "We Are the Heroes" | Vladimir Karyakin, Dmitriy Karyakin | Advanced |
15 | Thriller | "Message to the World" | Ivan Lutsenko, Anna Gorbachev | Eliminated |
The televised final took place on 14 February 2012 at the Sports Palace in Minsk, hosted by Denis Kurian and Leyla Ismailova. Prior to the final, a draw for the running order took place on 24 January 2012. [11] A 50/50 combination of votes from ten jury members made up of music professionals and public televoting resulted in a tie between "All My Life" performed by Alyona Lanskaya and "We Are the Heroes" performed by Litesound. [12] Alyona Lanskaya was ultimately selected as the winner as she received the most votes from the public. [12] [13] The jury consisted of Alexander Tikhanovich, Inna Afanasieva, Alexey Khlestov, Anatoly Yarmolenko, Nikolay Skorikov, Yuriy Vashchuk, Leonid Shirin, Evgeny Oleinik, Alexander Mezhenny and Dmitry Baranov. [10] In addition to the performances from the competitors, the show featured guest performances by 1995 Russian Eurovision contestant Philip Kirkorov, 2007 Belarusian Eurovision contestant Dmitry Koldun, 2004 and 2009 Greek Eurovision contestant Sakis Rouvas, 2012 Swiss Eurovision contestants Sinplus and former Eurovision winners Lys Assia (1956), Ruslana (2004), Marija Šerifović (2007), Alexander Rybak (2009) and Ell & Nikki (2011). [14]
Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Jury | Televote | Place |
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1 | Alyona Lanskaya | "All My Life" | Leonid Shirin, Yuriy Vashchuk | 2nd | 1st | 1 |
2 | Gunesh | "Tell Me Why?" | Isa Melikov, Zahra Badabeyli | — | 4th | 3 |
3 | Victoria Aleshko | "Dream" | Evgeny Oleinik, Yulia Bykova, Svetlana Geraskova | — | — | 5 |
4 | Litesound | "We Are the Heroes" | Vladimir Karyakin, Dmitriy Karyakin | 1st | 2nd | 2 |
5 | Uzari | "The Winner" | Yuri Naurotski | — | — | 4 |
Following Alyona Lanskaya's win at Eurofest 2012, the song had been regarded by many international fans as "a terrible song that features child-like lyrics", which led to allegations from Belarusian press that Lanskaya had rigged the televote of the selection in her favour, which led to her "unfair" victory. [16] Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko ordered an immediate investigation following the rumours, confirming that Lanskaya and her producers had rigged the public televote. As a result, she was disqualified from the contest and national final runner-up "We Are the Heroes" performed by the group Litesound was announced as the new Belarusian entry for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest on 24 February 2012. [17] [18] [19]
On 14 March, BTRC announced that "We Are the Heroes" would undergo changes for the Eurovision Song Contest. The new version of the song was produced by Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos who had previously written several Eurovision entries for various countries including the Greek Eurovision Song Contest 2005 winning song "My Number One". [20] [21] The official music video, directed by band members Vladimir Karyakin and Dmitry Karyakin and filmed at the Lipki Aerodrome in Minsk, was released on 16 May. [8] [22]
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 25 January 2012, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Belarus was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 24 May 2012. [23] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 20 March 2012 and Belarus was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from Malta and before the entry from Portugal.
The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Belarus on the Belarus 1 with commentary by Denis Kurian. The Belarusian spokesperson, who announced the Belarusian votes during the final, was 2007 Belarusian Eurovision contestant Dmitry Koldun.
Litesound took part in technical rehearsals on 4 and 8 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May. This included the jury show on 11 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.
The Belarusian performance featured the members of Litesound performing on stage in a band set-up wearing black biker outfits trimmed with silver accessories, with the lead vocalist of the band Dmitry Karyakin wearing a ripped net t-shirt. During the performance, the guitarists of the band leaned back on their microphone stands into an almost horizontal position by hooking their feet into a strap on the floor, while Karyakin made use of the stage ramp by coming towards the audience. The stage colours were predominantly blue and yellow with the LED screens displaying images of nuts, bolts, cogs and wheel parts. The performance also featured pyrotechnic effects. [24] [25]
At the end of the show, Belarus was not announced among the top 10 entries in the second semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. [26] It was later revealed that Belarus placed sixteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 35 points. [27] [28]
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding points from 1-8, 10 and 12 as determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belarus and awarded by Belarus in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Ukraine in the semi-final and to Russia in the final of the contest.
Score | Country |
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12 points | Ukraine |
10 points | |
8 points | Georgia |
7 points | Lithuania |
6 points | |
5 points | |
4 points | Malta |
3 points | |
2 points | Croatia |
1 point |
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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. 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 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 2005 with the song "Love Me Tonight" written by Nikos Terzis and Nektarios Tyrakis. The song was performed by Angelica Agurbash. The Belarusian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine 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 25 December 2004 and 31 January 2005, 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, "Boys and Girls" performed by Angelica Agurbash was initially selected as the winner by a jury panel, however the singer opted to withdraw her song and the replacement entry, "Love Me Tonight", was announced on 18 March 2005.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Work Your Magic" written by Karen Kavaleryan and Philip Kirkorov. The song was performed by Dmitry Koldun. The Belarusian entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland was selected through the national final Eurofest 2007, 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 15 December 2006 and 22 January 2007, respectively. Fifteen competing acts participated in the semi-final where three entries qualified to the final: one entry selected by a public televote and two entries selected by a seven-member jury panel. In the final, the jury panel selected "Work Your Magic" performed by Dmitry Koldun as the winner.
Belarus debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "My Galileo" written by Aleksey Solomaha, Alexandra Kirsanova and Konstantin Drapezo. The song was performed by Aleksandra and Konstantin. The Belarusian entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey 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 public voting selected the winner. "Moy galiley" performed by Aleksandra and Konstantin was selected as the winner with 2,311 votes. The song was later retitled as "My Galileo".
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 2009 with the song "Eyes That Never Lie" written by Petr Elfimov and Valery Prokhozhy. The song was performed by Petr Elfimov. The Belarusian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia was selected through the national final Eurofest 2009, 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 15 December 2008 and 19 January 2009, respectively. Fifteen competing acts participated in the semi-final where the top five entries as determined by a jury panel qualified to the final. In the final, public televoting selected "Eyes That Never Lie" performed by Petr Elfimov as the winner with 11,475 votes.
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 2011 with the song "I Love Belarus" written by Evgeny Oleynik and Svetlana Geraskova. The song was performed by Anastasia Vinnikova, who was internally selected by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC) to represent the nation at the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. Anastasia Vinnikova and the song "Born in Byelorussia" were initially announced as the Belarusian entry on 28 February 2011, however the song was reworked and retitled as "I Am Belarusian". The song was later disqualified and the replacement entry, "I Love Belarus", was announced on 14 March 2011.
Alyona Lanskaya is a Belarusian singer. In 2011, she won the Slavianski Bazaar Contest in Vitebsk. Alyona represented Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden with the song "Solayoh", qualifying from the semi-final of the competition and placing 16th in the final by scoring 48 points.
Litesound is a Belarusian pop rock band formed in 2005 by brothers Dmitry and Vladimir Karyakin. In 2010, they released their debut album Going to Hollywood. Two years later, in 2012, the band was chosen to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest, performing the song "We Are the Heroes". As of 2018, they released their second studio album Litesound.
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 Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Cheesecake" written by Yuriy Vashchuk and Dmitry Novik. The song was performed by Teo, which is the artistic name of singer Yuriy Vashchuk. The Belarusian entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark 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 fourteen competing acts participating in a televised production where "Cheesecake" performed by Teo 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 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 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.
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Story of My Life" written by Arciom Lukjanienka. The song was performed by the band Naviband. The Belarusian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine 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 fourteen competing acts participating in a televised production where "Historyja majho žyccia" performed by Navi was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting. The song was later retitled as "Story of My Life" for the Eurovision Song Contest, while the band was renamed as Naviband.
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.
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.