Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg
Participating broadcaster Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF; 1978–present)
Formerly
  • Institut national belge de radiodiffusion (INR; 1956–1960)
  • Radio-Télévision Belge (RTB; 1961–1977)
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT; 1998–present)
Formerly
  • Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR; 1956–1960)
  • Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT; 1961–1990)
  • Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN; 1991–1997)
Participation summary
Appearances65 (55 finals)
First appearance 1956
Highest placement1st: 1986
Host 1987
Participation history
External links
Belgium's page at Eurovision.tv OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Song contest current event.png For the most recent participation see
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Belgium has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 65 times since making its debut as one of seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The only countries with more appearances are Germany (67), France (66) and the United Kingdom (66). Belgium have been absent only three times in total, in 1994, 1997, and 2001, due to low scores in the previous contests that relegated them from the contest. Belgium has won the contest once, in 1986.

Contents

In the first 20 years of the contest, Belgium's best result was a fourth place with "Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel" performed by Tonia in 1966. In 1978, "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" by Jean Vallée achieved Belgium's first top three placement, when it was second. " J'aime la vie " became the first and to date only win for Belgium in 1986, performed by a 13-year-old Sandra Kim. Belgium's only other top three result came in 2003, when "Sanomi" by Urban Trad finished second, losing out by only two points. Belgium has finished last in the contest eight times, most recently in 2000, and has twice received nul points , in 1962 and 1965.

After the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Belgium failed to reach the final for five consecutive years (2005–09). Since 2010, Belgium has become more successful, qualifying for the final in eight out of 14 contests and placing in the top ten five times, with "Me and My Guitar" by Tom Dice (sixth in 2010), "Rhythm Inside" by Loïc Nottet (fourth in 2015), "What's the Pressure" by Laura Tesoro (tenth in 2016), "City Lights" by Blanche (fourth in 2017), and "Because of You" by Gustaph (seventh in 2023).

Participation

Belgium is a federal country divided into two major linguistic regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south, each region having its own broadcaster: Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) [a] in Flanders and Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) [b] in Wallonia. Both broadcasters are full members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. As only one entrant per country is allowed in the contest in any given year, they take turns in participate representing Belgium. Since 2021, Flemish VRT has been in charge on odd years while Walloon RTBF has been in charge on even years, with both broadcasters sharing the broadcasting rights.

Contest history

Belgium has participated in Eurovision since the very first contest in 1956, however Tonia's fourth place at the 1966 contest remained the country's most notable achievement until Jean Vallée placed second in 1978. In the 80s, following good results for Stella (fourth in 1982) and Jacques Zegers (fifth in 1984), Belgium finished last for the sixth time in 1985. This was followed by Belgium's first and (as of 2023) only Eurovision victory in 1986, when Sandra Kim won with her song "J'aime la vie". Although the lyrics claimed she was 15 years old, she was actually only 13 which prompted runner-up Switzerland to petition for her disqualification, to no avail. [c] By winning in 1986, Belgium became the last of the seven Eurovision founding countries to win the contest, as Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Italy and Germany all had won at least once before. Belgium scored an absolute record at the time, with Kim earning a never-seen-before number of 176 points (that record remained until 1993, with Ireland scoring 187 points). With an average of 9.26 points per voting nation and 77.2% of the maximum possible score, as of 2022, Kim's record still ranks eighth among all Eurovision winners.

Belgium finished last for the seventh time at the 1993 contest, before achieving its only top ten result of the 90s decade at the 1998 contest, where Mélanie Cohl finished sixth. In the 2000s, Belgium experienced mixed fortunes: the country started the decade by finishing last for the eighth and (as of 2022) final time at the 2000 contest in Stockholm, before achieving its best result of the 21st century in 2003 when Urban Trad sang in an imaginary language and earned second place with 165 points, losing out to Turkey's Sertab Erener by just two points. The country then failed to qualify from the semi-finals for 5 consecutive contests from 2005 to 2009.

The 2010 entry for Belgium was Tom Dice, runner-up of the Belgian Flemish version of The X Factor in 2008. Dice finished first in his semi-final, allowing Belgium to participate in the final for the first time since 2004 and eventually finishing sixth overall, Belgium's best result since 2003 and the best result ever for a Flemish entrant (tied with 1959). [1] Belgium then experienced a mix of ups and downs for the remainder of the 2010s: while the country failed to qualify for the final on five occasions (in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019), Belgium qualified in 2013 (with Roberto Bellarosa placing 12th) before scoring a three-year streak in the top ten, thanks to Loïc Nottet (fourth in 2015), Laura Tesoro (tenth in 2016) and Blanche (fourth in 2017). Following two non-qualifications with Sennek (2018) and Eliot (2019), Belgium recorded three consecutive qualifications with Hooverphonic (2021), Jérémie Makiese (2022) and Gustaph (2023), the latter finishing in seventh place overall.

Disparity between broadcasters

There has been a significant difference in the results achieved by the Belgian participant broadcasters. [2] The Walloon broadcasters recorded Belgium's only win in 1986, all of Belgium's ten top-five placements, and 18 out of Belgium's 26 top ten placements. On the other hand, the Flemish broadcasters have placed in the top ten eight times, while scoring six out of Belgium's eight last-place finishes. [2] In the 1990s, the relegation rule was introduced, where the lowest-placing countries would not be allowed to compete the following year, to accommodate for the growing number of participating countries. Belgium was relegated three times, in 1994, 1997, and 2001; twice following a poor placing by a Flemish BRTN act the previous year, and once after Walloon RTBF act, "Envie de vivre" by Nathalie Sorce, placed last in 2000. [2]

Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, the broadcasters have scored similarly in terms of qualification: as of 2024, RTBF and VRT each qualified four times out of ten and nine semi-finals respectively. [3]

Participation overview

Table key
1First place
2Second place
3Third place
◁Last place
XEntry selected but did not compete
†Upcoming event
YearArtistSongLanguageFinalPointsSemiPoints
1956 Fud Leclerc " Messieurs les noyés de la Seine " French — [d] — [d] No semi-finals
Mony Marc" Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie "French
1957 Bobbejaan Schoepen " Straatdeuntje " Dutch 85
1958 Fud Leclerc" Ma petite chatte "French58
1959 Bob Benny " Hou toch van mij "Dutch69
1960 Fud Leclerc" Mon amour pour toi "French69
1961 Bob Benny" September, gouden roos "Dutch15 ◁1
1962 Fud Leclerc" Ton nom "French13 ◁0
1963 Jacques Raymond " Waarom? "Dutch104
1964 Robert Cogoi " Près de ma rivière "French102
1965 Lize Marke " Als het weer lente is "Dutch15 ◁0
1966 Tonia " Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel "French414
1967 Louis Neefs " Ik heb zorgen "Dutch78
1968 Claude Lombard " Quand tu reviendras "French78
1969 Louis Neefs"Jennifer Jennings"Dutch710
1970 Jean Vallée " Viens l'oublier "French85
1971 Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel " Goeie morgen, morgen "Dutch1468
1972 Serge and Christine Ghisoland " À la folie ou pas du tout "French1755
1973 Nicole and Hugo "Baby Baby"Dutch17 ◁58
1974 Jacques Hustin " Fleur de liberté "French910
1975 Ann Christy " Gelukkig zijn "Dutch, English1517
1976 Pierre Rapsat " Judy et Cie "French868
1977 Dream Express "A Million in One, Two, Three"English769
1978 Jean Vallée" L'amour ça fait chanter la vie "French2125
1979 Micha Marah "Hey Nana"Dutch18 ◁5
1980 Telex "Euro-Vision"French1714
1981 Emly Starr "Samson"Dutch1340
1982 Stella " Si tu aimes ma musique "French496
1983 Pas de Deux " Rendez-vous "Dutch1813
1984 Jacques Zegers "Avantila vie"French570
1985 Linda Lepomme " Laat me nu gaan "Dutch19 ◁7
1986 Sandra Kim " J'aime la vie "French1176
1987 Liliane Saint-Pierre "Soldiers of Love"Dutch1156
1988 Reynaert " Laissez briller le soleil "French185
1989 Ingeborg " Door de wind "Dutch1913
1990 Philippe Lafontaine " Macédomienne "French1246
1991 Clouseau " Geef het op "Dutch1623
1992 Morgane " Nous on veut des violons "French2011
1993 Barbara " Iemand als jij "Dutch25 ◁3 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1995 Frédéric Etherlinck " La voix est libre "French208No semi-finals
1996 Lisa del Bo " Liefde is een kaartspel "Dutch16221245
1998 Mélanie Cohl" Dis oui "French6122No semi-finals
1999 Vanessa Chinitor "Like the Wind"English1238
2000 Nathalie Sorce " Envie de vivre "French24 ◁2
2002 Sergio and the Ladies "Sister"English1333
2003 Urban Trad "Sanomi" Imaginary 2165
2004 Xandee "1 Life"English227Top 11 in 2003 contest [e]
2005 Nuno Resende " Le Grand Soir "FrenchFailed to qualify2229
2006 Kate Ryan " Je t'adore "English1269
2007 The KMG's "Love Power"English2614
2008 Ishtar "O Julissi"Imaginary1716
2009 Copycat "Copycat"English171
2010 Tom Dice "Me and My Guitar"English61431167
2011 Witloof Bay "With Love Baby"EnglishFailed to qualify1153
2012 Iris "Would You?"English1716
2013 Roberto Bellarosa "Love Kills"English1271575
2014 Axel Hirsoux "Mother"EnglishFailed to qualify1428
2015 Loïc Nottet "Rhythm Inside"English42172149
2016 Laura Tesoro "What's the Pressure"English101813274
2017 Blanche "City Lights"English43634165
2018 Sennek "A Matter of Time"EnglishFailed to qualify1291
2019 Eliot "Wake Up"English1370
2020 Hooverphonic "Release Me"EnglishContest cancelled [f] X
2021 Hooverphonic"The Wrong Place"English19749117
2022 Jérémie Makiese "Miss You"English19648151
2023 Gustaph "Because of You"English7182890
2024 Mustii "Before the Party's Over"EnglishFailed to qualify1318
2025 TBD 1 February 2025 [4] Upcoming †

Hostings

YearLocationVenuePresenter
1987 Brussels Centenary Palace Viktor Lazlo

Awards

Barbara Dex Award

YearPerformerHost cityRef.
2000 Nathalie Sorce Flag of Sweden.svg Stockholm
[5]

Conductors

YearConductor [g] NotesRef.
1956 Léo Souris [6]
1957 Flag of Germany.svg Willy Berking Host conductor
1958 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dolf van der Linden
1959 Francis Bay
1960 Henri Segers
1961 Francis Bay
1962 Henri Segers
1963 Francis Bay
1964 Henri Segers
1965 Gaston Nuyts
1966 Flag of Luxembourg.svg Jean RoderesHost conductor
1967 Francis Bay
1968 Henri Segers
1969 Francis Bay
1970 Jack Say [7]
1971 Francis Bay
1972 Henri Segers
1973 Francis Bay
1974 Flag of France.svg Pierre Chiffre
1975 Francis Bay
1976 Flag of France.svg Michel Bernholc
1977 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alyn Ainsworth
1978 Flag of France.svg Jean Musy
1979 Francis Bay
1980 No conductor [8]
1981 Giuseppe Marchese
1982 Jack Say
1983 Freddy Sunder
1984 Jo Carlier
1985 Flag of Sweden.svg Curt-Eric Holmquist Host conductor
1986 Jo Carlier
1987 Freddy Sunder [h]
1988 Daniel Willem
1989 Freddy Sunder
1990 Rony Brack
1991 Roland Verlooven
1992 Frank Fievez
1993 Bert Candries
1995 Alec Mansion
1996 Bob Porter
1998 No conductor

Commentators and spokespersons

Over the years, commentary for the contest has been provided by several experienced Belgian radio and television presenters, including Jacques Mercier, Luc Appermont, and Paule Herreman. From 1991, André Vermeulen provided the Dutch-language commentary every year except 1996. Jean-Pierre Hautier provided French-language commentary from 1994 to 2012, later dying shortly after the 2012 contest. In 1962, BRT retransmitted the commentary feed from the Dutch broadcaster NTS, possibly for financial reasons.

VRT supplied an additional commentator to join André Vermeulen starting in 1998; between 1999 and 2010, dual commentary was provided by either Bart Peeters or Anja Daems. Peeters provided the commentary during the years when VRT selected the entries, whilst Daems commentated the years in which RTBF selected the entries. Sven Pichal replaced Daems in 2011, whilst Peter Van de Veire replaced Peeters. In 2007, Jean-Louis Lahaye joined Jean-Pierre Hautier as a supplementary commentator for RTBF. After Hautier's death in 2012, Lahaye was joined by Maureen Louys in 2013.

YearFlemish commentatorWalloon commentatorSpokespersonRef.
1956 Commentary via Dutch NTS (Piet de Nuyl Jr.) [9] [10] Commentary via Swiss Broadcasting Corporation [9] [11] No spokesperson
1957 Nic BalJanine LambotteBert Leysen
1958 Arlette Vincent Paule Herreman
1959 Paule HerremanBert Leysen
1960 Georges DésirArlette Vincent
1961 Commentary via RTF FranceWard Bogaert
1962 Commentary via NTS the Netherlands Nicole Védrès Arlette Vincent
1963 Herman Verelst, Denise MaesPierre DelhasseWard Bogaert
1964 Herman VerelstPaule HerremanAndré Hagon
1965 Ward Bogaert
1966 André Hagon
1967 Ward Bogaert
1968 André Hagon
1969 Jan TheysWard Bogaert
1970 André Hagon
1971 Herman VerelstNo spokesperson
1972
1973
1974 Georges DésirAndré Hagon
1975 Jan TheysPaule HerremanWard Bogaert
1976 Luc Appermont Georges DésirAndré Hagon
1977 Patrick DuhamelAn Ploegaerts
1978 Claude Delacroix André Hagon
1979 Paule HerremanAn Ploegaerts
1980 Jacques Mercier Jacques Olivier
1981 Walter De Meyere
1982 Jacques Olivier
1983 An Ploegaerts
1984 Jacques Olivier
1985 An Ploegaerts
1986 Patrick DuhamelJacques Olivier
1987 Claude DelacroixAn Ploegaerts
1988 Pierre Collard-BovyJacques Olivier
1989 Jacques MercierAn Ploegaerts
1990 Claude DelacroixJacques Olivier
1991 André Vermeulen An Ploegaerts
1992 Jacques Olivier
1993 An Ploegaerts
1994 Jean-Pierre Hautier Did not participate
1995 Marie-Françoise Renson "Soda"
1996 Michel Follet, Johan Verstreken Jean-Pierre Hautier, Sandra Kim An Ploegaerts
1997 André VermeulenJean-Pierre HautierDid not participate
1998 André Vermeulen, Andrea CroonenberghsMarie-Hélène Vanderborght
1999 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Sabine De Vos
2000 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Thomas Van Hamme
2001 Did not participate
2002 André Vermeulen, Bart PeetersGeena Lisa
2003 André Vermeulen, Anja DaemsCorinne Boulangier
2004 André Vermeulen, Bart PeetersMartine Prenen
2005 André Vermeulen, Anja DaemsArmelle Gysen
2006 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Yasmine
2007 André Vermeulen, Anja DaemsJean-Pierre Hautier, Jean-Louis Lahaye Maureen Louys
2008 André Vermeulen, Bart PeetersSandrine Van Handenhoven
2009 André Vermeulen, Anja DaemsMaureen Louys
2010 André Vermeulen, Bart PeetersKatja Retsin
2011 André Vermeulen, Sven PichalMaureen Louys
2012 André Vermeulen, Peter Van de Veire Peter Van de Veire
2013 André Vermeulen, Tom De Cock Maureen Louys, Jean-Louis LahayeBarbara Louys
2014 Peter Van de Veire, Eva DaelemanAngelique Vlieghe
2015 Walid
2016 Peter Van de VeireUmesh Vangaver
2017 Fanny Gillard
2018 Danira Boukhriss
2019 David Jeanmotte
2021 Fanny Jandrain, Jean-Louis LahayeDanira Boukhriss
2022 Maureen Louys, Jean-Louis LahayeDavid Jeanmotte
2023 Bart Cannaerts
2024 Livia Dushkoff

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Since 1998. Previously: Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR; 1956–1960), Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT; 1961–1990), and Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN; 1991–1997).
  2. ↑ Since 1978. Previously: Institut national belge de radiodiffusion (INR; 1956–1960) and Radio-Télévision Belge (RTB; 1961–1977).
  3. ↑ Since the 1990 contest, the minimum age for participation is 16, meaning that Kim shall remain the youngest winner unless the age limit is waivered.
  4. 1 2 The 1956 contest had secret voting and, apart from the winner, no results were released.
  5. ↑ According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
  6. ↑ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  7. ↑ All conductors are of Belgian nationality unless otherwise noted.
  8. ↑ The contest was organized by RTBF, but the Belgian entry was from BRT, hence Walloon Jo Carlier serving as musical director (and conducting for Cyprus) while a Flemish conductor led the Belgian entry.

Related Research Articles

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Le Grand Soir", written by Alec Mansion and Frédéric Zeitoun, and performed by Nuno Resende. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Walloon Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), selected its entry through the national final Finale Nationale Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 2005. In the final on 20 March 2005 which featured two competing entries, "Le Grand Soir" performed by Nuno Resende was selected as the winner after gaining 50.2% of the public televote.

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Like the Wind", written by Ilia Beyers, John Terra, Emma Philippa-Hjälmås and Wim Claes, and performed by Vanessa Chinitor. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), selected its entry for the contest through the national final Eurosong '99. The competition featured twenty-five competing entries and consisted of three shows. In the final on 28 February 1999, "Like the Wind" performed by Vanessa Chinitor was selected as the winner via the votes of three televoting groups and two jury groups.

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Sister", written by Dirk Paelinck and Marc Paelinck, and performed by the group Sergio and the Ladies. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), selected its entry for the contest through the national final Eurosong 2002. Belgium returned to the contest after a one-year absence following their relegation from 2001 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2000. The national final featured twenty-eight competing entries and consisted of five shows. In the final on 17 February 2002, "Sister" performed by Sergio @ the Ladies was selected as the winner via the votes of five voting groups. The group was renamed as Sergio and the Ladies for Eurovision.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "O Julissi" written by Michel Vangheluwe. The song was performed by the band Ishtar. The Belgian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected through the national final Eurosong '08, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured twenty competing entries and consisted of seven shows. In the final on 9 March 2008, "O Julissi Na Jalini" performed by Ishtar was selected as the winner via a public televote. The song was later retitled as "O Julissi".

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "Dis oui", written by Philippe Swan, and performed by Mélanie Cohl. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Walloon Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), selected its entry through a national final. The entry placed sixth out of the 25 entries, scoring 122 points.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Copycat" written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall. The song was performed by the group Copycat, which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in February 2009 to represent the nation at the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. The song, "Copycat", was presented to the public on 10 March 2009.

Belgium participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Me and My Guitar" written by Tom Dice, Jeroen Swinnen and Ashley Hicklin. The song was performed by Tom Dice, who was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in November 2009 to represent the nation at the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. The song, "Me and My Guitar", was presented to the public on 7 March 2010 during the television special Eurosong 2010: een song voor Tom Dice!.

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Envie de vivre" written by Silvio Pezzuto, and performed by Nathalie Sorce. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Walloon Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), selected its entry for the contest through the national final Finale Nationale Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 2000. In the national final on 18 February 2000 which featured ten competing entries, "Envie de vivre" performed by Nathalie Sorce was selected as the winner solely by public televoting, receiving 21,362 votes.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "With Love Baby" written by RoxorLoops and Benoît Giaux. The song was performed by the group Witloof Bay. The Belgian entry for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany was selected through the national final Eurovision 2011: Qui? A vous de choisir!, organised by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). The competition featured thirty competing entries and consisted of two shows. In the final on 30 January 2011, "With Love Baby" performed by Witloof Bay was selected as the winner via the votes of a four-member jury panel and a public televote.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Would You?" written by Nina Sampermans, Jean Bosco Safari and Walter Mannaerts. The song was performed by Iris, who was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in November 2011 to represent the nation at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song was selected through the national final Eurosong 2012: Een song voor Iris, which was organised by VRT and featured two songs. In the final on 17 March 2012, "Would You?" was selected as the winning song after gaining 53% of the public televote.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Mother" written by Ashley Hicklin and Rafael Artesero. The song was performed by Axel Hirsoux. The Belgian entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark was selected through the national final Eurosong 2014, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured thirty competing acts and consisted of seven shows. In the final on 16 March 2014, "Mother" performed by Axel Hirsoux was selected as the winner via the votes of seven international jury groups and a public televote.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Rhythm Inside" written by Loïc Nottet and Beverly Jo Scott. The song was performed by Loïc Nottet, who was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in November 2014 to represent the nation at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. The song, "Rhythm Inside", was presented to the public on 10 March 2015.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "What's the Pressure" written by Sanne Putseys, Louis Favre, Birsen Uçar and Yannick Werther. The song was performed by Laura Tesoro. The Belgian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Eurosong 2016, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured five competing acts and consisted of two presentation shows and a final. In the final on 17 January 2016, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting: the first selected the top two via the votes of ten international jury groups and a public televote, while the second selected the winner solely by public televoting. "What's the Pressure" performed by Laura Tesoro was the winner after placing first during both rounds of voting.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "City Lights" written by Pierre Dumoulin, Emmanuel Delcourt and Ellie Delvaux. The song was performed by Blanche, which is the artistic name of singer Ellie Delvaux who was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in November 2016 to represent the nation at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The song, "City Lights", was presented to the public on 8 March 2017.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "A Matter of Time" written by Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier and Maxime Tribeche. The song was performed by Sennek, which is the artistic name of singer Laura Groeseneken who was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in September 2017 to represent the nation at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The song, "A Matter of Time", was presented to the public on 5 March 2018.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Wake Up" written by Eliot Vassamillet and Pierre Dumoulin. The song was performed by Eliot, which is the artistic name of singer Eliot Vassamillet who was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in January 2019 to represent the nation at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The song, "Wake Up", was presented to the public on 28 February 2019.

Belgium originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Release Me" written by Alex Callier and Luca Chiaravalli. The song was performed by the band Hooverphonic, which was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in October 2019 to represent the nation at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The song, "Release Me", was presented to the public on 17 February 2020.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "The Wrong Place" written by Alex Callier and Charlotte Foret. The song was performed by the band Hooverphonic, which was internally selected by the Belgian broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in March 2020 to represent the nation at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after they were due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Release Me" before the 2020 event's cancellation. The song, "The Wrong Place", was presented to the public on 4 March 2021.

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song "Because of You", written by Stef Caers and Jaouad Alloul, and performed by Caers himself under his stage name Gustaph. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), organised the national final Eurosong 2023 to select the Belgian entry for the contest. The competition featured seven competing acts and consisted of five songclub shows and a final. In the final on 14 January 2023, "Because of You" performed by Gustaph was selected as the winner via the votes of a fifteen-member jury panel and a public vote.

Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Before the Party's Over", written by Arianna Damato, Benoit Leclercq, Charlotte Clark, Nina Sampermans, Pierre Dumoulin, and Thomas Mustin, and performed by Mustin himself under his stage name Mustii. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Walloon Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), internally selected the Belgian entry for the contest.

References

  1. ↑ "Eurovision 2010: complete televoting and jury results". wiwibloggs.com. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Tielens, Filip (15 May 2021). "Waarom Vlaanderen telkens slecht scoort op het Eurovisiesongfestival". De Standaard. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Belgium". Eurovision.tv.
  4. ↑ Sokol, Kirsten (14 November 2024). "De kleinzoon van Louis Neefs en de zus van Metejoor: dit zijn de 8 kandidaten voor Eurosong 2025" [Louis Neefs' grandson and Metejoor's sister: these are the 8 candidates for Eurosong 2025]. VRT NWS (in Flemish). VRT . Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Adams, William Lee (9 July 2015). "Poll: Who was the worst dressed Barbara Dex Award winner?". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 93–101. ISBN   978-1-84583-065-6.
  7. ↑ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 142–168. ISBN   978-1-84583-093-9.
  8. ↑ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84583-118-9.
  9. 1 2 "Binnen- en buitenlandse televisie programma's van 20 tot 26 Mei 1956". De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 12, no. 21. NIR. 20–26 May 1956. p. 19. OCLC   1399842623.
  10. ↑ Hendrickx, Jonathan; van Biesen, Jasper (2021). 65 jaar België op het Songfestival[65 years of Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest] (in Dutch). Mechelen: Baeckens Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN   978-90-5924-939-4. OCLC   1256401439.
  11. ↑ "INR: Émissions françaises de télévision". Micro magazine (in French). Vol. 12, no. 580. INR. 20 May 1956. p. 42. OCLC   1400213208.
  12. ↑ "De festival-herinneringen van Jan Theys". Story. 12 May 1987.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Granger, Anthony (20 May 2018). "EBU Wants to See More Commentators Attend the Eurovision Song Contest". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Peter Van de Veire: "Als ik een voetballer was, zou ik iedereen onderuit schoppen"". niewsblad.be (in Dutch). 3 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  15. ↑ Granger, Anthony (22 April 2018). "Belgium: Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis Revealed as Spokesperson". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  16. ↑ "Tweede halve finale van het Songfestival verhuist naar Ketnet". hln.be (in Dutch). 26 April 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  17. ↑ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2019). "Belgium: Maureen Louys & Jean-Louis Lahaye Confirmed As Commentators For Tel Aviv". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  18. ↑ "Eurovision 2019 Spokespersons – Who will announce the points?". eurovisionworld.com. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  19. ↑ "TV-gids". één.be.
  20. ↑ "Beleef het Eurovisiesongfestival bij de VRT". communicatie.vrt.be (in Flemish). 7 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  21. ↑ "Eurovision 2021 : 3 soirées exceptionnelles à ne pas manquer sur la RTBF !". rtbf.be.
  22. ↑ "Jouw voorjaar bij Eén". Een.be (in Dutch). VRT. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  23. ↑ "Eurovision 2022 : Préparez-vous à voter pour votre candidat préféré !". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. ↑ "Ontdek het voorjaar 2023 van Eén". communicatie.een.be (in Flemish). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "Bart Cannaerts maakt Belgische jurypunten bekend in finale Songfestival 2023". Songfestival.be (in Dutch). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  26. ↑ van Waarden, Franciska (29 March 2024). "Belgium: Livia Dushkoff Spokesperson for Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ↑ Farren, Neil (17 April 2024). "Belgium: RTBF Reveal Eurovision 2024 Broadcast Plans". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  28. ↑ "Voici le dispositif mis en place par la RTBF pour l'Eurovision" [Here is the plan put in place by RTBF for Eurovision]. Soirmag (in French). 15 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  29. ↑ Farren, Neil (26 April 2024). "Belgium: VRT Reveals Eurovision 2024 Broadcast Plans". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  30. ↑ "Concours Eurovision de la chanson 2024 | Finale" [Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | Final]. Auvio (in French). RTBF. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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