Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

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Eurovision Song Contest 2008
CountryFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
National selection
Selection processEurosong '08
Selection date(s)Heats:
27 January 2008
3 February 2008
10 February 2008
17 February 2008
Semi-finals:
24 February 2008
2 March 2008
Final:
9 March 2008
Selected entrant Ishtar
Selected song"O Julissi"
Selected songwriter(s)Michel Vangheluwe
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (17th)
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄200720082009►

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".

Contents

Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 20 May 2008. Performing during the show in position 6, "O Julissi" was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed seventeenth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 16 points.

Background

Prior to the 2008 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-nine times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in 1956. [1] Since then, the country has won the contest on one occasion in 1986 with the song "J'aime la vie" performed by Sandra Kim. Following the introduction of semi-finals for 2004, Belgium had been featured in only one final. In 2007, The KMG's represented the country with the song "Love Power", placing twenty-sixth in the semi-final and failing to advance to the final.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2008 contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Flemish VRT and the Walloon Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2006, VRT organised the national final Eurosong in order to select the Belgian entry, while in 2007, RTBF internally selected both the artist and song that would represent the nation. On 24 April 2007, VRT confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and announced that the Eurosong national final would be held to select their entry. [2]

Before Eurovision

Eurosong '08

Eurosong '08 was the national final that selected Belgium's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The competition consisted of seven shows that commenced on 27 January 2008 and concluded with a final on 9 March 2008 where the winning song and artist were selected. All shows took place at the VRT studios in Brussels, hosted by Bart Peeters and were broadcast on Eén. [3] The final was also broadcast online at the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv. [4]

Format

Twenty entries were selected to compete in Eurosong. Four heats took place on 27 January 2008, 3 February 2008, 10 February 2008 and 17 February 2008 with each show featuring five entries. The top two as determined by public televoting qualified to the semi-finals, while a panel of experts also selected two wildcards out of the third and fourth placed acts in the heats to advance. [5] Two semi-finals took place on 24 February and 2 March 2008 with each show featuring five entries. The top two as determined by public televoting qualified to the final, while the expert panel also selected a wildcard out of the third and fourth placed acts in the semi-finals to advance. [6] The final took place on 9 March 2008 where the winner was chosen by public televoting. [7]

During each of the seven shows, the expert panel provided commentary and feedback to the artists as well as selected entries to advance in the competition. The experts were: [8]

Competing entries

A submission period was opened on 24 April 2007 for artists and songwriters to submit their entries until 23 November 2007. [2] The twenty acts selected by VRT for the competition from 450 entries received during the submission period were announced on 17 December 2007. [9] [10]

ArtistSongSongwriter(s)
A Butterfly Mind"Lonely Hearts on Wheels"Annelies Cappaert
Brahim "What I Like About You"Brahim Attaeb, Alan Glass
Di Bono"I'm Not Sorry"Frederic Di Bono, Liset Alea
EFR"Your Guiding Star" Sergio Quisquater, Vincent Pierins, Patrick Hamilton
Elisa"Around the World"Ove Andre Brenna
Ellis-T"My Music" Regi Penxten
Esther"Game Over"Alan Ross, David James, John McLaughin, Esther Sels, Ingrid Mank
Eva Darche"We Breathe"Marc Paelinck, Jamie Winchester
Femme Fatale"Decadence" Gerard James Borg, Mik Tanczos, Frank Jordens
Francesco Palmeri"Vagabundo"Francesco Palmeri
Geena Lisa"Wheel of Time"Geena Lisa, Sebastien Duthoit, Yves Barbieux
Ishtar "O Julissi Na Jalini"Michel Vangheluwe
Katy Satyn"Magical Sensation"Jens Engelbrecht, Stina Engelbrecht, Anders Lennartsson, Göran Månsson
Kenza"Breaking All the Rules"Rudolf Hecke
Nelson"If I Can't Find My Love"Nelson Morais
Paranoiacs"Shout It Out"Hans Stevens, Raf Stevens
Raevan"Shut Down the Heatmachine"Michael Garvin, Marc Paelinck
Sandrine"I Feel the Same Way"Michelle Lawson, Peter-John Vettese, Felix Howard
Tanya Dexters"Addicted to You" Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren, Henrik Wikström
Tabitha Cycon"Rumour Has It"Marc Paelinck, Marwenna Diame

Shows

Heats

The four heats took place on 27 January, 3 February, 10 February and 17 February 2008. In each show five entries competed and public televoting solely determined the top two that qualified to the semi-finals. An additional two entries were awarded wildcards by the expert panel from the third and fourth placed acts in the heats to proceed to the semi-finals. [11]

Heat 1 – 27 January 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Katy Satyn"Magical Sensation"1Advanced
2Raevan"Shut Down the Heatmachine"3–4Eliminated
3 Brahim "What I Like About You"2Advanced
4Eva Darche"We Breathe"5Eliminated
5Femme Fatale"Decadence"3–4Eliminated
Heat 2 – 3 February 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Kenza"Breaking All the Rules"3–4Eliminated
2EFR"Your Guiding Star"3–4Eliminated
3 Ishtar "O Julissi Na Jalini"1Advanced
4Esther"Game Over"5Eliminated
5Tanya Dexters"Addicted to You"2Advanced
Heat 3 – 10 February 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Ellis-T"My Music"3–4Eliminated
2Tabitha Cycon"Rumour Has It"3–4Wildcard
3Di Bono"I'm Not Sorry"5Eliminated
4Nelson"If I Can't Find My Love"1Advanced
5Geena Lisa"Wheel of Time"2Advanced
Heat 4 – 17 February 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Francesco Palmeri"Vagabundo"5Eliminated
2Paranoiacs"Shout It Out"2Advanced
3Elisa"Around the World"3–4Eliminated
4A Butterfly Mind"Lonely Hearts on Wheels"3–4Wildcard
5Sandrine"I Feel the Same Way"1Advanced

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 24 February and 2 March 2008. In each show five entries competed and public televoting solely determined the top two that qualified to the final. An additional entry was awarded a wildcard by the expert panel from the third and fourth placed acts in the semi-finals to proceed to the final. [12] [13]

Semi-final 1 – 24 February 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Tanya Dexters"Addicted to You"5Eliminated
2Nelson"If I Can't Find My Love"1Advanced
3Paranoiacs"Shout It Out"2Advanced
4A Butterfly Mind"Lonely Hearts on Wheels"3–4Eliminated
5Katy Satyn"Magical Sensation"3–4Eliminated
Semi-final 2 – 2 March 2008
DrawArtistSongPlaceResult
1Geena Lisa"Wheel of Time"5Eliminated
2Tabitha Cycon"Rumour Has It"3–4Eliminated
3Sandrine"I Feel the Same Way"2Advanced
4 Ishtar "O Julissi Na Jalini"1Advanced
5 Brahim "What I Like About You"3–4Wildcard

Final

The final took place on 7 March 2008 where the five entries that qualified from the preceding two semi-finals competed. The winner, "O Julissi Na Jalini" performed by Ishtar, was selected solely by public televoting. [14]

Final – 7 March 2008
DrawArtistSongPlace
1 Brahim "What I Like About You"4
2Paranoiacs"Shout It Out"3
3Nelson"If I Can't Find My Love"5
4Sandrine"I Feel the Same Way"2
5 Ishtar "O Julissi Na Jalini"1

Ratings

Viewing figures by show
ShowDateViewing figuresRef.
NominalShare
Heat 127 January 20081,250,56945.6% [15]
Heat 23 February 20081,206,61944.2%
Heat 310 February 20081,188,07142.4%
Heat 417 February 20081,166,54042.1%
Semi-final 124 February 20081,173,01541.9%
Semi-final 22 March 20081,227,59843.9%
Final7 March 20081,400,19750.5%

Promotion

Ishtar specifically promoted "O Julissi" as the Belgian Eurovision entry by appearing in the Netherlands during the RTL 4 programme Life and Cooking on 4 May 2008. [16] The promotional activity was financially supported by Flemish Minister of Culture Bert Anciaux who conferred a state support of €25,000 to the band. [17]

At Eurovision

It was announced in September 2007 that the competition's format would be expanded to two semi-finals in 2008. [18] According to the rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. 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 28 January 2008, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Belgium was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 20 May 2008. [19] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 17 March 2008 and Belgium was set to perform in position 6, following the entry from San Marino and before the entry from Azerbaijan. [20]

The two semi-finals and the final was broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters. VRT broadcast the shows on één with commentary in Dutch by Bart Peeters and André Vermeulen. RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Pierre Hautier and Jean-Louis Lahaye. All shows were also broadcast by VRT on Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Michel Follet and Sven Pichal, and by RTBF on La Première with commentary in French by Patrick Duhamel and Corinne Boulangier. [21] [22] The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the Belgian votes during the final, was Sandrine Van Handenhoven. [23]

Semi-final

Ishtar during a rehearsal before the first semi-final ESC 2008 - Belgium - Ishtar, 1st semifinal.jpg
Ishtar during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Ishtar took part in technical rehearsals on 11 and 15 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 19 and 20 May. [24] The Belgian performance featured the members of Ishtar performing on stage with lead singer Soetkin Baptist in a red and white dress and walking intermittently between the other members throughout the song. Due to the band originally consisting of ten members, four of them were not featured during the performance. The stage setting was dark and the LED screens displayed graphics resembling musical notes. [25] [26] The Belgian performance was choreographed by Ricardo Overman. [17]

At the end of the show, Belgium was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed seventeenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 16 points. [27]

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belgium and awarded by Belgium in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Armenia in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Belgium

Points awarded to Belgium (Semi-final 1) [28]
ScoreCountry
12 points
10 pointsFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
8 points
7 points
6 pointsFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by Belgium

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Belgium has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since making its debut as one of seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The only countries with the same number or more appearances are Germany (66), France (65) and the United Kingdom (65). 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.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Je t'adore" written by Kate Ryan, Niklas Bergwall, Niclas Kings and Lisa Greene. The song was performed by Kate Ryan. The Belgian entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece was selected through the national final Eurosong '06, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured twenty-eight competing entries and consisted of seven shows. In the final on 19 February 2006, "Je t'adore" performed by Kate Ryan was selected as the winner via the votes of seven jury groups and a public televote.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Le Grand Soir" written by Alec Mansion and Frédéric Zeitoun. The song was performed by Nuno Resende. The Belgian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected through the national final Finale Nationale Concours Eurovision de la Chanson 2005, organised by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). 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 participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "1 Life" written by Dirk Paelinck and Marc Paelinck. The song was performed by Xandee. The Belgian entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey was selected through the national final Eurosong '04, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured twenty-eight competing entries and consisted of five shows. In the final on 15 February 2004, "1 Life" performed by Xandee was selected as the winner via the votes of five voting groups.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Like the Wind" written by Ilia Beyers, John Terra, Emma Philippa-Hjälmås and Wim Claes. The song was performed by Vanessa Chinitor. The Belgian entry for the 1999 contest in Jerusalem, Israel was selected through the national final Eurosong '99, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured twenty-five competing entries and consisted of three shows. In the final on 28 February 1999, "Je t'adore" performed by Kate Ryan was selected as the winner via the votes of three televoting groups and two jury groups.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Sister" written by Dirk Paelinck and Marc Paelinck. The song was performed by the group Sergio and the Ladies. The Belgian entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn, Estonia was selected through the national final Eurosong 2002, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). VRT returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their relegation from 2001 as one of the bottom six countries in the 2000 contest. The competition 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 the Eurovision Song Contest.

Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Pokušaj" written and performed by Elvir Laković Laka. On 27 December 2007, the Bosnian broadcaster Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) revealed that they had internally selected Laka to compete at the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. His song, "Pokušaj", was presented to the public during a show entitled BH Eurosong 2008 on 3 March 2008.

Montenegro participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Zauvijek volim te" written by Grigor Koprov and Ognen Nedelkovski. The song was performed by Stefan Filipović. The Montenegrin broadcaster Radio i televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) organised the national final MontenegroSong 2008 in order to select the Montenegrin representative for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Six artists competed in the national final on 27 January 2008 where public televoting selected Stefan Filipović as the winner with 3,325 votes. His song, "Zauvijek volim te", was internally selected and presented to the public in a television special on 8 March 2008.

Croatia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Romanca" written by Miran Hadži Veljković. The song was performed by the band Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents. The Croatian broadcaster Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) organised the national final Dora 2008 to select the Croatian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. A total of twenty-four entries competed in the national final which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. In the semi-final on 22 February 2008, six entries qualified to compete in the final on 23 February 2008 alongside ten pre-qualified songs. In the final, "Romanca" performed by Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote.

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 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 2013 with the song "Love Kills" written by Jukka Immonen and Iain James. The song was performed by Roberto Bellarosa, 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 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. The song was selected through the national final Eurovision 2013: A vous de choisir la chanson!, which was organised by RTBF and featured three songs. In the final on 16 December 2012, "Love Kills" was selected as the winning song via the votes of an expert jury and a 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 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with the song "Because of You" performed by Gustaph. The Belgian entry for the 2023 contest was selected through the national final Eurosong 2023, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). 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.

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