Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

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Eurovision Song Contest 2014
CountryFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
National selection
Selection processEurosong 2014
Selection date(s)Casting
2 February 2014
9 February 2014
Call Back
16 February 2014
Semi-finals
23 February 2014
2 March 2014
9 March 2014
Final
16 March 2014
Selected artist(s) Axel Hirsoux
Selected song"Mother"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (14th)
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄201320142015►

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.

Contents

Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 6 May 2014. Performing during the show in position 10, "Mother" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed fourteenth out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 28 points.

Background

Prior to the 2014 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-five 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 three finals. In 2013, Roberto Bellarosa represented the country with the song "Love Kills", qualifying to the final and placing twelfth.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2014 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 2012 and 2013, both VRT and RTBF internally selected an artist to represent Belgium and organised a national final in order to select the song. On 3 June 2013, VRT confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest and announced that the Eurosong national final would be held to select their entry. This marked the return of a multi-artist Eurosong for the first time since 2008. [2]

Before Eurovision

Eurosong 2014

Eurosong 2014 was the national final that selected Belgium's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. The competition consisted of seven shows that commenced on 2 February 2014 and concluded with a final on 16 March 2014 where the winning song and artist were selected. All shows were hosted by Eva Daeleman and Peter Van de Veire and broadcast on Eén as well as online at the broadcaster's Eurosong website eurosong.een.be. [3] The final was also broadcast online at the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv. [4]

Format

Thirty artists were selected to compete in Eurosong. Two casting shows aired on 2 and 9 February 2014 with each show featuring fifteen of the artists auditioning in front of a panel of experts by performing a cover version of a past Eurovision Song Contest song. The top four as determined by the expert panel directly qualified to the semi-finals, while the fifth to eighth placed acts advanced to the Call Back round. [5] The Call Back round took place on 16 February 2014 where an additional four artists as determined by the expert panel and public televoting qualified to the semi-finals. Three semi-finals took place on 23 February 2014, 3 March 2014 and 9 March 2014 where each artist presented their candidate Eurovision song. Each show featured four artists and the top two as determined by the expert panel and public televoting qualified to the final. The final took place on 16 March 2014 where the winner was chosen by seven international jury groups and public televoting. [6]

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: [7]

Competing entries

On 1 October 2013, VRT opened two separate submission forms: one for artists to submit a video recording of them performing a cover version of a past Eurovision Song Contest song and another for songwriters to submit their songs. The submission deadline for the two applications concluded on 14 October 2013 and 28 October 2013, respectively. [6] The names of the thirty acts selected for the competition were announced on 24 January 2014. [8] Among the competing artists were former Eurovision Song Contest participants Veronica Codesal (member of Aelia), who represented Belgium in 2003 as part of the group Urban Trad, and Kate Ryan (lead singer of Day One), who represented Belgium in 2006. [9] [10] Sixteen songs were selected by VRT from those received during the submission period and matched with the artists that advanced from the casting shows. [11] The four artists that failed to advance from the Call Back round to the semi-finals (Jessy, Joyce, Mr. Jones and White Bird) were also matched with a candidate Eurovision song but did not perform them during the competition. [12]

ArtistSongSongwriter(s)
2 Fabiola feat. Loredana"She's After My Piano" Ovidiu Jacobsen, Phillip Halloun, Simen Eriksrud, Cecilie Harboe
Axeela"Chasing Rainbows"Bernd Klimpel, Dimitri Ehrlich, Lauren Amaris
Axel Hirsoux "Mother" Ashley Hicklin, Rafael Artesero
Bandits "One"Tony Adams Rosa
Day One "Whoever You Are"Yves Gaillard
Eva Jacobs"Nothing Is Impossible"Mick Lee, Pernille Georgi, Chris 'Ruff Diamond' Robinson
Jessy "Beautiful"Jessy De Smet, Yves Gaillard, Tim Burkes
Joyce"I Think I"Joyce Lemmens, Robbe Tom Balis, Wouter Vander Veken
Mr. Jones"Still Believe"Patrick Hamilton, Vincent Pierins, Tom Eeckhout
Nelson"Wild Side"Nelson Moraïs, Yves Gaillard
Petra "Killer Touch"Georgie Dennis, Christopher Wortley, Paul Drew, Greig Watts, Pete Barringer
Sil "What's the Time in Tokyo?" Marcella Detroit, Marcus Winther-John, Paul Drew, Greig Watts, Pete Barringer
Tisha Cyrus"Kitty Cat"Big John Snr, Yves Gaillard
Udo "Hero (In Flanders Fields)"Pokka Jr., Nadge, Udo Mechels
White Bird"Fire and Ice"Tom Helsen, Yannick Fonderie
Yass"Need You Tonight"Yass Smaali, Yves Gaillard, Ashley Hicklin, Leon Paul Palmen, Rupert Blackman

Shows

Casting shows

The two casting shows aired on 2 and 9 February 2014 and took place at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. Both shows were filmed earlier on 3 December 2013. [13] [14] Jury member Ruslana was unable to attend the casting shows due to her involvement in the pro-European Union protests in Ukraine. [15] In each show fifteen artists performed a cover version of a past Eurovision Song Contest song and the expert panel determined four acts that qualified to the semi-finals and an additional four acts that advanced to the Call Back round. [7]

Show 1 – 2 February 2014
DrawArtistSongB. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensAveragePlaceResult
1Joyce"Mister" [lower-alpha 1] (Sergio and the Ladies)887879825Call Back
2The Exclusive Strings"Hard Rock Hallelujah" (Lordi)7264686815Eliminated
3White Bird"Fly on the Wings of Love" (Olsen Brothers)847977808Call Back
4Eva Jacobs"In Your Eyes" (Niamh Kavanagh)868586863Semi-final
5The Fuckuleles"Waterloo" (ABBA)7680737610Eliminated
6 Jessy "Euphoria" (Loreen)868275817Call Back
7Gracious Wild"In Love for a While" (Anna Rossinelli)7676657212Eliminated
8Violet Sky"Door de wind" (Ingeborg)7673697311Eliminated
9Axel Hirsoux"Tu te reconnaîtras" (Anne-Marie David)868283844Semi-final
10 3M8S "Only Teardrops" (Emmelie de Forest)7575627114Eliminated
11Nelson"Glorious" (Cascada)908980862Semi-final
12Elvya Dulcimer"Sweet People" (Alyosha)7670697212Eliminated
13 2 Fabiola feat. Loredana"My Number One" (Helena Paparizou)848179816Call Back
14Di Stephano"L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" (Jean Vallée)807975789Eliminated
15 Udo "Ne partez pas sans moi" (Celine Dion)969589931Semi-final
Show 2 – 9 February 2014
DrawArtistSong (Original artists)B. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensAveragePlaceResult
1Soulbrothers"Puppet on a String" (Sandie Shaw)7466656813Eliminated
2Mr. Jones"Standing Still" (Roman Lob)848274808Call Back
3 Sil "Where Are You?" (Imaani)868580846Call Back
4Aelia"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (France Gall)7466656814Eliminated
5Tisha Cyrus"Düm Tek Tek" (Hadise)908681863Semi-final
6Yass"L'oiseau et l'enfant" (Marie Myriam)928985892Semi-final
7Day One"Satellite" (Lena)918975855Call Back
8Dina Rodrigues"Ne partez pas sans moi" (Celine Dion)7272707112Eliminated
9Andrei Lugovski"In a Moment Like This" (Chanée and N'evergreen)7675747510Eliminated
10Bastien"Fly on the Wings of Love" (Olsen Brothers)827876799Eliminated
11Maureen"Ding-a-dong" (Teach-In)7775697411Eliminated
12Manuel Palomo"Eres tú" (Mocedades)6660626315Eliminated
13Axeela"Believe" (Dima Bilan)888483854Semi-final
14 Bandits "Geef het op" (Clouseau)888180837Call Back
15 Petra "All Kinds of Everything" (Dana)949289921Semi-final

Call Back

The Call Back round took place on 9 February 2014 at the Videohouse in Vilvoorde. The eight artists that placed fifth to eighth in the preceding two casting shows each performed a cover version of a past Eurovision Song Contest song and the combination of results from the expert panel and a public televote determined the top four that qualified to the semi-finals. [6] [16]

Call Back – 16 February 2014
DrawArtistSongJury VotesPlace
B. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensRuslanaAverageRank
1White Bird"Love Shine a Light" (Katrina and the Waves)888475808245
2 Jessy "Je t'adore" (Kate Ryan)788060607066
3Mr. Jones"My Star" (Brainstorm)726550505987
4 Bandits Eurovision Medley [lower-alpha 2] 958780868731
5Joyce"Save Your Kisses for Me" (Brotherhood of Man)787055706878
6Day One"Nocturne" (Secret Garden)959880909113
7 Sil "J'aime la vie" (Sandra Kim)939281908922
8 2 Fabiola feat. Loredana"Euphoria" (Loreen)908065657554

Semi-finals

The three semi-finals took place on 23 February, 2 March and 9 March 2014 at the Videohouse in Vilvoorde. In each show four artists performed their candidate songs for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest and the combination of results from the expert panel and a public televote determined the top two that qualified to the final. [15]

Semi-final 1 – 23 February 2014
DrawArtistSongJury VotesPlace
B. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensRuslanaAverageRank
1Day One"Whoever You Are"969880859023
2Eva Jacobs"Nothing Is Impossible"959090909111
3 Udo "Hero (In Flanders Fields)"857069757532
4 Petra "Killer Touch"867568707544
Semi-final 2 – 2 March 2014
DrawArtistSongJury VotesPlace
B. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensRuslanaAverageRank
1Axeela"Chasing Rainbows"887872858144
2Yass"Need You Tonight"959080928922
3 2 Fabiola feat. Loredana"She's After My Piano"908075908433
4 Sil "What's the Time in Tokyo?"969587959311
Semi-final 3 – 9 March 2014
DrawArtistSongJury VotesPlace
B. PeetersP. GoddaerJ. MartensRuslanaAverageRank
1Nelson"Wild Side"928472858333
2 Axel Hirsoux "Mother"98100991009911
3Tisha Cyrus"Kitty Cat"886050756844
4 Bandits "One"978878959022

Final

The final took place on 16 March 2014 at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp where the six entries that qualified from the preceding three semi-finals competed. [7] The winner, "Mother" performed by Axel Hirsoux, was selected by the combination of results from seven international jury groups and a public televote. [17] [18] The public and the jury each had a total of 280 points to award. Each of the jury groups awarded points in the following manner: 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 points, while the televote awarded points based on the percentage of votes each song achieved. For example, if a song gained 10% of the viewer vote, then that entry would be awarded 10% of 280 points rounded to the nearest integer: 28 points. [19] The expert panel participated in the final solely in an advisory role. [20]

Final – 16 March 2014
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
1Yass"Need You Tonight"5819774
2 Sil "What's the Time in Tokyo?"326385
3 Udo "Hero (In Flanders Fields)"2210326
4 Bandits "One"4248902
5Eva Jacobs"Nothing Is Impossible"5237893
6 Axel Hirsoux "Mother"741602341
Detailed International Jury Votes
DrawSongFlag of Denmark.svgFlag of Belarus.svgFlag of Spain.svgFlag of North Macedonia.svgFlag of the Netherlands.svgFlag of Azerbaijan.svgFlag of Ireland.svgTotal
1"Need You Tonight"12121088858
2"What's the Time in Tokyo?"44666632
3"Hero (In Flanders Fields)"644822
4"One"6841010442
5"Nothing Is Impossible"101061241052
6"Mother"88121012121274

Ratings

Viewing figures by show
ShowDateViewing figuresRef.
NominalShare
Casting show 12 February 20141,193,66245.82% [21]
Casting show 29 February 20141,287,52747.42% [22]
Call Back16 February 20141,264,90149.22% [23]
Semi-final 123 February 20141,272,96147.20% [24]
Semi-final 22 March 20141,262,31746.71% [25]
Semi-final 39 March 20141,206,12647.06% [26]
Final16 March 20141,383,04551.92% [27]

Promotion

On 14 April, Axel Hirsoux filmed the music video for "Mother" at the Vaudeville Theater in Brussels together with 200 mothers that VRT sought through an application period. [28] [29] The video was released to the public on 25 April. [30] Axel Hirsoux specifically promoted "Mother" as the Belgian Eurovision entry on 31 March 2014 by performing during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the Melkweg venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Cornald Maas and Sandra Reemer. [31]

At Eurovision

Axel Hirsoux presenting himself and "Mother" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

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 20 January 2014, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Belgium was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 6 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show. [32]

Once all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Belgium was set to perform in position 10, following the entry from Ukraine and before the entry from Moldova. [33]

The two semi-finals and the final was broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters. VRT broadcast the shows on één and Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Peter Van de Veire and Eva Daeleman. [34] RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Louis Lahaye and Maureen Louys. [35] The final was also broadcast by RTBF on VivaCité with commentary in French by Olivier Gilain. [36] The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the Belgian votes during the final, was Angelique Vlieghe. [37]

Semi-final

Axel Hirsoux during a rehearsal before the first semi-final ESC2014 - Belgium 11.jpg
Axel Hirsoux during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Axel Hirsoux took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 2 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 5 and 6 May. This included the jury show on 5 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. [38]

The Belgian performance featured Axel Hirsoux dressed in a black suit and bow tie and joined by a female dancer in a long black dress who performed gentle choreography that symbolised the mother's love of a child. The stage colour was purple and the LED screens displayed flowery sketches. The performance also featured moving spotlights and the use of a wind machine. The dancer that joined Axel Hirsoux during the performance was Isabelle Beernaert, who also choreographed the Belgian performance. [39] [40]

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 fourteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 28 points. [41]

Voting

Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant 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 could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final.

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Belgium had placed eleventh with both the public televote and fourteenth with the jury vote in the first semi-final. In the public vote, Belgium scored 41 points, while with the jury vote, Belgium scored 24 points.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belgium and awarded by Belgium in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Belgium

Points awarded to Belgium (Semi-final 1) [42]
ScoreCountry
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 pointsFlag of Moldova.svg  Moldova
6 pointsFlag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
5 points
4 points
3 pointsFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
2 pointsFlag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro
1 point

Points awarded by Belgium

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Belgian jury: [44]

Detailed voting results from Belgium (Semi-final 1) [45]
DrawCountryB. SavenbergIrisR. Van AckerY. FonderieW. Van der VekenJury RankTelevote RankCombined RankPoints
01Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 131514141515183
02Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 51411959665
03Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 681013681311
04Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 119232538
05Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 151223151074
06Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 4985147992
07Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 851249612101
08Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 11613108111414
09Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 344673747
10Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
11Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 14117712121515
12Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 10136151314812
13Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1275111010456
14Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 9238242210
15Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 710151211131113
16Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 2311413112
Detailed voting results from Belgium (Final) [46]
DrawCountryB. SavenbergIrisR. Van AckerY. FonderieW. Van der VekenJury RankTelevote RankCombined RankPoints
01Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 11175651374
02Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 191726917172322
03Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 181622118162624
04Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 2612665111613
05Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1618201720181014
06Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 8717181613565
07Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 212625241925111
08Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 2019181522192425
09Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 252524252626416
10Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 242015222523717
11Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 7617133112
12Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1715131910152019
13Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 32102216210
14Flag of France.svg  France 232423209212123
15Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 914141215121512
16Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 2221192121221821
17Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 1413121018142520
18Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 5883341483
19Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 1339141210992
20Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 1123162323201218
21Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 293172847
22Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 1252161191915
23Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 61048461156
24Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 104513138238
25Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 1522212624242226
26Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 4111414717101

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Performed as "Sister" by the original artist.
  2. Medley of "Anne" originally performed by Clouseau (from the 1989 Belgian national final), "Jennifer Jennings" originally performed by Louis Neefs and "Only Teardrops" originally performed by Emmelie de Forest.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axel Hirsoux</span> Belgian singer (born 1982)

Axel Hirsoux is a Belgian singer. He represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "Mother". In the final of the local pre-selection Eurosong, he received more than 50 percent of the televotes and 4 times the maximum of 12 points from the international jury.

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 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.

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