Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | ||||
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Participating broadcaster | Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) | |||
Country | Belgium | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Internal selection | |||
Selection date(s) |
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Selected artist(s) | Mustii | |||
Selected song | "Before the Party's Over" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | Failed to qualify (13th) | |||
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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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.
Prior to the 2024 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty-four times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in 1956, only missing the 1994, 1997, and 2001 editions. [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 featured in nine finals. In 2023, "Because of You" by Gustaph represented the country, qualifying for the final and ultimately placing 7th. [1]
The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) and Walloon Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) at the time, with both broadcasters sharing the broadcasting rights. Both broadcasters –and their predecessors– had selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. On 16 August 2023, RTBF –who had the turn– confirmed its intention to participate in the 2024 contest, opting for an internal selection. [2]
On 30 August 2023, RTBF announced they had internally selected Mustii as the Belgian entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. [3] His entry was selected later, [4] with RTBF calling for interested people to register on a dedicated website between 11 and 17 January 2024 in order to record a repeated line, which was intended to be included as a choir in the final version of the song; [5] [6] [7] at the closing of the window, over 1,000 people had recorded the line, mostly from abroad. [8] The entry, titled "Before the Party's Over", officially premiered on 20 February 2024 on the radio programme Le 8/9 on VivaCité ; [9] [10] however, it was accidentally played in its entirety on Tipik two days prior. [11]
As part of the promotion of his participation in the contest, Mustii attended the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024, the Barcelona Eurovision Party on 6 April 2024, the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024, the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024, and the Nordic Eurovision Party in Stockholm on 14 April 2024. [12] In addition, he performed at the Eurovision Village in Malmö on 4 May 2024. [13]
The inclusion of Israel in the list of participants for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, despite the humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war, sparked controversy in Belgium as well as several other participating countries, with several groups and politicians in the country calling for the removal of Israel from the contest, including the Walloon and Flemish ministers of media Bénédicte Linard and Benjamin Dalle. [14] [15] [16] The start of VRT's broadcast of the second semi-final, in which Israel was set to compete, was interrupted by a message aired by the broadcaster's internal trade union which called out Israel's human rights violations and alleged destruction of the freedom of press amid the war. [17]
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. [18] Belgium was scheduled for the second half of the second semi-final. [19] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Belgium was set to perform in position 12. [20]
In Wallonia, RTBF broadcast the first semi-final on Tipik and the second semi-final and the final on La Une , [21] [22] as well as all shows on its streaming platform Auvio and the final on radio via VivaCité , [23] [24] with commentary by Maureen Louys and Jean-Louis Lahaye . [25] In Flanders, VRT broadcast all shows on VRT 1 as well as on its streaming platform VRT MAX , and the final on Radio 2, with commentary by Peter Van de Veire; Van de Veire also hosted the pre-show Hello Malmö on VRT 1. [26] In addition, as part of the Eurovision programming, VRT broadcast the Het Grote Songfestivalfeest concert on 27 April and 4 May; a documentary titled ABBA –Against the Odds on 28 April and 5 May, which it cooperated to produce with DR and SVT alongside other EBU member broadcasters –namely ARD/WDR, the BBC, ČT, ERR, France Télévisions , NRK, NTR, RÚV, and Yle –on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Sweden's first victory at the contest with "Waterloo" by ABBA; and the documentary Mustii, de weg naar Malmö on 8 May, dedicated to Mustii's Eurovision journey; a number of other Eurovision-themed programmes are airing during the week on VRT 1, Radio 2 and MNM. [26] [27]
Mustii took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May. [28] His performance of "Before the Party's Over" at the contest prominently featured smoke; he sang on a platform surrounded by several microphones. [29] His outfit was designed by Elke Oost. [30]
Belgium performed in position 12, following the entry from Georgia and before the entry from Estonia. [20] The country was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to and by Belgium in the second semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public. [31] The Belgian jury consisted of Olivier Biron, Antoine Decocq, Fanny Gillard, Alice Van Eesbeeck, and Aurel Zola Kiese. [32] In the second semi-final, Belgium placed 13th with 18 points. Over the course of the contest, Belgium awarded its 12 points to the Netherlands in the second semi-final, and to France (jury) and Israel (televote) in the final. [33] [34]
RTBF appointed Livia Dushkoff as its spokesperson to announce the Belgian jury's votes in the final. [35]
Score | Televote |
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12 points | |
10 points | |
8 points | |
7 points | |
6 points | |
5 points | |
4 points | |
3 points | |
2 points | |
1 point |
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Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. 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. [36] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
The following members comprised the Belgian jury: [32]
Draw | Country | Televote | |
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Rank | Points | ||
01 | Malta | 13 | |
02 | Albania | 15 | |
03 | Greece | 3 | 8 |
04 | Switzerland | 4 | 7 |
05 | Czechia | 11 | |
06 | Austria | 10 | 1 |
07 | Denmark | 12 | |
08 | Armenia | 5 | 6 |
09 | Latvia | 6 | 5 |
10 | San Marino | 14 | |
11 | Georgia | 9 | 2 |
12 | Belgium | ||
13 | Estonia | 7 | 4 |
14 | Israel | 2 | 10 |
15 | Norway | 8 | 3 |
16 | Netherlands | 1 | 12 |
Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
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Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
01 | Sweden | 4 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 17 | |
02 | Ukraine | 11 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 19 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
03 | Germany | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 20 | |
04 | Luxembourg | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 1 | |
N/A | ||||||||||
06 | Israel | 13 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
07 | Lithuania | 22 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 11 | ||
08 | Spain | 26 | 26 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 21 | 12 | ||
09 | Estonia | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 16 | ||
10 | Ireland | 1 | 7 | 26 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
11 | Latvia | 24 | 18 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 13 | ||
12 | Greece | 15 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 7 | 4 | |
13 | United Kingdom | 5 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 23 | |
14 | Norway | 21 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 21 | ||
15 | Italy | 6 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
16 | Serbia | 17 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 24 | 17 | 24 | ||
17 | Finland | 7 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 14 | 15 | 15 | ||
18 | Portugal | 14 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 19 | |
19 | Armenia | 10 | 6 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 5 | |
20 | Cyprus | 23 | 19 | 23 | 16 | 25 | 24 | 18 | ||
21 | Switzerland | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
22 | Slovenia | 18 | 16 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 25 | ||
23 | Croatia | 20 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 8 | |
24 | Georgia | 19 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 22 | ||
25 | France | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
26 | Austria | 12 | 23 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 14 |
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.
Belgium was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "1 Life", composed by Marc Paelinck, with lyrics by Dirk Paelinck, and performed by Xandee. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), selected its entry for the contest through the national final Eurosong '04. 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 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 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 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.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the 2023 contest with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), the contest was held at the Malmö Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals, on 7 and 9 May, and a final on 11 May 2024. The three live shows were presented by Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman, with Mede having previously taken on the role in 2013 and 2016.
Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Ulveham" performed by Gåte. The Norwegian participating broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2024 between January and February 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.
Ireland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Doomsday Blue", written by Bambie Ray Robinson, Olivia Cassy Brooking, Sam Matlock, and Tyler Ryder, and performed by Robinson themself under their stage name Bambie Thug. The Irish participating broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), organised the national final Eurosong 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Europapa" performed by Joost Klein. The Dutch participating broadcaster AVROTROS internally selected its entry for the contest. Klein's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 11 December 2023, while the song, "Europapa", was presented to the public on 29 February 2024.
France was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Mon amour", written by Slimane Nebchi, Yaacov Salah, and Meïr Salah and performed by Slimane. The French participating broadcaster France Télévisions internally selected its entry for the contest.
"Before the Party's Over" is a song by Belgian singer and actor Thomas Mustin, known as Mustii. It was released on 20 February 2024 by PIAS Recordings, and was written by Mustin along with six other songwriters. "Before the Party's Over" represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, and finished in 13th place with 18 points at semi final two. The song entered the charts in Greece and Lithuania and reached the top ten within his home country of Belgium.
Belgium will be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which will be held in Basel, Switzerland. The Belgian participating broadcaster, Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), will organise the national final Eurosong2025 in order to select its entry for the contest.