Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

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Eurovision Song Contest 2008
CountryFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 23 November 2007
Song: 7 March 2008
Selected entrant Hind
Selected song"Your Heart Belongs to Me"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Hind Laroussi Tahiri
  • Tjeerd van Zanen
  • Bas van den Heuvel
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (13th)
Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2007 •2008• 2009►

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Your Heart Belongs to Me" written by Hind Laroussi Tahiri, Tjeerd van Zanen and Bas van den Heuvel. The song was performed by Hind, which is the artistic name of singer Hind Laroussi Tahiri who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Hind's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 23 November 2007, while the song, "Your Heart Belongs to Me", was presented to the public on 7 March 2008 during the Nederland 3 programme Thank God it's Friday.

Contents

The Netherlands 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 15, "Your Heart Belongs to Me" 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 the Netherlands placed thirteenth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 27 points.

Background

Prior to the 2008 contest, the Netherlands had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-eight times since their début as one of seven countries to take part in the inaugural contest in 1956. [1] Since then, the country has won the contest four times: in 1957 with the song "Net als toen" performed by Corry Brokken; [2] in 1959 with the song "'n Beetje" performed by Teddy Scholten; [3] in 1969 as one of four countries to tie for first place with "De troubadour" performed by Lenny Kuhr; [4] and finally in 1975 with "Ding-a-dong" performed by the group Teach-In. [5] Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, the Netherlands had featured in only one final. The Dutch least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on four occasions, most recently in the 1968 contest. [6] The Netherlands has also received nul points on two occasions; in 1962 and 1963. [7]

The Dutch national broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), broadcasts the event within the Netherlands and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The Netherlands has used various methods to select the Dutch entry in the past, such as the Nationaal Songfestival , a live televised national final to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. However, internal selections have also been held on occasion. For 2008, the broadcaster opted to select the Dutch entry through an internal selection. [8]

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

Hind was internally selected to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 Hind - 25820.jpg
Hind was internally selected to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Following Edsilia Rombley's failure to qualify to the final in 2007 with the song "On Top of the World", the Dutch broadcaster issued a statement to the newspaper De Telegraaf in October 2007 where they revealed that they would continue to internally select both the artist and song for the Eurovision Song Contest, and that several artists had already been in contact with the broadcaster in regards to participating. [8] Artists that were rumoured in Dutch media to be in talks with NOS included the band Bearforce 1 and 1988 Dutch Eurovision entrant Gerard Joling. [9] [10]

On 9 November 2007, Dutch media reported that NOS had selected singer Hind Laroussi to represent the Netherlands at the 2008 contest. [11] Hind was confirmed as the Dutch entrant on 23 November 2007 during a press conference that that took place in Amsterdam and hosted by Gerard Dielessen. A submission period was opened on the same day where composers were able to submit their songs to the broadcaster. [12] [13]

On 7 March 2008, Hind's Eurovision entry, "Your Heart Belongs to Me", was presented to the public during the Nederland 3 programme Thank God it's Friday, hosted by Claudia de Breij. [14] [15] The official video for the song directed by Jelle Posthuma was released on 18 March 2008. [16] "Your Heart Belongs to Me" was written by Hind herself together with Tjeerd van Zanen and Bas van den Heuvel. [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. The Netherlands 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 the Netherlands was set to perform in position 15, following the entry from Armenia and before the entry from Finland. [20]

The two semi-finals and the final was broadcast in the Netherlands on Nederland 1 with commentary by Cornald Maas. [21] The Dutch spokesperson, who announced the Dutch votes during the final, was 2003 Dutch Eurovision entrant Esther Hart. [22]

Semi-final

Hind during a rehearsal before the first semi-final Flickr - proteusbcn - Semifinal 1 EUROVISION 2008 (85).jpg
Hind during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Hind took part in technical rehearsals on 13 and 16 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 19 and 20 May. The Dutch performance featured Hind wearing a dark blue dress with glittering elements designed by Mart Visser and performing together with two dancers and three backing vocalists. [23] The stage colours were predominately yellow with the LED screens displaying big white chandeliers. [24] [25] The two dancers that joined Hind were Deniz Kumas and Serge Dominique Monpellier, while the backing vocalists were Carolina Dijkhuizen, Ellen Eeftink and Peggy Sandaal. [26]

At the end of the show, the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands placed thirteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 27 points. [27]

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the Netherlands and awarded by the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands

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

Points awarded by the Netherlands

Related Research Articles

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

The Netherlands has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since making its debut as one of the seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The country has missed only four contests, twice because the dates coincided with Remembrance of the Dead, and twice because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year. It has missed the final despite qualifying once, in 2024, due to the personal conduct of its entrant which led to disqualification. The Netherlands has hosted the contest five times: in Hilversum (1958), Amsterdam (1970), The Hague, and Rotterdam (2021).

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Amambanda" written by Caroline Hoffman, Niña van Dijk and Djem van Dijk. The song was performed by the group Treble. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2006 in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. Three artists competed in the national final on 12 March 2006 where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, each of the artists performed three songs and a nine-member jury panel selected one song per act to qualify to the second round. In the second round, "Amambanda" performed by Treble was selected as the winner exclusively by a public vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "My Impossible Dream" written by Robert D. Fisher and Bruce Smith. The song was performed by Glennis Grace. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2005 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Six entries competed in each semi-final with three advancing: two entries selected based on a public vote and one entry selected by a three-member jury panel. Twelve entries qualified from to compete in the final on 13 February 2005 where "My Impossible Dream" performed by Glennis Grace was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from three jury panels and a public vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Without You" written by Ed van Otterdijk and Angeline van Otterdijk. The song was performed by the duo Re-union. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2004 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: four semi-finals, a wildcard round and a final. Ten entries qualified from to compete in the final on 22 February 2004 where "Without You" performed by Re-union was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "On Top of the World" written by Tjeerd Oosterhuis, Martin Gijzemijter and Maarten ten Hove. The song was performed by Edsilia Rombley, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland after previously representing the country in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 where she placed third with the song "Hemel en aarde". Edsilia Rombley's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 16 December 2006. Three potential songs were presented to the public on 11 February 2007 during the special programme Mooi! Weer het Nationaal Songfestival where the selected song "Nooit meer zonder jou" was announced. The song was later translated from Dutch to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "On Top of the World".

Finland participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Missä miehet ratsastaa" written by Jarkko Ahola. The song was performed by the band Teräsbetoni. The Finnish broadcaster Yleisradio (Yle) organised the national final Euroviisut 2008 in order to select the Finnish entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 12 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consisted of three semi-finals, a Second Chance round and a final, taking place in February and March 2008. Eight entries ultimately competed in the final on 1 March where votes from the public selected "Missä miehet ratsastaa" performed by Teräsbetoni as the winner.

Switzerland competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Era stupendo" by Paolo Meneguzzi. Meneguzzi was chosen by the Swiss national broadcaster, SRG SSR idée suisse, to sing for Switzerland in Belgrade, Serbia. For 2008, SRG SSR idée suisse had continued to internally select the song and singer to represent Switzerland at the 2008 contest, with an open call for songs being held by the broadcaster.

Cyprus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Femme Fatale" written by Nikos Evagelou and Vangelis Evangelou. The song was performed by Evdokia Kadi. The Cypriot broadcaster Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC) organised the national final A Song for Europe in order to select the Cypriot entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. The national final featured ten entries, resulting in the selection of Kadi with "Femme Fatale" at the final on 12 January 2008.

Moldova participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "A Century of Love" written by Oleg Baraliuc and Victoria Demici. The song was performed by Geta Burlacu. The Moldovan broadcaster TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM) organised the national final O melodie pentru Europa 2008 in order to select the Moldovan entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. 27 entries competed to represent Moldova in Belgrade, with 12 being shortlisted to participate in the televised national final which took place on 9 February 2008. "A Century of Love" performed by Geta Burlacu emerged as the winner after gaining the most points following the combination of votes from a jury panel, a TRM committee and a public televote.

Armenia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Qélé, Qélé" written by H.A. Der-Hovagimian and Sirusho. The song was performed by Sirusho, who was selected internally by the Armenian broadcaster Public Television of Armenia (AMPTV) to represent Armenia in the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Sirusho's selection as the Armenian artist was announced on 15 November 2007, while the song was selected through a national final, which took place on 8 March 2008 where four songs competed. "Qélé, Qélé" was selected as the winning song after gaining 86.5% of the public televote.

San Marino debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held in Belgrade, Serbia. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) officially confirmed San Marino's participation in the contest in November 2007 after deliberation amongst the broadcaster's shareholders.

Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Let Me Love You" written by Rade Vrčakovski. The song was performed by Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian. The Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) organised Skopje Fest 2008 in order to select the Macedonian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Fifteen entries competed in the competition on 23 February 2008 where "Vo ime na ljubovta" performed by Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian was selected following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. The song was later translated from Macedonian to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Let Me Love You".

Russia participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. The Russian entry was selected through a national final, Evrovidenie 2008 organised by the Russian broadcaster Rossiya Channel (RTR). Dima Bilan represented Russia with the song "Believe", which qualified from the first semi-final of the competition and won the contest, placing 1st in the final with 272 points.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "The Fire in Your Eyes" written by Dana International and Shay Kerem. The song was performed by Boaz Ma'uda, who was internally selected by the Israeli broadcaster Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) in collaboration with the commercial broadcaster Keshet in November 2007 to compete at the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia, The song Ma'uda would perform at Eurovision was selected through the national final Kdam Eurovision 2008 which took place on 15 March 2010 that featured five songs. "Ke'ilu Kan" emerged as the winning song after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from two regional juries, two thematical jury groups, a jury panel and a public vote. The song title was later translated from Hebrew to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "The Fire in Your Eyes".

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".

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Shine" written by Bas van den Heuvel and Gordon Heuckeroth. The song was performed by the group De Toppers, which was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. De Toppers' appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 19 September 2008, while the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2009 was organised in order to select the song. Six songs competed in the national final on 1 February 2009 where "Shine" was selected as the winning song following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" written by Pierre Kartner. The song was performed by Sieneke. The Dutch broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) internally selected the song for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" was presented to the public on 18 December 2009, while the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2010 was organised in order to select the Dutch representative. Five artists competed in the national final on 7 February 2010 where Sieneke was selected by Pierre Kartner as the winner following a tie between two of the artists based on the combination of votes from a four-member jury panel and an audience vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "One More Night" written by Tjeerd van Zanen and Alan Michael. The song was performed by Esther Hart. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2002 as one of the bottom six countries in the 2001 contest. NOS organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2003 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2003 contest in Riga, Latvia. 32 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Eight entries qualified from to compete in the final on 1 March 2003 where "One More Night" performed by Esther Hart was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel and a public vote.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Never Alone" written by Jan Dulles, Jaap Kwakman and Jaap de Witte. The song was performed by the band 3JS, which was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. 3JS' appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 15 July 2010, while the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2011 was organised in order to select the song. Five songs competed in the national final on 30 January 2011 where "Je vecht nooit alleen" was selected as the winning song following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public vote. The song was later translated from Dutch to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Never Alone".

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Walk Along" written by Tobias Karlsson and Anouk Teeuwe. The song was performed by Trijntje Oosterhuis, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Songwriter Anouk Teeuwe represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Birds" where she placed ninth in the grand final of the competition. Trijntje Oosterhuis' appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 10 November 2014, while the song, "Walk Along", was presented to the public on 11 December 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1956". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1957". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1959". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1969". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1975". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Semi-Final (2)". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "History by Country - The Netherlands". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 van Gorp, Edwin (2 October 2007). "Netherlands: a single artist again". Esctoday. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. ↑ van Gorp, Edwin (18 October 2007). "The return of Gerard Joling?". Esctoday. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  10. ↑ Romkes, René (24 September 2007). "Bearforce1 for Belgrade (Update)". Esctoday. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Royston, Benny (9 November 2007). "Netherlands: attention turns to Hind". Esctoday. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  12. ↑ Royston, Benny (23 November 2007). "Netherlands confirmed: Hind for Belgrade". Esctoday. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "NOS bevestigt deelname Hind". songfestivalweblog.nl (in Dutch). 23 November 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. ↑ Royston, Benny (7 March 2008). "Netherlands: Hind – My heart belongs to Eurovision". Esctoday.
  15. ↑ "Hind met up-tempo lied naar Songfestival" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS). 2008-03-07. Archived from the original on 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  16. ↑ Floras, Stella (18 March 2008). "Netherlands: Hind's video clip released". Esctoday. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  17. ↑ Frost, Marcel. "Hind zingt 'Your heart belongs to me' in Belgrado". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Viniker, Barry (2007-09-28). "Eurovision: 2 semi finals confirmed!". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  19. ↑ Viniker, Barry (2008-01-28). "The Eurovision Song Contest semi final draw". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  20. ↑ Sietse Bakker (2008-03-17). "Belgrade 2008: The running order!". Eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  21. ↑ www.eurovisionartists.nl. "Welkom op de site van Eurovision Artists". Eurovisionartists.nl. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  22. ↑ "Esther Hart, the new Dutch spokeswoman". esctoday.com. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  23. ↑ Floras, Stella (3 May 2008). "Netherlands: Hind's dress is "stylish and sexy"". Esctoday. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  24. ↑ "Convincing Hind in first Dutch rehearsal!". eurovision.tv. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "First up: Armenia, Netherlands & Finland". eurovision.tv. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "Netherlands". Six on Stage. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "First Semi-Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  28. 1 2 "Results of the First Semi-Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  29. ↑ "Results of the Grand Final of Belgrade 2008". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
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