Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Country | Belgium | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | Internal selection | |||
Selection date(s) | Artist: 28 September 2017 Song: 5 March 2018 | |||
Selected entrant | Sennek | |||
Selected song | "A Matter of Time" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | Failed to qualify (12th) | |||
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 8 May 2018. Performing during the show in position 4, "A Matter of Time" 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 twelfth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 91 points.
Background
Prior to the 2018 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-nine times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in
The Belgian broadcaster for the 2018 contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was
Before Eurovision
Internal selection
The Belgian entry for the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest was selected via an internal selection by VRT. On 14 September 2017, the broadcaster's spokesperson Hans Van Goethem revealed that the artist would be selected by an A&R Team (Arts and Repertoire) consisting of music experts following conversations with several acts and that they were close to reaching a decision.
The song, "
Promotion
Sennek made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "A Matter of Time" as the Belgian Eurovision entry. Between 8 and 11 April, Sennek took part in promotional activities in Tel Aviv, Israel and performed during the Israel Calling event held at the Rabin Square.[12] On 14 April, Sennek performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the AFAS Live venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Edsilia Rombley and Cornald Maas.[13] On 21 April, Sennek performed during the ESPreParty event which was held at the Sala La Riviera venue in Madrid, Spain and hosted by Soraya Arnelas.[14]
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "
Once all the competing songs for the 2018 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 4, following the entry from Albania and before the entry from the Czech Republic.[16]
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 Peter Van de Veire.[17] RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Louis Lahaye and Maureen Louys; the second semi-final aired on a 90-minute delay on La Une.[18] The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Belgian jury during the final, was Danira Boukhriss.
Semi-final
Sennek took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 7 and 8 May. This included the jury show on 7 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[19]
The Belgian performance featured Sennek in a black transparent dress designed by
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 twelfth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 91 points: 20 points from the televoting and 71 points from the juries.[25]
Voting
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry 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 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. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
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
Score | Televote | Jury |
---|---|---|
12 points | Bulgaria | |
10 points | ||
8 points | Lithuania | Lithuania |
7 points | Austria | |
6 points | Armenia | |
5 points | Finland | |
4 points | ||
3 points | ||
2 points | ||
1 point | Croatia |
Points awarded by Belgium
|
|
Detailed voting results
The following members comprised the Belgian jury:[28]
- Bob Savenberg (jury chairperson) – singer, songwriter, musician, manager, represented Belgium in the 1991 contest as part of Clouseau
- Wouter Vander Veken – music producer
- Laura Tesoro – singer, represented Belgium in the 2016 contest
- Tom Eeckhout (Tom Dice) – singer, songwriter, represented Belgium in the 2010 contest
- Nathalie Delporte – radio DJ
Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W. V. Veken | L. Tesoro | T. Dice | B. Savenberg | N. Delporte | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
01 | Azerbaijan | 8 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | ||
02 | Iceland | 10 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 15 | |
03 | Albania | 12 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | |
04 | Belgium | |||||||||
05 | Czech Republic | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 8 |
06 | Lithuania | 14 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 4 | |
07 | Israel | 5 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
08 | Belarus | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | ||
09 | Estonia | 11 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 5 | |
10 | Bulgaria | 9 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 12 | |
11 | Macedonia | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | ||
12 | Croatia | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 17 | ||
13 | Austria | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 |
14 | Greece | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 1 | |
15 | Finland | 13 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 2 | |
16 | Armenia | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
17 | Switzerland | 2 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | |
18 | Ireland | 6 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
19 | Cyprus | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W. V. Veken | L. Tesoro | T. Dice | B. Savenberg | N. Delporte | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
01 | Ukraine | 20 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | ||
02 | Spain | 9 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 19 | |
03 | Slovenia | 25 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 25 | ||
04 | Lithuania | 10 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 17 | 14 | 11 | ||
05 | Austria | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 3 |
06 | Estonia | 13 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 12 | ||
07 | Norway | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 14 | ||
08 | Portugal | 18 | 15 | 26 | 20 | 11 | 17 | 17 | ||
09 | United Kingdom | 19 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 18 | ||
10 | Serbia | 22 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 26 | 26 | ||
11 | Germany | 6 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
12 | Albania | 11 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 13 | |
13 | France | 23 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
14 | Czech Republic | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 1 |
15 | Denmark | 12 | 9 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | |
16 | Australia | 16 | 20 | 15 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 21 | ||
17 | Finland | 15 | 24 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 23 | ||
18 | Bulgaria | 17 | 12 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 16 | ||
19 | Moldova | 26 | 25 | 24 | 17 | 14 | 22 | 15 | ||
20 | Sweden | 7 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 22 | |
21 | Hungary | 21 | 26 | 16 | 11 | 24 | 19 | 20 | ||
22 | Israel | 5 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
23 | Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
24 | Ireland | 8 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 4 | |
25 | Cyprus | 2 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
26 | Italy | 24 | 17 | 23 | 24 | 16 | 23 | 5 | 6 |
References
- ^ "Belgium Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ "Internal selection for Belgium in 2018". SongFestival.be. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Flemish broadcaster: 'We're close to reaching a decision'". songfestival.be. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (28 September 2017). "Belgium: VRT will reveal the Belgian act for Eurovision 2018 tonight". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "Laura Groeseneken naar het Eurovisiesongfestival!" (in Dutch). VRT. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ Van Heugten, Kris (19 June 2017). "Belgium 2018: Broadcaster searching for Eurovision artist – who is up for it?". EuroVisionary. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Laura Groeseneken: "I'm going for the victory!"". eurovisionbelgium.be. 24 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Farren, Neil (26 February 2018). "Belgium: Entry to be Revealed on March 6". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "Met dit nummer gaan we naar het Eurovisiesongfestival!". mnm.be (in Dutch). 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Belgium: Eurovision 2018 song leaked – "A Matter of Time"". eurovisionworld.com. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Song release: It's a matter of time for Belgium's Sennek". eurovision.tv. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Israel: Watch the performances at Israel Calling 2018 Party in Tel Aviv". INFE. 11 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Eurovision in Concert 2018 Videos". Eurovisionworld.com. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Over 20 acts to appear at Madrid's ESPreParty this weekend". eurovision.tv. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
- ^ Jordan, Paul (29 January 2018). "Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-Finals revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 3 April 2018. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Peter Van de Veire: "Als ik een voetballer was, zou ik iedereen onderuit schoppen"". nieuwsblad.be. 3 March 2018.
- ^ "La Belgique au top à l'Eurovision !".
- ^ "Lisbon 2018: Rehearsal Schedule". eurovisionworld.com. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Does Song Contest fame beckon for Belgium's Sennek?". vrt.be. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Cobb, Ryan (3 May 2018). "Day 5: Simple, sultry and lots of changes as Sennek rehearses for Belgium – PREDICTION & REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Sennek – A Matter Of Time (First and second rehearsals, complete the sentence and gallery)". EuroVisionary. 29 April 2018.
- ^ "Eurovision 2018 Belgium: Sennek - "A Matter of Time"". eurovisionworld.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Belgium". Six on Stage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "First Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Results of the First Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Results of the Grand Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ Groot, Evert (30 April 2018). "Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2018.