Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019

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Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 14 January 2019
Song: 28 February 2019
Selected entrantEliot
Selected song"Wake Up"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Pierre Dumoulin
  • Eliot Vassamillet
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (13th)
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2018 • 2019 • 2020►

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 was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 14 May 2019. Performing during the show in position 10, "Wake Up" 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 thirteenth out of the 17 participating countries in the semi-final with 70 points.

Background

Main article: Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2019 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty times since its debut as one of seven countries to take part in

introduction of semi-finals for 2004, Belgium had been featured in only six finals. In 2018, Sennek represented the country with the song "A Matter of Time
", placing twelfth in the first semi-final and failing to advance to the final.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2019 contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was

Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) and the Walloon RTBF. Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2017 and 2018, both VRT and RTBF internally selected the Belgian entry. On 13 July 2018, RTBF confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest and continued the internal selection procedure.[2]

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

The Belgian entry for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest was selected via an internal selection by RTBF. On 14 January 2019, the broadcaster announced during the VivaCité radio programme Le 8/9 that they had selected Eliot Vassamillet to represent Belgium in Tel Aviv. Eliot was a participant in the seventh series of The Voice Belgique.[3][4] It was also announced that Eliot had worked with lead singer of the group Roscoe, Pierre Dumoulin, on the song he would perform at the contest, which was selected by a 17-member committee from 25 proposals submitted by record companies.[5][6] Dumoulin had also previously composed the 2017 Belgian Eurovision entry "City Lights".[7][8]

The song, "

MNM programme De Grote Peter Van de Veire Ochtendshow. The music video for the song, filmed in Ghent and directed by Jef Boes, was released on the same day of the presentation.[9] In regards to the song, Eliot stated: "The world has fallen asleep but it must wake up. This awakening must be collective but it requires momentum, a trigger. We, the new generation, have all the energy to make sure that changes. This is a positive message that I want to convey through this song."[10]

Promotion

Eliot made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Wake Up" as the Belgian Eurovision entry. On 6 April, Eliot performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the

Café de Paris venue in London and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell.[12] On 20 April, Eliot performed during the Eurovision Pre-Party Madrid event, which was held on 21 April at the Sala La Riviera venue in Madrid, Spain and hosted by Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela.[13]

At Eurovision

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 28 January 2019, 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 14 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[14]

Once all the competing songs for the 2019 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 Serbia and before the entry from Georgia.[15]

The two semi-finals and the final was broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters. VRT broadcast the first semi-final and the final on één, while the second semi-final was broadcast on Ketnet.[16] All shows featured 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.[18] The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Belgian jury during the final, was David Jeanmotte.

Semi-final

Eliot during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Eliot took part in technical rehearsals on 5 and 9 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 13 and 14 May. This included the jury show on 13 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[19]

The Belgian performance featured Eliot dressed in a black outfit including trousers and jacket, the latter with red straps and a red and yellow harness underneath, and performing on stage together with one male and one female dancer who were dressed in black with red prints on the front that showed hands making the 'peace' sign. The stage also featured one big and two small head-height mounted vertical drums, of which the male and female dancer respectively banged. The stage colours were red and purple and the LED screens transitioned from a blood-red background to isometric shapes and rippling images, while the performance also featured smoke effects.[20][21][22] The Belgian performance was directed by Jean-Jacques Marotte.[23] The stage costumes for the performance were designed by Walter Van Beirendonck.[24] The dancers that joined Eliot during the performance were Elya Lufwa and Mahdy Coulibaly. Two off-stage backing vocalists were also featured: Julien Michel and Renato Bennardo.[25]

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 thirteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 70 points: 20 points from the televoting and 50 points from the juries.

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 will be released shortly after the grand final.[26]

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)[27]
Score Televote Jury
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points  Slovenia
5 points  France  Spain
4 points
 Iceland
3 points  Cyprus
2 points  Portugal
1 point

Points awarded by Belgium

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Belgian jury:[26]

  • Hakima Darhmouch (jury chairperson) – Head of the Music and Culture department RTBF
  • Alex Germys – producer and DJ
  • Joëlle Morane – choreographer
  • Pierre Bertinchamps – journalist
  • Olivier Biron – artist manager, festival management
Detailed voting results from Belgium (Semi-final 1)[27]
Draw Country Jury Televote
H. Darhmouch A. Germys J. Morane P. Bertinchamps O. Biron Rank Points Rank Points
01  Cyprus 1 13 5 13 7 8 3 10 1
02  Montenegro 16 16 12 16 16 16 16
03  Finland 14 14 9 8 15 13 14
04  Poland 15 12 14 15 14 15 6 5
05  Slovenia 13 10 7 7 8 11 8 3
06  Czech Republic 2 7 4 12 1 3 8 5 6
07  Hungary 11 6 10 5 5 9 2 11
08  Belarus 9 4 3 6 10 7 4 13
09  Serbia 8 9 2 9 4 6 5 12
10  Belgium
11  Georgia 10 15 15 4 11 12 15
12  Australia 3 8 1 2 3 1 12 2 10
13  Iceland 5 2 16 1 2 2 10 4 7
14  Estonia 4 3 6 3 13 4 7 1 12
15  Portugal 6 5 11 10 9 10 1 3 8
16  Greece 7 1 8 11 6 5 6 7 4
17  San Marino 12 11 13 14 12 14 9 2
Detailed voting results from Belgium (Final)[28]
Draw Country Jury Televote
H. Darhmouch A. Germys J. Morane P. Bertinchamps O. Biron Rank Points Rank Points
01  Malta 15 9 17 19 13 17 21
02  Albania 26 26 25 20 26 26 12
03  Czech Republic 5 7 4 9 4 6 5 16
04  Germany 23 24 16 17 22 24 26
05  Russia 18 18 20 12 25 21 10 1
06  Denmark 17 15 3 8 16 10 1 13
07  San Marino 25 17 24 25 24 25 22
08  North Macedonia 20 25 7 23 23 18 18
09  Sweden 19 12 8 11 15 13 9 2
10  Slovenia 4 13 15 13 10 11 15
11  Cyprus 6 6 13 16 8 9 2 20
12  Netherlands 13 3 5 3 6 5 6 1 12
13  Greece 16 2 22 26 7 8 3 19
14  Israel 22 20 12 21 19 22 17
15  Norway 24 23 10 7 20 15 4 7
16  United Kingdom 11 10 19 18 11 16 24
17  Iceland 3 4 26 2 2 2 10 8 3
18  Estonia 12 14 14 10 14 14 11
19  Belarus 14 16 11 22 18 19 25
20  Azerbaijan 8 8 23 15 12 12 14
21  France 2 11 6 5 3 3 8 2 10
22  Italy 1 1 9 1 1 1 12 3 8
23  Serbia 21 21 21 14 17 23 23
24   Switzerland 7 5 1 6 9 4 7 6 5
25  Australia 9 19 2 4 5 7 4 7 4
26  Spain 10 22 18 24 21 20 5 6

References

  1. ^ "Belgium Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (Sergio) (13 July 2018). "Belgium: RTBF confirms participation in Eurovision 2019". Esctoday. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  3. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 January 2019). "Belgium: Eliot Vassamillet Selected By RTBF For Eurovision 2019".
  4. ^ "BELGIQUE 2019 : Eliot à Tel Aviv". eurovision-fr.net (in French). 15 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Comment est sélectionné la candidate ou le candidat belge à l'Eurovision?". rtbf.be (in French). 16 January 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  6. ^ Bertinchamps, Pierre (5 March 2019). "Pierre Dumoulin : «L'Eurovision, c'est un monde parallèle !»". telepro.be (in French). Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  7. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 January 2019). "Belgium: Eliot Vassamillet Selected By RTBF For Eurovision 2019". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Eliot will voice Belgium's Eurovision 2019 entry". eurovision.tv. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  9. ^ Granger, Anthony (28 February 2019). "Belgium: Eurovision 2019 Entry "Wake Up" Released". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix.
  10. ^ "Découvrez "Wake Up", le titre d'Eliot qui défendra nos couleurs à l'Eurovision". rtbf.be (in French). 28 February 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ "This was Eurovision in Concert 2019 in Amsterdam". Eurovision.tv. 6 April 2019.
  12. ^ "18 Eurovision 2019 acts to perform in London on Sunday 14 April". Eurovision.tv. 13 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  13. ^ Escudero, Victor M. (25 April 2019). "This was PrePartyES 2019 in Madrid". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. ^ Jordan, Paul (28 January 2019). "Eurovision 2019: Which country takes part in which Semi-Final?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Exclusive: This is the Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final running order!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Tweede halve finale van het Songfestival verhuist naar Ketnet" [The SF2 of the Eurovision Song Contest is moving to Ketnet]. HLN (in Dutch). 26 April 2019. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  17. ^ Esc, Jhe (1 April 2019). "VRT neemt organisatie Songfestival 2019 over". songfestival.be. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  18. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2019). "Belgium: Maureen Louys & Jean-Louis Lahaye Confirmed As Commentators For Tel Aviv". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Eurovision 2019: Rehearsal Schedule in Tel Aviv". eurovisionworld.com. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  20. ^ "'Wake Up' Tel Aviv, Eliot has rehearsed for Belgium". eurovision.tv. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  21. ^ Cobb, Ryan (5 May 2019). "LIVE DAY 2 REVIEW: 🇧🇪 Tribal drummers and peace motifs for Belgium's Eliot 🇧🇪". escXtra. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  22. ^ Baker, Matt (9 May 2019). "🇧🇪LIVE DAY 6 REVIEW: Eliot delivers a solid second rehearsal 🇧🇪". escXtra. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2019 Belgium: Eliot - "Wake Up"". eurovisionworld.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  24. ^ Granger, Anthony (25 April 2019). "Belgium: Eliot's Outfit Designed By Walter Van Beirendonck". Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Belgium". Six on Stage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  26. ^ a b Groot, Evert (30 April 2019). "Exclusive: They are the judges who will vote in Eurovision 2019!". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  27. ^ a b c "Results of the First Semi-Final of Tel Aviv 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  28. ^ a b "Results of the Grand Final of Tel Aviv 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
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