Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Belgium made its 50th appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. This year Flemish broadcaster VRT was in charge of selecting the Belgian entry and chose it through the programme Eurosong. The winning song was selected on Sunday, 9 March 2008.[1]
| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | .svg.png){kind=small} | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Eurosong '08 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Heats 27 January 2008 3 February 2008 10 February 2008 17 February 2008 Semifinals 24 February 2008 2 March 2008 Final 9 March 2008 | |||
| Selected entrant | Ishtar | |||
| Selected song | "O Julissi" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Failed to qualify (17th, 16 points ) | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
At the Eurovision Song Contest Belgium performed in the first semi-final in Belgrade on 20 May 2008. They performed sixth on the night between the debut entries of San Marino and Azerbaijan. After scoring 16 points the song finished 17th out of 19 entries and failed to qualify for the final. It was also the last Eurosong to date.
Before Eurovision
Eurosong '08
Eurosong '08 was the national final that selected Belgium's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.
Format
As with 2006, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final were broadcast between 27 January and 9 March. Each qualifying heat contained 5 acts, with the top two acts proceeding to the semi-final. Two wildcard entries were also chosen, bringing the total number of acts to 5 in each semi-final. In the semi-finals the top two acts again proceeded to the semi-final, with one wildcard entrant chosen as well.
Unlike in previous years, only televoting decided the winner with no jury vote used. However, during each of the shows, three experts consisting of Katrina Leskanich (winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 as part of Katrina and the Waves), Marcel Vanthilt and Kris Wauters provided commentary and feedback to the artists and selected the wildcard semi-finalists and finalist.
Competing entries
The submission deadline for entries was on 23 November 2007. VRT has received 450 entries from 400 artists, and 20 entries were chosen for the national final.[2]
| Artist | Song (English translation) | Composer(s)[3] |
|---|---|---|
| A Butterfly Mind | "Lonely Hearts on Wheels" | Annelies Cappaert |
| Brahim | "What I Like About You" | Brahim Attaeb, Alan Glass |
| Di Bono | "I'm Not Sorry" | R. Di Bono, L. Alea |
| EFR | "Your Guiding Star" | Sergio Quisquater, Vincent Pierins, Patrick Hamilton |
| Elisa | "Around The World" | Ove Andre Brenna |
| Ellis-T | "My Music" | Regi Penxten |
| Esther | "Game Over" | A. Ross, J. McLaughin, D. James, I. Mank, E. Sels |
| Eva Darche | "We Breathe" | Marc Paelinck, Jamie Winchester |
| Femme Fatale | "Decadence" | Gerard James Borg, Mik Tanczos, Frank Jordens |
| Francesco Palmeri | "Vagabundo" | Francesco Palmeri |
| Geena Lisa | "Wheel Of Time" | Yves Barbieux, S. Dutoit, Geena Lisa |
| Ishtar | "O Julissi Na Jalini" | Michel Vangheluwe |
| Katy Satyn | "Magical Sensation" | Jens Engelbrecht, Stina Engelbrecht, A. Lennartsson, Göran Månsson |
| Kenza | "Breaking All The Rules" | Rudolf Hecke |
| Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | Nelson Morais |
| Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | Hans Stevens, Raf Stevens |
| Raevan | "Shut Down the Heatmachine" | Michael Garvin, Marc Paelinck |
| Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | Michelle Lawson, Peter John Vettese, Felix Howard |
| Tanya Dexters | "Addicted To You" | Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren, Henrik Wikström |
| Tabitha Cycon | "Rumour Has It" | Marc Paelinck, Marwenna Diame |
Quarter-final 1
The first quarter-final took place on 27 January 2008 where five entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Quarter-final 1 – 27 January 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Singer | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Katy Satyn | "Magical Sensation" | 1 | Advanced |
| 2 | Raevan | "Shut Down the Heatmachine" | 3/4 | Eliminated |
| 3 | Brahim | "What I Like About You" | 2 | Advanced |
| 4 | Eva Darche | "We Breathe" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Femme Fatale | "Decadence" | 3/4 | Eliminated |
Quarter-final 2
The second quarter-final took place on 3 February 2008 where five entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Quarter-final 2 – 3 February 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Singer | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Kenza | "Breaking All The Rules" | 3/4 | Eliminated |
| 2 | EFR | "Your Guiding Star" | 3/4 | Eliminated |
| 3 | Ishtar | "O Julissi Na Jalini" | 1 | Advanced |
| 4 | Esther | "Game Over" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Tanya Dexters | "Addicted To You" | 2 | Advanced |
Quarter-final 3
The third quarter-final took place on 10 February 2008 where five entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Quarter-final 3 – 10 February 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Singer | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Ellis-T | "My Music" | 4 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Tabitha Cycon | "Rumour Has It" | 3 | Wildcard |
| 3 | Di Bono | "I'm Not Sorry" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 4 | Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | 1 | Advanced |
| 5 | Geena Lisa | "Wheel Of Time" | 2 | Advanced |
Quarter-final 4
The fourth quarter-final took place on 17 February 2008 where five entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Quarter-final 4 – 17 February 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Singer | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Francesco Palmeri | "Vagabundo" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | 2 | Advanced |
| 3 | Elisa | "Around The World" | 4 | Eliminated |
| 4 | A Butterfly Mind | "Lonely Hearts on Wheels" | 3 | Wildcard |
| 5 | Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | 1 | Advanced |
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 24 February 2008 where five of the ten semi-finalist entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Semi-final 1 – 24 February 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Tanya Dexters | "Addicted To You" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | 1 | Advanced |
| 3 | Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | 2 | Advanced |
| 4 | A Butterfly Mind | "Lonely Hearts on Wheels" | 4 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Katy Satyn | "Magical Sensation" | 3 | Eliminated |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 2 March 2008 where five of the ten semi-finalist entries performed. The top two entries decided by televoting advanced to the final.
| Semi-final 2 – 2 March 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place | Result |
| 1 | Geena Lisa | "Wheel of Time" | 5 | Eliminated |
| 2 | Tabitha Cycon | "Rumour Has It" | 4 | Eliminated |
| 3 | Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | 2 | Advanced |
| 4 | Ishtar | "O Julissi Na Jalini" | 1 | Advanced |
| 5 | Brahim | "What I Like About You" | 3 | Wildcard |
Final
The final took place on 7 March 2008 where the four entries that qualified from the preceding semi-finals and an eliminated act who received a wildcard from the jury performed. The winner, "O Julissi Na Jalini" performed by Ishtar, was determined by televoting.
| Final – 7 March 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place |
| 1 | Brahim | "What I Like About You" | 4 |
| 2 | Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | 3 |
| 3 | Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | 5 |
| 4 | Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | 2 |
| 5 | Ishtar | "O Julissi Na Jalini" | 1 |
At Eurovision
Commentators and spokespersons
- Commentators – Bart Peeters and André Vermeulen (VRT),[4] Jean-Louis Lahaye and Jean-Pierre Hautier (RTBF)[5]
- Spokespersons – Sandrine Van Handenhoven[6]
Points awarded by Belgium
Semi-final 1
|
Final
|
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
References
- "Belgium: 450 songs received for Eurosong 2008". Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
- https://esckaz.com/2008/bel.htm. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - http://esckaz.com/2006/bel.htm. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - "Sandrine geeft de Vlaamse punten op het Songfestival". eurosong.be. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- "RTBF – La 1 – Concours Eurovision de la chanson". rtbf.be. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- "Belgium: Sandrine to announce Belgian votes". Archived from the original on 26 April 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.