Belgium plans internal selection for ESC 2009

Belgian broadcaster RTBF will again internally select the Belgian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow.

"I can already confirm that there won't be an open national selection," Jean-Michel Germys, RTBF's Director of Entertainment,told Belgovision.com.

Whether RTBF will go for a pure internal selection or a variation of it, will become clear later. French-speaking Belgian artists who have the ambition to represent Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest, will be disappointed. In no way an open national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 will be organized.

source

Belgium rehearsal and press conference

Belgian representatives Ishtar took to the stage yesterday to give their first rehearsal of their song "O Julissi".

The stage setting was a dark background, with graphics which could be described as resembling something similar to musical notes. The whole performance was very upbeat and lively, with lead singer Soetkin walking intermittantly between all of her backing musicians throughout the song. Reactions in general were very positive, as indeed was the upbeat press conference which followed.



Press conference

Soetkin, Ishtar's lead singer, revealed that this year's entries that touched her the most are Bosnia & Herzegovina's and Israel's. Then the author of the song, Michel Vangheluwe, talked about his inspiration for the song, which was his childhood memories and his youth. Words, actually "a patch of joyful sounds" as he said, came after the melody, in an imaginary language he calls Ishtarian.


sources:eurovision.tv;oikotimes.com;youtube.com

Nico and Vlad in Brusseles - video

A recording of the performance of the two singers at the concert organized by ARTHIS (House of Culture Belgiano-Romanian), which took place in Market St. Caterina in Brussels.

Belgium:On 8 September 15 candidates for Junior Eurovision

belgovision.com reports:

Junior Eurosong 2007 kicks off on Saturday 8th September. Next Tuesday, Eén will elaborate on the new format of Junior Eurosong 2007 during the press presentation of the autumn programmation of Eén and launch a website on which you will be able to follow the Belgian Junior Eurovision Song Contest selections.

Fifteen candidates will appear at the start of Junior Eurosong 2007. 895 kids between 10 and 15 years old innitialy subscribed for the contest. Eighty of them were invited for an audition.

Five coaches, representing five channels of Flemish broadcaster VRT, selected the final fifteen participants. Each of them will coach three of the candidates and play an important role in the Flemish selections for the Junior Eurovision Song Cotest 2007...read more....

Listen to X!nk's Junior Eurosong 2007 theme song

belgovision.com reports:

Give Us A Future, the new single of X!nk, will also be the theme song of Junior Eurong 2007, the Flemish selections for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest taking place next month.

Click this link to hear a preview of Give Us A Future, a song that is partly performed in Dutch, in spite of its English title.

Eurosong is of 'national importance', but for whom?

belgovision.com reports:

For whom is Eurosong of national importance? "For VRT without a doubt," affirms journalist Marc Coenegracht in the newspaper Het Laatse Nieuws. "The public broadcaster is throwing loads of money at the weekly shows and builds up a huge hype in order to then be able to look contentedly at the outstanding viewing figures."

But is Eurosong also of national importance to the image of Flanders and to the Flemish winners, asks Marc, who in a distant past took his place in the professional jury of Eurosong several times. read more...

New X!nk single called Give Us A Future

belgovision.com reports:

X!nk, the Belgian representatives of the 2003 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, are back! Next Tuesday Jonas, Thomas, Niels and Philip will present their new single Give Us A Future during the recordings of the television show Tien Om Te Zien. Later this month, they'll launch the theme song of Junior Eurosong 2007.

read more.....

Belgium: Eurosong 2008 trailer on tv

belgovision.com reports:

The search for the Belgian entry for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest is promoted by a Eurosong 2008 trailer on Eén since this week. In the video, Eurosong host Bart Peeters invites popular and unknown Flemish artists to be a candidate in the one and only contest of state importance.

In April already, VRT invited established singers and undiscovered talents to submit their songs for next year's Belgian Eurovision Song Contest selections. The songs should be original and new and no longer than 3 minutes.
All languages and styles are welcome. VRT however stresses that they are looking forward to receive special and creative entries. Furthermore, VRT will also look out for strong candidates on their own. At the beginning of August, Eén started airing a trailer inviting Flemish artists to be a candidate in Eurosong 2008.

Watch the trailer here

Belgovision Tube

from belgovision.com:

The introduction of You Tube started a real hype on the internet. Also the videos on belgovision.com You Tube page have been watched more than 375.000 by now!

Today, Belgovision.com launches a weekly item in which a You Tube video gets put in the spotlight. Eurovision @ EuroGames winner Peter Simcic kicks off Belgovision Tube.


Have you also found an interesting video on You Tube that is topical and related to the Eurovision Song Contest in one or any other way?

Submit the link by using the form on belgovision.com contact page and maybe your video will get in the spotlight next week!

X!nk sings theme song Junior Eurosong 2007

belgovision.com reports:

In 2003 they won the very first edition of Eurosong for Kids in Belgium. Four years later Jonas, Thomas, Niels and Philip from X!nk are back in the Belgian Junior Eurovision Song Contest selections. Not as participants but with the theme song of Junior Eurosong 2007.

Belgovision.com spoke with X!nk!

"VRT had invited us to write the theme song," the boys of X!nk start elaborating on their role in Junior Eurosong 2007. "And because VRT supported us so much a couple of years ago, we wanted to do something in return." X!nk succeeds Gene Thomas, who wrote the theme song of Eurosong for Kids last year. It has recently been silent around X!nk, but that will change soon! "You can say we took some rest, but since the end of last year, we have been busy writing new songs," says Jonas, the lead singer of X!nk. "Our new single should be released at the end of July or in August. We are still writing new songs for a new album. That will take some more time." ...read more.....

The KMG's heading for a busy week

belgovision.com reports:

After the Eurovision Song Contest semifinal in Helsinki, in which they were eliminated with the song Love Power, it became very silent around The KMG's, the Belgian representatives. But that will change soon. In the upcoming seven days, The Krazy Mess Groovers will give three concerts, two in Ghent and one in Nivelles.

On Sunday 15th July, you can find The Krazy Mess Groovers at the music festival Polé Polé at the Korenlei and Graslei in Ghent. The band performs as of 18:30 CET. Also on 18th July, The KMG's perform in Ghent, this time at the popular Gentse Feesten on the big stage near St-Jacobs. Be there at 1 o'clock at night! The KMG's end the busy week on 21st July, the Belgian national holiday, at the Market Square of Nivelles.

Ruslana remains the queen of the Ultratop

Wild Dances by Ruslana remains the biggest Eurovision Song Contest hit in Belgium since the introduction of the official Ultratop single charts.

With a fourth place in the Ultratip as highest position, Marija Šerifović joins Tanel Padar & Dave Benton and Marie N, who also failed to reach the Ultratop 50 with Everybody and I wanna.



Highest position reached in the charts

01. # 01 . Ruslana - Wild dances (2004)
02. # 02 . Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah (2006)
03. # 02 . Dana International - Diva (1998)
04. # 05 . Charlotte Nilsson - Take me to your heaven (1999)
05. # 06 . Katrina & The Waves - Love shine a light (1997)
05. # 06 . Sertab - Everyway that I can (2003)
07. # 09 . Eimear Quinn - The voice (1996)
08. # 10 . Helena Paparizou - My number one (2005)
09. # 16 . Olsen Brothers - Fly on the wings of love (2000)
10. # 04 in Ultratip . Marija Šerifović - Molitva (2007)
11. # 04 in Ultratip . Tanel Padar & Dave Benton - Everybody (2001)
12. # 15 in Ultratip . Marie N - I wanna (2002)


Number of weeks in the charts

01. 20 weeks . Ruslana - Wild dances (2004)
02. 16 weeks . Lordi - Hard rock hallelujah (2006)
03. 14 weeks . Helena Paparizou - My number one (2005)
04. 13 weeks . Dana International - Diva (1998)
04. 13 weeks . Katrina & The Waves - Love shine a light (1997)
04. 13 weeks . Sertab - Everyway that I can (2003)
07. 10 weeks . Charlotte Nilsson - Take me to your heaven (1999)
07. 10 weeks . Eimear Quinn - The voice (1996)
09. 9 weeks . Olsen Brothers - Fly on the wings of love (2000)
10. 4 weeks Ultratip . Marija Šerifović - Molitva (2007)
11. 2 weeks Ultratip . Tanel Padar & Dave Benton - Everybody (2001)
11. 2 weeks Ultratip . Marie N - I wanna (2002)


source:belgovision.com

Anna Vissi concerts in Brussels and Amsterdam

Anna Vissi, the singer who represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens in 2006, will give two concerts in the Netherlands and Belgium in October.
On Saturday 6th October Anna Vissi performs in Amsterdam.
On Sunday 7th October she takes the stage of the Royal Circus in Brussels.
The Greek community in Belgium and the Netherlands and the fans of Greek-Cypriot diva Anna Vissi can start looking forward to 6th and 7th October.
Anna Vissi will not be visiting the Low Countries for the first time. In 2006 she already went to Belgium and the Netherlands in order to promote her Eurovision Song Contest entry Everything, and in 1999 Vissi already took the stage of the Royal Circus in the Belgian capital.

For tickets and other informations visit Belgovision.com

source:belgovision.com