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Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

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Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 28 September 2017
Song: 5 March 2018
Selected artist(s)Sennek
Selected song"A Matter of Time"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (12th)
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2017 • 2018 • 2019►

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "A Matter of Time" written by Laura Groeseneken, Alex Callier and Maxime Tribeche. The song was performed by Sennek, which is the artistic name of singer Laura Groeseneken who was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in September 2017 to represent the nation at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The song, "A Matter of Time", was presented to the public on 5 March 2018.

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

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Main article: Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

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 1956.[1] Since then, the country has won the contest on one occasion in 1986 with the song "J'aime la vie" performed by Sandra Kim. Following the introduction of semi-finals for 2004, Belgium had been featured in only six finals. In 2017, Blanche represented the country with the song "City Lights", qualifying to the final and placing fourth.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2018 contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Flemish VRT and the Walloon Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2016, VRT organised the national final Eurosong in order to select the Belgian entry, while in 2017, RTBF internally selected a contestant from the reality singing competition The Voice Belgique to represent the nation. On 9 May 2017, VRT confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest and internally selected both the artist and song.[2]

Before Eurovision

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Internal selection

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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.[3] On 28 September 2017, it was announced during the Één talk show Van Gils & Gasten that Laura Groeseneken (Sennek) would represent Belgium in Lisbon.[4][5] Among artists that were previously rumoured to be selected for the competition included Belle Perez, De Romeo's, Isabelle A, Belgian Eurovision Song Contest 2006 participant Kate Ryan, Natalia and Ozark Henry.[6] On 24 January 2018, Sennek revealed that the song she would perform at the contest, which she described as a "unique pop song with a mysterious feeling", was written and composed by herself.[7]

The song, "A Matter of Time", was set to be presented to the public on 6 March 2018 during the radio MNM programme De Grote Peter Van de Veire Ochtendshow, however it was released on 5 March 2018 following an online leak.[8][9][10] The song was written by Sennek herself along with member of the band Hooverphonic, Alex Callier, and Maxime Tribeche. In regards to the song, Sennek stated: "The song describes the way you can find beauty in transience, how you can see the beauty in something precious that gets broken."[11]

Promotion

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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

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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 29 January 2018, 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 8 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[15]

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

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Sennek during a rehearsal before the first 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 Veronique Branquinho and performing on the outer ring of the stage.[20] The performance began with a small panel of light that focused on Sennek's hands as she moved to reveal her eyes, while the stage remained dark throughout the song.[21][22] The Belgian performance was directed by Hans Pannecoucke.[23] Three off-stage backing vocalists joined Sennek during the performance: Monique Harcum, Nina Babet and Stef Caers (Known as Gustaph, who would later represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023)).[24]

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

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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

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Points awarded to Belgium (Semi-final 1)[26]
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

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Detailed voting results

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The following members comprised the Belgian jury:[28]

Detailed voting results from Belgium (Semi-final 1)[26]
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
Detailed voting results from Belgium (Final)[27]
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

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  1. ^ "Belgium Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Internal selection for Belgium in 2018". SongFestival.be. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Flemish broadcaster: 'We're close to reaching a decision'". songfestival.be. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  4. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (28 September 2017). "Belgium: VRT will reveal the Belgian act for Eurovision 2018 tonight". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Laura Groeseneken naar het Eurovisiesongfestival!" (in Dutch). VRT. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  6. ^ Van Heugten, Kris (19 June 2017). "Belgium 2018: Broadcaster searching for Eurovision artist – who is up for it?". EuroVisionary. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Farren, Neil (26 February 2018). "Belgium: Entry to be Revealed on March 6". Eurovoix.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Met dit nummer gaan we naar het Eurovisiesongfestival!". mnm.be (in Dutch). 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Belgium: Eurovision 2018 song leaked – "A Matter of Time"". eurovisionworld.com. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Song release: It's a matter of time for Belgium's Sennek". eurovision.tv. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Eurovision in Concert 2018 Videos". Eurovisionworld.com. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Over 20 acts to appear at Madrid's ESPreParty this weekend". eurovision.tv. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Peter Van de Veire: "Als ik een voetballer was, zou ik iedereen onderuit schoppen"". nieuwsblad.be. 3 March 2018.
  18. ^ "La Belgique au top à l'Eurovision !".
  19. ^ "Lisbon 2018: Rehearsal Schedule". eurovisionworld.com. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Does Song Contest fame beckon for Belgium's Sennek?". vrt.be. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "Sennek – A Matter Of Time (First and second rehearsals, complete the sentence and gallery)". EuroVisionary. 29 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2018 Belgium: Sennek - "A Matter of Time"". eurovisionworld.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Belgium". Six on Stage. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  25. ^ "First Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Groot, Evert (30 April 2018). "Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
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