Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
, 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. The final was won by Ishtar
with the song O Julissi Na Jalini
.
Unlike in previous years, only televoting decided the winner with no jury vote used. The jury did, however, comment on the performances and were able to choose the wildcard entries.
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
. This year Flemish broadcaster VRT
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
was in charge of selecting the Belgian entry and chose it through the programme Eurosong
Eurosong (Belgium)
Eurosong was the Flemish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. It selected the Belgian entry to the Contest every second year. The last Eurosong was in 2008. Due the good result of Tom Dice in 2010, who was chosen internally, the VRT decided to cancel Eurosong....
. The winning song was selected on Sunday, 9 March 2008.
At the Eurovision Song Contest Belgium performed in the first semi-final in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
on 20 May 2008. They performed sixth on the night between the debut entries of San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
and Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. 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.
Eurosong '08
As with 2006Eurosong '06
Eurosong '06 was the Belgian national final for choosing a candidate that performed the Belgian entry at the semi final of Eurovision Song Contest 2006 on May 18 in Athens, Greece....
, 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. The final was won by Ishtar
Ishtar
Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
with the song O Julissi Na Jalini
O Julissi
"O Julissi" also known as "O Julissi Na Jalini" is a song with lyrics in a constructed language by the Belgian six-piece band Ishtar. The swing influenced song represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 first semi-final in Belgrade, but failed to make it to the grand final.This was the...
.
Unlike in previous years, only televoting decided the winner with no jury vote used. The jury did, however, comment on the performances and were able to choose the wildcard entries.
First quarter final
29 January 2008| Position | Song | Singer | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magical Sensation | Katy Satyn | 1st |
| 2 | Shut Down the Heatmachine | Raevan | 3rd |
| 3 | What I Like About You | Brahim | 2nd |
| 4 | We Breathe | Eva Darche | 5th |
| 5 | Decadence | Femme Fatale | 3rd |
Second quarter final
3 February 2008| Position | Song | Singer | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breaking All The Rules | Kenza | 3rd |
| 2 | Your Guiding Star | EFR | 3rd |
| 3 | O Julissi Na Jalini | Ishtar Ishtar (Belgian band) Ishtar is a Belgian folk band who represented Belgium at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with the song O Julissi, sung in an imaginary language. They competed in the first semi-final on 20 May 2008.- O Julissi :... |
1st |
| 4 | Game Over | Esther | 5th |
| 5 | Addicted To You | Tanya Dexters | 2nd |
Third quarter final
10 February 2008| Position | Song | Singer | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | My Music | Ellis-T | 4th |
| 2 | Rumour Has It | Tabitha Cycon | 3rd |
| 3 | I'm Not Sorry | Di Bono | 5th |
| 4 | If I Can't Find My Love | Nelson | 1st |
| 5 | Wheel Of Time | Geena Lisa | 2nd |
- Tabitha Cycon was later chosen as one of the two wild cards for the semi finals by the professional jury.
Fourth quarter final
17 February 2008| Position | Song | Singer | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vagabundo | Francesco Palmeri | 5th |
| 2 | Shout It Out | Paranoiacs | 2nd |
| 3 | Around The World | Elisa | 4th |
| 4 | Lonely Hearts On Wheels | A Butterfly Mind | 3rd |
| 5 | I Feel The Same Way | Sandrine | 1st |
- A Butterfly Mind was later chosen as one of the two wild cards for the semi finals by the professional jury.
First semifinal
24 February 2008| Position | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanya Dexters | "Addicted To You" | Thomas G:son Thomas G:son Thomas Gustafsson is a Swedish composer and musician from Skövde, Västergötland, Sweden, north-east of Göteborg. However, he is much more known nationally and internationally simply as Thomas G:son, his artistic name. Since 1998, Thomas has worked full time as a songwriter for the company G:songs... (m & l), Bobby Ljunggren Bobby Ljunggren Bobby Ljunggren is a Swedish songwriter. He has entered the Eurovision Song Contest as a composer six times, five times for his native Sweden , and once for Lithuania, in 2005. He is a veteran of the Melodifestivalen competition, with 39 entries... (m), Henrik Wikström (m) |
5th |
| 2 | Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | Nelson Morais (m & l) | 1st |
| 3 | Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | Hans Stevens (m), Raf Stevens (l) | 2nd |
| 4 | A Butterfly Mind | "Lonely Hearts on Wheels" | Annelies Cappaert (m & l) | 4th |
| 5 | Katy Satyn | "Magical Sensation" | J. Engelbrecht (m & l), S. Engelbrecht(m & l), A. Lennartsson (m & l), G. Mansson (m) | 3rd |
Second semifinal
2 March 2008| Position | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geena Lisa | "Wheel of Time" | Yves Barbieux (m & l), S. Dutoit (l), Geena Lisa (l) | 5th |
| 2 | Tabitha Cycon | "Rumour Has It" | Marc Paelinck (m & l), Marwenna Diame (m & l) | 4th |
| 3 | Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | Lawson, Vettese & Howard (m & l) | 2nd |
| 4 | Ishtar Ishtar (Belgian band) Ishtar is a Belgian folk band who represented Belgium at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with the song O Julissi, sung in an imaginary language. They competed in the first semi-final on 20 May 2008.- O Julissi :... |
"O Julissi Na Jalini" | Michel Vangheluwe (m & l) | 1st |
| 5 | Brahim | "What I Like About You" | Brahim Attaeb (m & l), Alan Glass (m & l) | 3rd |
- Brahim was later chosen as the wild card for the final by the professional jury.
The final
9 March 2008| Position | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brahim | "What I Like About You" | Brahim Attaeb (m & l), Alan Glass (m & l) | 4th |
| 2 | Paranoiacs | "Shout It Out" | Hans Stevens (m), Raf Stevens (l) | 3rd |
| 3 | Nelson | "If I Can't Find My Love" | Nelson Morais (m & l) | 5th |
| 4 | Sandrine | "I Feel The Same Way" | Lawson, Vettese & Howard (m & l) | 2nd |
| 5 | Ishtar Ishtar (Belgian band) Ishtar is a Belgian folk band who represented Belgium at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with the song O Julissi, sung in an imaginary language. They competed in the first semi-final on 20 May 2008.- O Julissi :... |
"O Julissi Na Jalini" | Michel Vangheluwe (m & l) | 1st |
Commentators and spokespersons
- Commentators – Bart PeetersBart PeetersBart Peeters is a Belgian singer, drummer, television presenter and actor. Peeters studied Germanic philology and drama in Antwerp. There, he met Jan Leyers and Hugo Matthysen, with whom he worked later...
and André VermeulenAndré VermeulenAndré Leopold Adiel Vermeulen is a Belgian/Flemish journalist and television personality for VRT.Since the 1991 Contest, Vermeulen following Luc Appermont has been the Flemish commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest...
(VRTVlaamse Radio- en TelevisieomroepThe Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
), Jean-Louis Lahaye and Jean-Pierre HautierJean-Pierre HautierJean-Pierre Hautier is a Belgian television presenter and broadcaster for RTBFHautier is known for his long time commentary for RTBF viewers on the Eurovision Song Contest which he has done since the 1994 Contest after the regular commentator Claude Delacroix got promoted to the head of Belgian...
(RTBFRTBFRadio Télévision Belge Francophone is the public broadcasting organization of the French Community of Belgium, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium...
) - Spokespersons – Sandrine Van Handenhoven
Semi final
| 10 points | |
| 9 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point | |
Final
| 12 points | |
| 10 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points | |
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points | |
| 1 point | |