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Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021

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Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 20 March 2020
Song: 4 March 2021
Selected artist(s)Hooverphonic
Selected song"The Wrong Place"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (9th, 117 points)
Final result19th, 74 points
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2020 • 2021 • 2022►

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "The Wrong Place" written by Alex Callier and Charlotte Foret. The song was performed by the band Hooverphonic, which was internally selected by the Belgian broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in March 2020 to represent the nation at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after they were due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Release Me" before the 2020 event's cancellation. The song, "The Wrong Place", was presented to the public on 4 March 2021.

Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 18 May 2021. Performing during the show in position 11, "The Wrong Place" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 22 May. It was later revealed that Belgium placed ninth out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 117 points. In the final, Belgium performed in position 4 and placed nineteenth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 74 points.

Background

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Main article: Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2021 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty-one 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 2019, Eliot represented the country with the song "Wake Up", placing thirteenth in the first semi-final and failing to advance to the final.

The Belgian broadcasters for the 2021 contest, which broadcast the event in Belgium, were Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) and Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). The Belgian participation in the contest traditionally alternates between the two broadcasters, however, as the 2020 contest was cancelled, RTBF allowed for the Belgian 2021 entry to be chosen by VRT for the second year in a row.[2] Both broadcasters had selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2018 and 2019, both VRT and RTBF internally selected their respective entries. On 20 March 2020, the VRT confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest and continued the internal selection procedure.[3]

Before Eurovision

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Internal selection

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The Belgian entry for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest was selected via an internal selection by VRT. On 20 March 2020, both broadcasters confirmed that the band Hooverphonic would remain as Belgium's representative for the contest.[3] On 9 November 2020, it was announced that Geike Arnaert would return as the lead singer of the band, replacing Luka Cruysberghs; Arnaert had previously been the lead singer between 1997 and 2008, while Cruysberghs acted in such a role since 2018.[4]

The song Hooverphonic would perform at the contest, "The Wrong Place", was presented to the public on 4 March 2021 during the radio MNM programme De Grote Peter Van de Veire Ochtendshow.[5][6] The song was written by member of the band, Alex Callier, along with Charlotte Foret, and was selected from two songs shortlisted among 25 that were in the running in December 2020.[7][8] The music video for the song, directed by Jan Boon, was released on the same day of the presentation.[9]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 took place at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands

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. The semi-final allocation draw held for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 on 28 January 2020 was used for the 2021 contest, which Belgium was placed into the first semi-final, which was held on 18 May 2021, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[10]

Once all the competing songs for the 2021 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 11, following the entry from Croatia and preceding the entry from Israel.[11]

The two semi-finals and the final was broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters. VRT broadcast the shows on één and Ketnet with commentary in Dutch by Peter Van de Veire.[12][13] RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Louis Lahaye and Fanny Jandrain; the second semi-final aired on a 90-minute delay on La Une.[14] Jandrain replaced Maureen Louys as a commentator after she was absent due to testing positive for COVID-19.[15] The first semi-final and the final was also broadcast by RTBF on VivaCité with commentary in French by Lahaye and Jandrain, while VRT also broadcast the final on Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Anja Daems and Showbizz Bart. 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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Hooverphonic during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Hooverphonic took part in technical rehearsals on 9 and 12 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 17 and 18 May. This included the jury show on 17 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[16]

The Belgian performance featured the members of Hooverphonic dressed in black outfits and performing on stage together with a backing vocalist and a drummer. The group's lead singer Geike Arnaert was in the middle of the stage and the other performers were each on a platform around her. The stage was dark with strobes of white light and the LED screens displayed close-ups and shots of Arnaert's face.[17][18] The Belgian performance was directed by Hans Pannecoucke.[19] The backing vocalist that joined Hooverphonic during the performance was Monique Harcum, while the drummer was Arnout Hellofs.[20]

At the end of the show, Belgium was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed ninth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 117 points: 47 points from the televoting and 70 points from the juries.

Final

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Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Belgium was drawn to compete in the first half.[21] Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Belgium was subsequently placed to perform in position 4, following the entry from Israel and before the entry from Russia.

Hooverphonic once again took part in dress rehearsals on 21 and 22 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. The band performed a repeat of their semi-final performance during the final on 22 May. Belgium placed nineteenth in the final, scoring 74 points: 3 points from the televoting and 71 points from the juries.

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 a diversity in gender and age represented. The judges assess each entry based on the performances during the second Dress Rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show, against a set of criteria including: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.[22] Jury members may only take part in panel once every three years, and are obliged to confirm that they are not connected to any of the participating acts in a way that would impact their ability to vote impartially. Jury members should also vote independently, with no discussion of their vote permitted with other jury members.[23] The exact composition of the professional jury, and the results of each country's jury and televoting were released after the grand final; the individual results from each jury member were also released in an anonymised form.[24][25]

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 by Belgium

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Detailed voting results

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The following members comprised the Belgian jury:[24][25]

Detailed voting results from Belgium (Semi-final 1)[26]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Rank Points Rank Points
01  Lithuania 9 11 10 6 8 9 2 3 8
02  Slovenia 12 10 13 9 10 12 14
03  Russia 2 2 1 2 1 1 12 9 2
04  Sweden 10 3 6 10 4 5 6 4 7
05  Australia 7 15 7 12 7 11 15
06  North Macedonia 11 14 15 13 15 15 13
07  Ireland 13 8 9 4 11 8 3 12
08  Cyprus 8 12 12 15 13 13 8 3
09  Norway 4 6 5 3 3 4 7 5 6
10  Croatia 6 7 11 14 9 10 1 11
11  Belgium
12  Israel 5 9 4 7 12 7 4 7 4
13  Romania 15 5 8 5 5 6 5 10 1
14  Azerbaijan 14 13 14 11 14 14 6 5
15  Ukraine 1 4 3 1 2 2 10 2 10
16  Malta 3 1 2 8 6 3 8 1 12
Detailed voting results from Belgium (Final)[27]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Rank Points Rank Points
01  Cyprus 14 19 18 11 12 17 17
02  Albania 18 21 23 20 22 20 15
03  Israel 10 17 10 18 16 16 19
04  Belgium
05  Russia 3 3 2 7 3 4 7 16
06  Malta 5 5 3 12 14 6 5 9 2
07  Portugal 12 12 9 13 8 10 1 11
08  Serbia 24 18 19 22 21 19 22
09  United Kingdom 21 20 21 21 20 21 25
10  Greece 20 16 15 15 17 18 12
11   Switzerland 2 1 1 3 1 1 12 7 4
12  Iceland 4 7 11 5 11 8 3 6 5
13  Spain 13 8 17 16 9 12 21
14  Moldova 25 25 25 24 24 25 24
15  Germany 23 24 24 23 25 24 20
16  Finland 6 4 5 1 2 3 8 5 6
17  Bulgaria 7 11 4 4 4 5 6 14
18  Lithuania 9 14 14 14 10 13 4 7
19  Ukraine 1 2 6 2 6 2 10 2 10
20  France 15 9 12 17 15 15 1 12
21  Azerbaijan 22 23 20 25 19 23 13
22  Norway 16 13 13 9 13 14 10 1
23  Netherlands 11 10 8 10 18 11 18
24  Italy 17 15 16 6 7 9 2 3 8
25  Sweden 8 6 7 8 5 7 4 8 3
26  San Marino 19 22 22 19 23 22 23

References

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  1. ^ "Belgium Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. ^ Truyts, Joris (20 March 2020). "Hooverphonic neemt volgend jaar deel aan het Eurovisiesongfestival: "We hebben er nog altijd enorm veel zin in"". vrt.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Hooverphonic will represent Belgium at Eurovision 2021…and with a potentially "up-tempo song"". Wiwibloggs. 20 March 2020.
  4. ^ Sokol, Kirsten (9 November 2020). "Zangeres Geike keert terug naar Hooverphonic: "Iconische bezetting als "The Magnificent T(h)ree" is terug"". vrt.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ^ Grace, Emily (2 March 2021). "Belgium: Hooverphonic To Release Eurovision 2021 Entry On March 4th". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  6. ^ Meersman, Boris (2 March 2021). "Belgium: Hooverphonic's song, 'The Wrong Place', set for 4 March release!". escYOUnited. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Alex Callier: 'Twee topsongs waaruit we niet kunnen kiezen'". songfestival.be (in Dutch). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Belgium chooses 'The Wrong Place'". Eurovoix. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Hooverphonic met 'The Wrong Place' naar Eurovisiesongfestival". vrt.be (in Dutch). 4 March 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ Groot, Evert (17 November 2020). "2020 Semi-Final line-up to stay for 2021". eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Semi-Final running orders revealed". Eurovision.tv. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ^ "TV-gids". één.be.
  13. ^ "Beleef het Eurovisiesongfestival bij de VRT". VRT-onlinediensten (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Eurovision 2021 : 3 soirées exceptionnelles à ne pas manquer sur la RTBF !". rtbf.be. 4 May 2021.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (18 May 2021). "Belgium: Maureen Louys Pulls out of RTBF Commentary After Positive COVID-19 Test". Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ Muldoon, Padraig (24 May 2021). "Eurovision 2021: Rehearsal schedule published…First run-throughs begin on Saturday 8 May". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  17. ^ Schulz, Julian (9 May 2021). "LIVE DAY 2 REVIEW: Hooverphonic create an intimate concert feel". escXtra. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  18. ^ Christou, Costa (12 May 2021). "LIVE DAY 5 REVIEW: Hooverphonic impress with simplicity for Belgium". escXtra. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Eurovision 2021 Belgium: Hooverphonic - "The Wrong Place"". eurovisionworld.com. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Belgium". Six on Stage. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Live Blog: First Semi-Final 2021". eurovision.tv. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Voting–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Fairness–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Juries in the First Semi-Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Juries in the Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  26. ^ a b c "Results of the First Semi-Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  27. ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
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