Tel Aviv 2019

Belgium confirms intention to participate in Eurovision 2019

According to eurovisionbelgium.be, Belgium has confirmed an intention to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) taking the reigns of selecting the act.
The two Belgian broadcasters, French-speaking RTBF and Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT), take it in turns to be in charge of the nation’s Eurovision participation.
While details have yet to be revealed as to how the broadcaster will select the artist and song, RTBF have typically favoured internal selections. This method has led to real Eurovision success stories in recent years – such as Loïc Nottet and Blanche.

Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

One of the founding countries in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, Belgium has had a long history of participation, only missing three contests: 1994, 1997 and 2001. Despite this Belgium has only won the contest once, which was in 1986. Since the introduction of the semi-finals Belgium have struggled to consistently qualify for the final. After a recent string of three top 10 results between 2015-2017, it seems that both broadcasters have mastered the formula for Eurovision success.
In Lisbon, Sennek flew the Belgian flag with her haunting Bond-esque ballad ‘A Matter of Time’. The song became a favourite within fan communities and was tipped to emulate the success of her predecessors. While the juries appreciated Sennek’s haunting vocals, the audience at home had a much less warm response. The combination of points was not enough for Sennek to qualify, coming 12th overall with 91 points. This sadly marked the first time since 2014 Belgium failed to qualify to the final.

 
Are you happy that Belgium will be returning to the contest next year? Who would you like to see follow in Sennek’s footsteps? Let us know @ESCXTRA!

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