Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Je t'adore" written by Kate Ryan, Niklas Bergwall, Niclas Kings and Lisa Greene. The song was performed by Kate Ryan. The Belgian entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece was selected through the national final Eurosong '06, organised by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT). The competition featured twenty-eight competing entries and consisted of seven shows. In the final on 19 February 2006, "Je t'adore" performed by Kate Ryan was selected as the winner via the votes of seven jury groups and a public televote.

Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Country Belgium
National selection
Selection processEurosong '06
Selection date(s)Heats:
8 January 2006
15 February 2006
22 January 2006
29 January 2006
Semi-finals:
5 February 2006
12 February 2006
Final:
19 February 2006
Selected entrantKate Ryan
Selected song"Je t'adore"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Kate Ryan
  • Niklas Bergwall
  • Niclas Kings
  • Lisa Greene
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (12th)
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2005 2006 2007►

Belgium competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 18 May 2006. Performing during the show in position 7, "Je t'adore" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed twelfth out of the 23 participating countries in the semi-final with 69 points.

Background

Prior to the 2006 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-seven 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 one final. In 2005, Nuno Resende represented the country with the song "Le grand soir", placing twenty-second in the semi-final and failing to advance to the final.

The Belgian broadcaster for the 2006 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 2004 and 2005, both VRT and RTBF organised a national final in order to select the Belgian entry. On 19 June 2005, VRT confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest and announced that the Eurosong national final would be held to select their entry.[2]

Before Eurovision

Eurosong '06

The logo of Eurosong '06

Eurosong '06 was the national final that selected Belgium's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The competition consisted of seven shows that commenced on 8 January 2006 and concluded with a final on 19 February 2006 where the winning song and artist were selected. All shows took place at the Studio 100 in Schelle, hosted by Bart Peeters and were broadcast on Eén.[3][4]

Format

Twenty-eight entries were selected to compete in Eurosong. Four heats took place on 8, 15, 22 and 29 January 2006 with each show featuring seven entries. The top three as determined by an expert jury, a press jury, two radio jury groups from the stations Radio 2 and Radio Donna and public televoting qualified to the semi-finals. The expert jury also selected two wildcards out of the non-qualifying acts in the heats to advance. Two semi-finals took place on 5 and 12 February 2006 with each show featuring seven entries. The top three as determined by the four jury groups and public televoting qualified to the final, while the expert jury also selected a wildcard out of the non-qualifying acts in the semi-finals to advance. The final took place on 19 February 2006 where the winner was chosen by an expert jury, a press jury, two radio jury groups from the stations Radio 2 and Radio Donna, three international jury groups and public televoting.[5] Each jury group had an equal stake in the result during all shows, while the public televote had a weighting equal to the votes of two jury groups in the heats and the semi-finals and three jury groups in the final.[6]

During each of the seven shows, the expert jury provided commentary and feedback to the artists as well as selected entries to advance in the competition. The experts were:

Competing entries

A submission period was opened on 19 June 2005 for artists and songwriters to submit their entries until 28 September 2005. The twenty-eight acts selected by VRT for the competition from 321 entries received during the submission period were announced on 6 December 2005.[7] Among the competing artists were former Eurovision Song Contest participants Barbara Dex, who represented Belgium in 1993, and Vanessa Chinitor, who represented Belgium in 1999.[8]

Artist Song Composer(s)
Afi "Not That Beautiful" Alain Vande Putte, Miguel Wiels
Ali vs. Laura "I Belong to You Belong to Me" Jamy Mahyar Bagheri
Axel Devries "Alleen jij" Ronald Vanhuffel, Tracy Atkins, Jurgen Coppieters
Barbara Dex "Crazy" Andre Remkes, Alidus Hidding
Beatoxic "Feel Like" Geert D'Haene
Belle Perez "El mundo bailando" Maribel Pérez, Juan Guerrero, Fernando De Meersman, Patrick Renier
Brahim "P.O.W.E.R." Fred Braikin, Brahim Attaeb, Jeremy Style
Casa Creola "Easy esta noche" Marc Paelinck, Jamie Winchester
Els de Schepper "Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom" Rick Denys, David Poltrock
Eve Kempbell "Not Right" Paul Drew, Greig Watts, Peter Barringer, Phillipa Alexanda, Ellie Wyatt
Fantoom "Hier sta ik" Servaas Binge, Hillert Binge
Jeason "Dame amor, dame vida" Jeason Herfs
Kaden "In Your Heaven" Marc Van Hie, Rudolf Hecke
Kate Ryan "Je t'adore" Katrien Verbeeck, Niklas Bergwall, Niclas Kings, Lisa Greene
Katerine "Watch Me Move" Mark Frisch, Anthony Galatis, Yannik Fonderie
Kaye Styles "Profile" Youssef Chelak
La Sakhra "Wonderland" Vincent Pierins, Patrick Hamilton
Laura D "History Turning Round" Daniel Boquist, Marcus Englöf, Johan Bejerholm, Nick Woodbridge
Peter Evrard "Coward" Stefaan Fernande, Luca Chiaravelli
Pim "I'm Your Man" Alain Vande Putte, Serge Hertoge
Roxane "Push It" Mon S'Jegers
Sonny O'Brien "I'll Be There for You" Ben "Jammin" Robbins, Lenna Bauerly Shelly
Tommy "The Best Time of My Life" Tommy Vlaeminck
Triskèl "I'll Be There for You" Kurt Burgelman, Alain Van Zeveren
Valérie Mouton "I Can't Go On Like This" Sofie Verbruggen, Herve Martens
Vanessa Chinitor "Beyond You" Gerard James Borg, Philip Vella
WOEST "Gek" Tom Van Landuyt
Zenna "Someone Is Calling" Inge Moortgat, Violetta Zimbardi, Sammy Merayah

Heats

The four heats took place on 8, 15, 22 and 29 January 2006. In each show seven entries competed and the combination of results from an expert jury, a press jury, two radio jury groups and a public televote determined the top three that qualified to the semi-finals. An additional two entries were awarded wildcards by the expert jury from the remaining non-qualifying acts in the heats to proceed to the semi-finals.

Heat 1 – 8 January 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1Brahim"P.O.W.E.R."3014442 Advanced
2Jeason"Dame amor, dame vida"1410243 Advanced
3Sonny O'Brien"I'll Be There for You"194234 Wildcard
4Fantoom"Hier sta ik"78156 Eliminated
5Vanessa Chinitor"Beyond You"82107 Eliminated
6Zenna"Someone Is Calling"126185 Eliminated
7Katerine"Watch Me Move"3418521 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"P.O.W.E.R."77 7 930
2"Dame amor, dame vida"52 3 414
3"I'll Be There for You"45 5 519
4"Hier sta ik"11 2 37
5"Beyond You"33 1 18
6"Someone Is Calling"24 4 212
7"Watch Me Move"99 9 734
Heat 2 – 15 January 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1Casa Creola"Easy esta noche"134146 Eliminated
2Afi"Not That Beautiful"306363 Advanced
3Tommy"The Best Time of My Life"118195 Eliminated
4Barbara Dex"Crazy"2618441 Advanced
5Beatoxic"Feel Like"4267 Eliminated
6Els de Schepper"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"1510254 Wildcard
7Roxane"Push It"2514392 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"Easy esta noche"24 2 513
2"Not That Beautiful"79 5 930
3"The Best Time of My Life"32 3 311
4"Crazy"55 9 726
5"Feel Like"11 1 14
6"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"43 4 415
7"Push It"97 7 225
Heat 3 – 22 January 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1Valérie Mouton"I Can't Go On Like This"104146 Eliminated
2Kate Ryan"Je t'adore"3410441 Advanced
3Kaye Styles"Profile"2314373 Advanced
4Axel Devries"Alleen jij"82107 Eliminated
5Laura D"History Turning Round"186244 Eliminated
6Peter Evrard"Coward"2418422 Advanced
7Pim"I'm Your Man"78155 Eliminated
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"I Can't Go On Like This"43 2 110
2"Je t'adore"79 9 934
3"Profile"94 5 523
4"Alleen jij"11 3 38
5"History Turning Round"55 4 418
6"Coward"37 7 724
7"I'm Your Man"22 1 27
Heat 4 – 29 January 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1Kaden"In Your Heaven"102126 Eliminated
2WOEST"Gek"148224 Eliminated
3Ali vs. Laura"I Belong to You Belong to Me"84126 Eliminated
4La Sakhra"Wonderland"2810382 Advanced
5Triskèl"I'll Be There for You"86145 Eliminated
6Belle Perez"El mundo bailando"3418521 Advanced
7Eve Kempbell"Not Right"2214363 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"In Your Heaven"23 4 110
2"Gek"44 2 414
3"I Belong to You Belong to Me"12 3 28
4"Wonderland"59 7 728
5"I'll Be There for You"31 1 38
6"El mundo bailando"97 9 934
7"Not Right"75 5 522

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 5 and 12 February 2006. In each show seven entries competed and the combination of results from an expert jury, a press jury, two radio jury groups and a public televote determined the top three that qualified to the final. "P.O.W.E.R." performed by Brahim was awarded a wildcard by the expert jury from the non-qualifying acts in the semi-finals to proceed to the final.

Semi-final 1 – 5 February 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1Jeason"Dame amor, dame vida"5497 Eliminated
2Eve Kempbell"Not Right"138214 Eliminated
3Els de Schepper"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"1710273 Advanced
4Afi"Not That Beautiful"162185 Eliminated
5Katerine"Watch Me Move"96156 Eliminated
6Kaye Styles"Profile"3014442 Advanced
7Kate Ryan"Je t'adore"3418521 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"Dame amor, dame vida"11 2 15
2"Not Right"52 3 313
3"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"44 5 417
4"Not That Beautiful"25 4 516
5"Watch Me Move"33 1 29
6"Profile"97 7 730
7"Je t'adore"79 9 934
Semi-final 2 – 12 February 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace Result
1La Sakhra"Wonderland"368441 Advanced
2Roxane"Push It"5277 Eliminated
3Sonny O'Brien"I'll Be There for You"74116 Eliminated
4Brahim"P.O.W.E.R."2210324 Wildcard
5Belle Perez"El mundo bailando"2014343 Advanced
6Peter Evrard"Coward"156215 Eliminated
7Barbara Dex"Crazy"1918372 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"Wonderland"99 9 936
2"Push It"12 1 15
3"I'll Be There for You"21 2 27
4"P.O.W.E.R."77 4 422
5"El mundo bailando"53 7 520
6"Coward"34 5 315
7"Crazy"45 3 719

Final

The final took place on 19 February 2006 where the seven entries that qualified from the preceding two semi-finals competed. The winner, "Je t'adore" performed by Kate Ryan, was selected by the combination of results from an expert jury, a press jury, two radio jury groups, three international jury groups and a public televote.[9] The international jury groups were selected following a study conducted by two independent professors in statistics on the three best forecasters of the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years.[10]

Final – 19 February 2006
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
1Barbara Dex"Crazy"249335
2Brahim"P.O.W.E.R"2315384
3Belle Perez"El mundo bailando"4512573
4Els de Schepper"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"173207
5La Sakhra"Wonderland"4121622
6Kaye Styles"Profile"186246
7Kate Ryan"Je t'adore"4927761
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Expert
Jury
Press
Jury
Radio Jury International Jury Total
Radio 2 Donna
1"Crazy"31 5 253524
2"P.O.W.E.R"93 1 432123
3"El mundo bailando"25 9 947945
4"Als ik je morgen ergens tegenkom"14 2 124317
5"Wonderland"79 4 775241
6"Profile"42 3 311418
7"Je t'adore"57 7 599749

Ratings

Viewing figures by show
Show Date Viewing figures Ref.
Nominal Share
Heat 1 8 January 2006 1,182,000 42.90% [11]
Heat 2 15 January 2006 1,196,230 45.97%
Heat 3 22 January 2006 1,261,000 45.66%
Heat 4 29 January 2006 1,364,341 49.57%
Semi-final 1 5 February 2006 1,326,952 46.70%
Semi-final 2 12 February 2006 1,392,770 51.77%
Final 9 March 2006 1,772,000 60.30%

Promotion

Kate Ryan made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Je t'adore" as the Belgian Eurovision entry.[12] Ryan took part in promotional activities in Macedonia on 7 April and performed during the HRT 1 programme Studio 10 in Croatia on 8 April.[13] On 9 April, Ryan appeared in and performed during the TV SLO1 programme Spet doma in Slovenia.[14] Ryan also took part in promotional activities in Greece on 13 and 14 April which included performances during the ANT1 show Proinos Kafes, and in Malta between 15 and 17 April where she appeared during the special Eurovision shows Lejn il-Eurovision on NET TV and Eurovision Fever on Super One TV.[15][16] On 22 April, Ryan performed in Turkey during the Star TV show Popstar Türkiye.[17] On 4 May, Ryan completed promotional activities in the Netherlands where she appeared during the talk shows RTL Boulevard on RTL 4 and Jensen! on RTL 5.[18] The promotional tour also featured television and radio appearances in Cyprus, Germany, Latvia, Sweden and Switzerland, and was financially supported by Flemish Minister of Culture Bert Anciaux and Kate Ryan's record company EMI with each of them allocating a subsidy of €60,000.[19]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2005 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 18 May 2006 in order to compete for the final on 20 May 2006; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. On 21 March 2006, a special allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final and Belgium was set to perform in position 7, following the entry from Albania and before the entry from Ireland.[20] At the end of the semi-final, Belgium was not announced among the top 10 entries 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 69 points.[21]

The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters. VRT broadcast the shows on één with commentary in Dutch by Bart Peeters and André Vermeulen.[22] RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Pierre Hautier.[23] All shows were also broadcast by VRT on Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Michel Follet and Sven Pichal, and by RTBF on La Première with commentary in French by Patrick Duhamel and Thomas Gunzig. The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the Belgian votes during the final, was Yasmine who held up a placard with the words "We Love Kate Ryan" during the final.

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belgium and awarded by Belgium in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Armenia in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Belgium

Points awarded to Belgium (Semi-final)[24]
Score Country
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points  Monaco
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point  Cyprus

Points awarded by Belgium

References

  1. "Belgium Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. "Flanders launches Eurosong 2006". Esctoday. 19 June 2005.
  3. "Kom naar een uitzending". een.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  4. Bakker, Sietse (19 February 2006). "Tonight: Belgium decides!". Esctoday. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  5. "De jury's". een.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  6. "Belgium 2006".
  7. Bakker, Sietse (6 December 2005). "UPD 'Big names' in Belgian national selection". Esctoday.
  8. "Veel bekende namen willen naar Athene". een.be (in Dutch). 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  9. Bakker, Sietse (20 February 2006). "Belgium sends Kate Ryan to Athens!". Esctoday. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  10. "Vijf keer punten tellen". een.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 February 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  11. "Kijkcijfers: Topcijfers voor Eurosong-finale". tvvisie.be (in Dutch). 20 February 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  12. "De promotour". een.be (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  13. "Kroatië". een.be (in Dutch). 8 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  14. "Slovenië". een.be (in Dutch). 9 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. "Griekenland". een.be (in Dutch). 14 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  16. "Malta". een.be (in Dutch). 17 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  17. "Turkije". een.be (in Dutch). 23 April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  18. "Nederland". een.be (in Dutch). 4 May 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  19. "Ontroostbare Kate niet naar finale". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 19 May 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  20. Bakker, Sietse (21 March 2006). "Running order decided!". EscToday.
  21. "Semi-Final of Athens 2006". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  22. "'Eurovisiesongfestival finale' op Eén". tvvisie.be (in Dutch). 19 May 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  23. Busa, Alexandru (12 October 2012). "Jean-Pierre Hautier dies at the age of 56". Esctoday. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  24. "Results of the Semi-Final of Athens 2006". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  25. "Results of the Grand Final of Athens 2006". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
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