Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Copycat" written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall. The song was performed by the group Copycat, which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF) in February 2009 to represent the nation at the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. The song, "Copycat", was presented to the public on 10 March 2009.
Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2009. Performing during the show in position 3, "Copycat" was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belgium placed seventeenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 1 point.
Prior to the 2009 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty 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 2008, Ishtar represented the country with the song "O Julissi", placing seventeenth in the first semi-final and failing to advance to the final.
The Belgian broadcaster for the 2009 contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF). The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) and the Walloon RTBF. Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2007, RTBF internally selected both the artist and song that would represent the nation, while in 2008, VRT organised the national final Eurosong in order to select the Belgian entry. On 28 July 2008, RTBF confirmed Belgium's participation in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest and continued their internal selection procedure.[2]
Before Eurovisionedit
Internal selectionedit
The Belgian entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest was selected via an internal selection by RTBF. On 17 February 2009, the broadcaster announced that they had selected Patrick Ouchène to represent Belgium in Moscow, performing the song "Copycat" at the contest.[3][4][5] The song was written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall, and was selected in late 2008 from 10 entries shortlisted among proposals submitted by record companies.[6][7][8] Among artists that were previously rumoured to be selected for the competition included Elvis Junior (Franz Goovaerts) following a teaser released by RTBF in early February 2009.[9] Ouchène would ultimately perform as the lead singer of the group Copycat at the Eurovision Song Contest, with the remaining members being backing vocalists Miss T Blue (Marie-Ange Tchai) and Miss D Lite (Desta Hailé), bassist Benjamin Schoos and cellist Lenn Dauphin.[10][11]
On 10 March 2009, RTBF held a press conference at the Mirano Continental in Brussels where "Copycat" was presented to the public. The music video for the song, which featured an animation sequence by Philippe Geluck, was released on the same day of the presentation.[12][13] In regards to the song, Patrick Ouchène stated: "Many people will think it's kitsch and ridiculous, but I think that this is a big opportunity to give media exposure to the music style I'm bringing. When we recorded the song we made it very much 'pop' and 'Eurovision' but you recognize the rockabilly I represent. For me it's a way to put this music style that is popular from Russia over Turkey to Spain and Italy in the spotlight. I'll have two missions: represent Belgium and defend this music style."[14]
Controversyedit
Following the release of "Copycat", the Belgian and Dutch fan club of Elvis Presley, ElvisMatters, complained that the song was offensive to the singer and called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to disqualify the Belgian entry as it violated the Eurovision Song Contest rules which prohibit unacceptable language.[15] The song was ultimately deemed eligible for the contest by the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group.[16]
Promotionedit
Copycat specifically promoted "Copycat" as the Belgian Eurovision entry on 18 April 2009 by performing during the Eurovision Promo Concert, which was held at the Amsterdam Marcanti venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Marga Bult and Maggie MacNeal.[17] In addition to his international appearance, Copycat took part in promotional activities in Brussels and performed at the Place Sainte-Catherine venue on 18 and 19 April.[18]
At Eurovisionedit
Patrick Ouchène at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. 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 30 January 2009, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Belgium was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 12 May 2009.[19][20][21] The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 16 March 2009 and Belgium was set to perform in position 3, following the entry from the Czech Republic and before the entry from Belarus.[22]
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 Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Anja Daems and André Vermeulen.[23] RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean-Pierre Hautier and Jean-Louis Lahaye. All shows were also broadcast by RTBF on La Première with commentary in French by Patrick Duhamel and Corinne Boulangier.[8] The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the Belgian votes during the final, was Maureen Louys.
Semi-finaledit
Copycat took part in technical rehearsals on 3 and 7 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May.[24][25] The Belgian performance featured the members of Copycat performing on stage, with the group's lead singer Patrick Ouchène dressed in a glittery jacket and black trousers and the backing vocalists in shiny long dresses and wigs.[26][27] The stage colours transitioned from black and white to red and back, and the LED screens and stage floor displayed the name of the group as well as animations of a cartoon cat that was taken from the music video of the song.[24][28]
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 seventeenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 1 point.
Votingedit
The voting system for 2009 involved each country awarding points from 1-8, 10 and 12, with the points in the final being decided by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. 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.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belgium and awarded by Belgium in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Turkey in the semi-final and the final of the contest.
^"Finale van Songfestival op één". frontview-magazine.be (in Dutch). 16 May 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^ abDavies, Russell (3 May 2009). "Day 1: Montenegro, Czech Republic, Belgium and Belarus". Esctoday. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^Klier, Marcus (7 May 2009). "Eurovision Day 5: The schedule". Esctoday. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^"Live: The first dress rehearsal of the First Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^"Belgium goes Elvis!". eurovision.tv. 3 May 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^"Belgian copycat wants to be seen on camera". eurovision.tv. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
^ ab"Results of the First Semi-Final of Moscow 2009". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^"Results of the Grand Final of Moscow 2009". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^Floras, Stella (21 May 2009). . ESCToday. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^Bakker, Sietse (31 July 2009). . European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original (XLS) on 6 June 2011.
External linksedit
Belgian Broadcaster: RTBF
October 27, 2023
belgium, eurovision, song, contest, 2009, belgium, participated, eurovision, song, contest, 2009, with, song, copycat, written, benjamin, schoos, jacques, duvall, song, performed, group, copycat, which, internally, selected, walloon, broadcaster, radio, télévi. Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song Copycat written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall The song was performed by the group Copycat which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster Radio Television Belge de la Communaute Francaise RTBF in February 2009 to represent the nation at the 2009 contest in Moscow Russia The song Copycat was presented to the public on 10 March 2009 Eurovision Song Contest 2009Country BelgiumNational selectionSelection processInternal selectionSelection date s Artist 17 February 2009Song 10 March 2009Selected entrantCopycatSelected song Copycat Selected songwriter s Benjamin SchoosJacques DuvallFinals performanceSemi final resultFailed to qualify 17th Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 2009 2010 Belgium was drawn to compete in the first semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2009 Performing during the show in position 3 Copycat was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final It was later revealed that Belgium placed seventeenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi final with 1 point Contents 1 Background 2 Before Eurovision 2 1 Internal selection 2 2 Controversy 2 3 Promotion 3 At Eurovision 3 1 Semi final 3 2 Voting 3 2 1 Points awarded to Belgium 3 2 2 Points awarded by Belgium 3 2 3 Detailed voting results 4 References 5 External linksBackground editMain article Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest Prior to the 2009 contest Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty 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 2008 Ishtar represented the country with the song O Julissi placing seventeenth in the first semi final and failing to advance to the final The Belgian broadcaster for the 2009 contest who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry was Radio Television Belge de la Communaute Francaise RTBF The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters the Flemish Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroeporganisatie VRT and the Walloon RTBF Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past In 2007 RTBF internally selected both the artist and song that would represent the nation while in 2008 VRT organised the national final Eurosong in order to select the Belgian entry On 28 July 2008 RTBF confirmed Belgium s participation in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest and continued their internal selection procedure 2 Before Eurovision editInternal selection edit The Belgian entry for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest was selected via an internal selection by RTBF On 17 February 2009 the broadcaster announced that they had selected Patrick Ouchene to represent Belgium in Moscow performing the song Copycat at the contest 3 4 5 The song was written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall and was selected in late 2008 from 10 entries shortlisted among proposals submitted by record companies 6 7 8 Among artists that were previously rumoured to be selected for the competition included Elvis Junior Franz Goovaerts following a teaser released by RTBF in early February 2009 9 Ouchene would ultimately perform as the lead singer of the group Copycat at the Eurovision Song Contest with the remaining members being backing vocalists Miss T Blue Marie Ange Tchai and Miss D Lite Desta Haile bassist Benjamin Schoos and cellist Lenn Dauphin 10 11 On 10 March 2009 RTBF held a press conference at the Mirano Continental in Brussels where Copycat was presented to the public The music video for the song which featured an animation sequence by Philippe Geluck was released on the same day of the presentation 12 13 In regards to the song Patrick Ouchene stated Many people will think it s kitsch and ridiculous but I think that this is a big opportunity to give media exposure to the music style I m bringing When we recorded the song we made it very much pop and Eurovision but you recognize the rockabilly I represent For me it s a way to put this music style that is popular from Russia over Turkey to Spain and Italy in the spotlight I ll have two missions represent Belgium and defend this music style 14 Controversy edit Following the release of Copycat the Belgian and Dutch fan club of Elvis Presley ElvisMatters complained that the song was offensive to the singer and called on the European Broadcasting Union EBU to disqualify the Belgian entry as it violated the Eurovision Song Contest rules which prohibit unacceptable language 15 The song was ultimately deemed eligible for the contest by the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group 16 Promotion edit Copycat specifically promoted Copycat as the Belgian Eurovision entry on 18 April 2009 by performing during the Eurovision Promo Concert which was held at the Amsterdam Marcanti venue in Amsterdam Netherlands and hosted by Marga Bult and Maggie MacNeal 17 In addition to his international appearance Copycat took part in promotional activities in Brussels and performed at the Place Sainte Catherine venue on 18 and 19 April 18 At Eurovision edit nbsp Patrick Ouchene at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009According to Eurovision rules all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the Big Four France Germany Spain and the United Kingdom are required to qualify from one of two semi finals in order to compete for the final the top nine songs from each semi final as determined by televoting progress to the final and a tenth was determined by back up juries 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 30 January 2009 a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi finals Belgium was placed into the first semi final to be held on 12 May 2009 19 20 21 The running order for the semi finals was decided through another draw on 16 March 2009 and Belgium was set to perform in position 3 following the entry from the Czech Republic and before the entry from Belarus 22 The two semi finals and the final was broadcast in Belgium by both the Flemish and Walloon broadcasters VRT broadcast the shows on een and Radio 2 with commentary in Dutch by Anja Daems and Andre Vermeulen 23 RTBF televised the shows on La Une with commentary in French by Jean Pierre Hautier and Jean Louis Lahaye All shows were also broadcast by RTBF on La Premiere with commentary in French by Patrick Duhamel and Corinne Boulangier 8 The Belgian spokesperson who announced the Belgian votes during the final was Maureen Louys Semi final edit Copycat took part in technical rehearsals on 3 and 7 May followed by dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May 24 25 The Belgian performance featured the members of Copycat performing on stage with the group s lead singer Patrick Ouchene dressed in a glittery jacket and black trousers and the backing vocalists in shiny long dresses and wigs 26 27 The stage colours transitioned from black and white to red and back and the LED screens and stage floor displayed the name of the group as well as animations of a cartoon cat that was taken from the music video of the song 24 28 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 seventeenth in the semi final receiving a total of 1 point Voting edit The voting system for 2009 involved each country awarding points from 1 8 10 and 12 with the points in the final being decided by a combination of 50 national jury and 50 televoting Each nation s jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent 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 Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Belgium and awarded by Belgium in the first semi final and grand final of the contest The nation awarded its 12 points to Turkey in the semi final and the final of the contest Points awarded to Belgium edit Points awarded to Belgium Semi final 1 29 Score Country12 points10 points8 points7 points6 points5 points4 points3 points2 points1 point nbsp ArmeniaPoints awarded by Belgium edit Points awarded by Belgium Semi final 1 29 Score Country12 points nbsp Turkey10 points nbsp Armenia8 points nbsp Malta7 points nbsp Iceland6 points nbsp Portugal5 points nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina4 points nbsp Sweden3 points nbsp Israel2 points nbsp Romania1 point nbsp Finland Points awarded by Belgium Final 30 Score Country12 points nbsp Turkey10 points nbsp Norway8 points nbsp Israel7 points nbsp Armenia6 points nbsp Portugal5 points nbsp Greece4 points nbsp Moldova3 points nbsp Azerbaijan2 points nbsp Germany1 point nbsp France Detailed voting results edit The following members comprised the Belgian jury 31 Marie Paule Lemmens Pierre Guyaut Manu Champagne Corrado Falciglia Isabelle MonnartDetailed voting results from Belgium Final 32 33 Draw Country Results PointsJury Televoting Combined01 nbsp Lithuania 4 402 nbsp Israel 12 12 803 nbsp France 5 5 104 nbsp Sweden05 nbsp Croatia06 nbsp Portugal 10 10 607 nbsp Iceland 2 208 nbsp Greece 8 8 509 nbsp Armenia 10 10 710 nbsp Russia 3 311 nbsp Azerbaijan 1 6 7 312 nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina13 nbsp Moldova 8 8 414 nbsp Malta 4 415 nbsp Estonia 2 216 nbsp Denmark17 nbsp Germany 6 6 218 nbsp Turkey 5 12 17 1219 nbsp Albania 1 120 nbsp Norway 7 7 14 1021 nbsp Ukraine22 nbsp Romania23 nbsp United Kingdom 3 324 nbsp Finland25 nbsp SpainReferences edit Belgium Country Profile EBU Retrieved 3 November 2014 Kuipers Michael 28 July 2008 Internal selection for Belgium in 2009 Esctoday Retrieved 11 October 2022 Costa Nelson 2009 02 16 Patrick Ouchene to Moscow Oikotimes Archived from the original on 2009 02 19 Retrieved 2009 02 16 Siim Jarmo 2009 02 17 Elvis turned out to be Patrick Ouchene EBU Archived from the original on 2015 07 14 Retrieved 2009 02 17 Viniker Barry 2009 02 17 Belgium Copy Cat to Eurovision ESCToday Archived from the original on 2010 02 01 Retrieved 2009 02 17 Costa Nelson 2009 01 29 Belgium RTBF selected song to Moscow Oikotimes Archived from the original on 17 February 2009 Retrieved 2009 01 29 Horvat Ivan 2009 01 29 Belgian song presentation in early March ESCToday Archived from the original on 2009 02 01 Retrieved 2009 01 29 a b Une legende du rock pour nous representer a l Eurovision rtbf be in French 10 March 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 A l Eurovision une legende du rock pour la Belgique rtbf be in French 13 February 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Belgium Rock n roll is going to get you eurovision tv 25 May 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Copycat info Diggiloo Thrush Retrieved 11 October 2022 Elvis to be revealed in March eurovision tv 12 February 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Eurovision la RTBF augmente les chances de Copycat dhnet be in French 10 March 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Viniker Barry 10 May 2009 Belgium Eurovision entry released Esctoday Retrieved 11 October 2022 Verbruggen Peter 12 March 2009 ElvisMatters vraagt uitsluiting van Copycat update elvismatters com in Dutch Retrieved 11 October 2022 Murray Gavin 12 March 2009 Belgium Fan group calls for Belgian disqualification Esctoday Retrieved 11 October 2022 Romkes Rene 2009 03 26 Eurovision in Concert 2009 ESCToday Retrieved 2009 03 26 Eurosong be organiseert promoweekend op 18 en 19 april frontview magazine be in Dutch 22 March 2009 Retrieved 20 July 2022 Bakker Sietse 2009 01 30 LIVE The Semi Final Allocation Draw Eurovision tv Retrieved 2009 01 30 Konstantopolus Fotis 2009 01 30 LIVE FROM MOSCOW THE ALLOCATION DRAW Oikotimes Archived from the original on 2009 02 02 Retrieved 2009 01 30 Floras Stella 2009 01 30 Live The Eurovision Semi Final draw ESCToday Retrieved 2009 01 30 Floras Stella 2009 01 30 Czech Republic Gipsy cz to Eurovision ESCToday Retrieved 2009 01 30 Finale van Songfestival op een frontview magazine be in Dutch 16 May 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 a b Davies Russell 3 May 2009 Day 1 Montenegro Czech Republic Belgium and Belarus Esctoday Retrieved 11 October 2022 Klier Marcus 7 May 2009 Eurovision Day 5 The schedule Esctoday Retrieved 11 October 2022 Live The first dress rehearsal of the First Semi Final eurovision tv 11 May 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Belgium goes Elvis eurovision tv 3 May 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 Belgian copycat wants to be seen on camera eurovision tv 7 May 2009 Retrieved 11 October 2022 a b Results of the First Semi Final of Moscow 2009 European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 25 April 2021 Retrieved 25 April 2021 Results of the Grand Final of Moscow 2009 European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 25 April 2021 Retrieved 25 April 2021 Floras Stella 21 May 2009 Belgium How the professional jury voted ESCToday Archived from the original on 23 May 2009 Retrieved 25 April 2021 Bakker Sietse 31 July 2009 Exclusive Split jury televoting results out European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original on 5 June 2011 Retrieved 25 April 2021 Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Full Results European Broadcasting Union Archived from the original XLS on 6 June 2011 External links editBelgian Broadcaster RTBF Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 amp oldid 1177380780, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
