Belgium: The national final will last five to seven weeks | The first potential candidates!
VRT wants to attract big names to participate in Eurosong 2023, the planned Belgian pre-qualifier for the Song Contest 2023. Also the duration of the national final is expected to last five to seven weeks.
Surely but steadily the first details are coming out for Belgium’s national final, the first since 2016. After Peter Van de Veire broke the news last Saturday during Zomerhit , it was then confirmed that Eurosong 2023 will not be presented by Niels Destadsbader but Van de Veire himself.
Five or seven weeks
In the meantime, the exact format for the national final has yet to be determined, although today Het Laatste Nieuws is already providing more details. The newspaper clearly talks about “a brilliant musical show that lasts for weeks”. The article states that the new version of Eurosong will last five or seven weeks (and thus possibly as many broadcasts). In 2016 the Eurosong lasted three weeks, while two years earlier it lasted seven.
Former participants
VRT seems to want a strong cast of participants, because according to the same article in Het Laatste Nieuws, the public broadcaster is targeting “a range of top artists”. Just wishlist (for now) are: The Starlings, Camille, Natalia, Regi, Laura Tesoro and Niels Destadsbader. Starlings’ Tom Dice took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010 with Me and My Guitar, while Laura Tesoro was the winner of Belgium’s last national final in 2016, both finishing in the top 10 of the final standings. Natalia finished second in the 2004 qualifier behind Xandee.
It is not yet known when VRT will announce more details about Eurosong 2023, nor the dates and locations of the live shows.
The winner of ‘The Voice Belgique’ Jérémie Makiese represented Belgium at Eurovision 2022 with the song ‘Miss you’, placing 19th in the grand final with a total of 64 points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB09advfF6E&feature=emb_title
What do you think about Belgium returning on the national final selection? Tell us in the comments!
Entertaining without doubt, but 7 weeks? I think compact is much better. I fear the taste of the Flemish viewers as well. They have a long tradition of making wrong choices. They could repair it by introducing an international jurypanel.