Belgium: With Gustaph and “Because of You” at Eurovision 2023!

Belgium’s national final Eurosong 2023 has just ended, having chosen Gustaph with his song “Because of You” as the big winner that will take the ticket to Liverpool in May for Eurovision 2023.

The show took place at Palais 12 in Brussels with Peter Van de Veire as the host and Duncan Laurence as the guest act.

The participants

In the national final, seven artists presented their proposals for Eurovision 2023 in the following order:

1. Hunter Falls –  Ooh La La 
2. Cherine – Ça m’ennuie pas 
3. The Starlings – Rollercoaster
4. Ameerah – The Carnival 
5. Gustaph – Because Of You
6. Gala Aliaj Dragot – T’lnquiete
7. Loredana De Amicis – You Lift Me Up 

The jury is made up of 15 members, including Alexander Rybak (Norway 2009 and 2018), Laura Tessoro (Belgium 2015), Jeremie Makiese (Belgium 2022) and Nikkie Turtorials (Eurovision 2021 Presenter).

The competitive part

1. Hunter Falls –  Ooh La La 

First on stage is Hunter Falls dressed in black with two dancers synchronized with the rear LEDs which are in orange, yellow and red tones. Pretty good vocally in a decent performance.

https://youtu.be/w_j6bH8BO7Y

2. Cherine –Ça m’ennuie pas 

Definitely one of the favourites of the night as her song is number one on Spotify Belgium. Cherine is on stage in a pink dress and two dancers, one dressed as an octopus and one as a flower. The stage look is quite childish and reminiscent of Junior Eurovision but she is quite good vocally. Will her childish approach cost her a ticket to Liverpool?

https://youtu.be/Zy5zx79QUPc

3. The Starlings – Rollercoaster

Next up was the duo of the night in a dark black and white performance. A minimal show with some effects, a little subdued of course. The Starlings are decent vocalists. The juries pointed out their similarity to Ed Sheeran’s song.

https://youtu.be/E3rng9rC6Ks

4. Ameerah – The Carnival 

It’s Ameerah’s turn with her carnival! Dressed in red with five dancers and costumes that refer to the title of the song without being “costumes”. She is quite good vocally and comfortable on stage with the show ending with confetti and her extending to the catwalk part of the stage. A pretty well worked out performance.

https://youtu.be/uQWMGgoJkYg

5. Gustaph – Because Of You

Gustaph comes on stage in a hat and a kimono type of clothing in shades of purple and pink. With him are two women on vocals who, with their support, make the song live sound almost identical to the studio version. Simple and unpretentious appearance.

https://youtu.be/J90sSoNKTHA

6. Gala Aliaj Dragot – T’lnquiete 

Next up is the winner of the Junior version of the country. Gala in white with 5 dancers behind her in a modern choreography that doesn’t distract from her and the piece. Excellent vocals from the 17 year old singer in a highly atmospheric performance that is sure to get the judges and audience excited.

https://youtu.be/Zm_yfMR2Jbo

7. Loredana De Amicis – You Lift Me Up 

Loredana closes the curtain in a very “Eurovision” performance. She wears a black jumpsuit with rhinestones and has two male dancers. At the finale a large robot appears in the centre with various lights. The look and the singing are reminiscent of the contest of earlier times unfortunately, despite the fact that she is quite good vocally.

https://youtu.be/Rp-4eAlMVxs

The results

The winner was decided by the vote of the 15 jurors and the television audience, which has one free vote via the channel’s website and one payphone vote. The jury distributed 780 points among the seven candidates and the 780 votes from the public were divided by percentages accordingly. That is, if one of the candidates receives 10% of the public votes, he or she will receive 78 points.

The jury voted:

1. Gala 146
2. Cherine 145
3. Gustaph 121
4. Ameerah 107
5. The Starlings 94
6. Hunter Falls 84
7. Loredana  83

The audience voted:

1. The Starlings 183
2. Gustaph 157
3. Cherine 123
4. Gala 146
5. Loredana  84
6. Ameerah 64
7. Hunter Falls 44

Therefore, the final result is as follows:

1. Gustaph 278
2. The Starlings 277
3. Gala 146
4. Cherine 145
5. Ameerah 153
6. Loredana  167
7. Hunter Falls 128

Gustaph and “Beacause of You” will wave the Belgian flag in Liverpool and will attempt to claim victory in the upcoming competition. Listen to the entry below:

https://youtu.be/J90sSoNKTHA

Will Belgium manage to get back into the top ten after 6 years? Make your prediction in the comments!