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Belgium: Gustaph promises a more dynamic show for Eurovision 2023!

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In an interview with Belgium’s public broadcaster, VRT, the country’s representative in this year’s contest, Gustaph, spoke about his performance on the Eurovision stage and his hopes for a qualification to the Final.

With only a week away from the start of rehearsals and consequently the beginning of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, Gustaph spoke to VRT about his preparation for the contest. As Gustaph has said before, his performance at Eurovision will be different from that of the national final:

“There will be a lot more interaction with the backing singers and with the screens. And it will be much more dynamic. I’m going to have to jump around on that stage a lot more.

I would find it an insult to dancers if I called myself a dancer. I’m just going to move a lot. Although that is not easy if you have to sing at the same time.”

The Belgian representative confirmed that his clothing will be designed by Walter Van Beirendinck. He will however keep his Eurosong hat, but his new look will be full of colour:

Looking forward to the competition in Liverpool, Gustaph is aiming to qualify for the Grand Final and finish well. He has strong hopes about his chances:

“The song is an instant party, people will probably get a good feeling immediately. And we are the only one of our kind in the second semi-final where there are a lot of ballads and intense performances. With us it’s a party and that could be turn out well for a public vote.”

You can watch the EurovisionFun team’s reaction to Belgium’s participation in Eurovision 2023 below:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Belgium in Eurovision 2023!

Source: vrt.be

The Netherlands: All the performances of “Eurovision in Concert 2023”!

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Eurovision in Concert 2023 took place in AFAS Live in Amsterdam, last night, with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.

The concert was hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.

The artists that performed last night were the following:

Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija

Balcan sounds and consistent vocals is what we got from Albina and the Kelmendi Family! Might be the suprise entry of this year.

Armenia – Brunette

Brunette singing about her Future Lover with ethereal vocals and the crowds singing along. Beautiful performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KspC8I7MXl0

Australia – Voyager

Voyager give what they promise! Rock and electronic sounds, so 2025! What is concerning though, is that even though their song is supposed to be very uplifting, the crowd was too static. Also falsetto was not always on point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx73Q68eWwU

Austria – Teya & Salena

That’s not a song where you can show off some unreal vocals, however it’s the song that will definitely make you dance! And Teya & Salena deliver, solid vocals and much much fun! One of my personal favourites and if you ask me, a finalist and highly likely a Top5 entry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdh6cFfcfKo

Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX

TuralTuranX “tell us more” about their entry this year, however I’m still not getting it. A song that I could listen to the radio without complaining, but wouldn’t catch my eye/ear at the contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiT0RvJPn0

Belgium – Gustaph

The queerest entry of the year! His vocals are as good as the studio version! He is a fun guy! This is the kind of entries that I would like to qualify, even though that’s not the style of songs that I normally listen to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgx-CPHRx5A

Czechia – Vesna

I can only comment on their vocals. They were okay. However, this entry started off as a potential winner, but I’m not getting that vibe, at least not yet. But hey! It’s just a party performance! Let’s wait for their contest rehearsals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocNlkxpxdg

Denmark – Reiley

Danish heart-throb Reiley, had his best performance to date. Some minor vocal issues, but overall a nice performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuT–QEIyag

Estonia – Alika

Nice song and great vocals! But for me, it’s no more than just that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Estonia got disqualified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UKYFFFWjgU

Finland – Käärijä

Normally, that’s a song that I can’t stand listening to for more than 10 seconds. Strangely, combined to his eccentric looks and his super nice personality, I could now handle listening to his entire Amsterdam performance! Personal opinion aside, I can totally see why this is a contender for the win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0n_sNDiAo

France – La Zarra

Unfortunately, after a statement in her personal Twitter account, La Zarra announced that she has to cancel her appearance in Amsterdam, due to personal circumstances.

Germany – Lord of the Lost

I can’t be objective, I don’t like this style of music. I can only be objective about their vocal abilities, which are on point I must admit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmPSRnNpd0A

Iceland – Diljá

That’s a song that I would add to my daily playlist, however, this song lacks something that I still don’t know what it is! Diljá’s voice is great admitedly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjjsWy1R93k

Ireland – Wild Youth

“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” x “Ritmo De La Noche” x “We Are One” would be a great mashup! I low-key like this song and I loved their Amsterdam performance. But something tells me that they will struggle to qualify this year. Let’s see what happens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NY6OODALZU

Latvia – Sudden Lights

Another performance that sounds exactly like the recorded version of their song! I didn’t see the love from the AFAS Live crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qFm5Wtkgg

Lithuania – Monika Linkytė

Monika definitely sounds even better than the studio version of the song. She will try to claim a high placement in the rankings of the jury voting in this year’s contest! In the beginning I didn’t quite like “Stay“, I can now say that I love her vocals on this track!

Malta – The Busker

They were not bad, not at all sounding bad live, but were they as good as it needs to be to qualify to the final show of Eurovision Song Contest? Song-wise I think not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIswu3YrrfU

Moldova – Pasha Parfeni

Despite the technical issues with his Madrid performance, Pasha, the Moldovan 2012 representative and returning artist of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, managed to pull off his performance. Great vocals and energy overall!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LsW-dA_0U

Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

It’s really sad to see my 2nd place to perform questionably in their own country’s party concert. Their vocals sound a bit off at times and as a duo their vocals don’t seem to connect on their live performance. I hope they fix it till their semi-final, I don’t want to see them become the shocking non-qualifier of the year.

Norway – Alessandra

Very much improved vocally, Alessandra, gets carried away by the strength of her song and her fans are absolutely loving it! The whistle note was so-so. She will improve, I am sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F97_a4eMpK0

Romania – Theodor Andrei

Theodor has a nice voice, but this song is totally “Off and On” so one would either like it or not. I don’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyin57pzpcc

San Marino – Piqued Jacks

Their are very very good vocally. Their lead vocalist sounds like Klaus Meine, frontman of Scorpions band. Their song is not at all bad after all.

Slovenia – Joker Out

I simply love this band and this song! One of my favourites! I love how they sound in each and every appearance they make before the contest. I hope they continue delivering up until the Eurovision finals!

Spain – Blanca Paloma

A blend of flamenco and modern sounds, bringing Spanish tradition to 2023. Her vocals are absolutely amazing. I just don’t get the hype around this entry, it is a great entry for Spain, but definitely not a top 3 entry as many fans are claiming over at social media!

Sweden – Loreen

Her vocals are out of this world! Another amazing performance of the former Eurovision 2012 winner and potential 2023 winner! And for those that claim that she sings with the assistance of an Auto-Tune device, I can assure you that even when she rehearsed in the corridors of Malmö Arena or Friends Arena during the Melodifestivalen season, she sounded exactly the same, or even better than the studio version! My winner for sure!

Switzerland – Remo Forrer

I absolutely love his Amsterdam (and every single one of his) live performance! I can’t wait to see this song complete and staged and Remo joined by his four dancers! I think he will qualify! But let’s wait and see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsRTZ5sPcA

Ukraine – TVORCHI

I love TVORCHI and their song and their Amsterdam performance. They sounded really really good, I am a fan of their style of music, but I don’t see this entry winning. Let’s see another country winning this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOFkzKOkc_k

United Kingdom – Mae Muller

Come on, she doesn’t sound as atrocious as most of the Twitter people claim. And at least she enjoys it and the crowd loves her! I hope she will do much better in Liverpool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMepsNxZUU

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!

Photo: EurovisionInConcert

Netherlands: Eurovision in Concert 2023 takes place tonight in Amsterdam!

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Eurovision in Concert 2023 takes place in The Netherlands tonight , with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.

The concert will be hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.

The full line-up is as follows:

  1. Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija
  2. Armenia – Brunette
  3. Australia – Voyager
  4. Austria – Teya & Salena
  5. Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX
  6. Belgium – Gustaph
  7. Czechia – Vesna
  8. Denmark – Reiley
  9. Estonia – Alika
  10. Finland – Käärijä
  11. France – La Zarra
  12. Germany – Lord of the Lost
  13. Iceland – Diljá
  14. Ireland – Wild Youth
  15. Latvia – Sudden Lights
  16. Lithuania – Monika Linkytė
  17. Malta – The Busker
  18. Moldova – Pasha Parfeni
  19. The Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper
  20. Norway – Alessandra
  21. Romania – Theodor Andrei
  22. San Marino – Piqued Jacks
  23. Slovenia – Joker Out
  24. Spain – Blanca Paloma
  25. Sweden – Loreen
  26. Switzerland – Remo Forrer
  27. Ukraine – TVORCHI
  28. United Kingdom – Mae Muller

In addition, Katrina Leskanich (Eurovision 1997, UK, winner, “Love Shine a Light“) will  appear as a special guest.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!

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

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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!

Belgium: Listen to the songs of Eurosong 2023!

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We now know all the songs that are going to compete in the Belgian national final, while the seven competing songs are now available on Spotify in their full versions!

 

The songs of Eurosong 2023

You can listen to the competing songs of Eurosong 2023 by clicking each song’s title:

How is the winner going to be revealed?

  • There are 1560 points in total, that are going to be divided in half; 780 for the public and 780 for the jury
  • The jury will be consisted of 15 members where each member will award 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 (52 points in total)
  • The public vote will also give 780 points to the contestants. If, for example, a song gets 10% of the televote, it will receive 78 points.
  • In case of a tie, the jury vote will be the one to be counted. In case there is also a tie, the winner will be the one with the most 12 points, 10 points etc.
  • Each voter can make a free vote through the website of VRT and only one vote per phone number with the cost of 0,75€

The Grand Final of Eurosong 2023 will take pace in Paleis 12 / Palais 12 in Brussels on January 14.

You can also watch our interviews with two of Eurosong 2023 contestants, Ameerah and Gala Dragot:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Belgian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Ammerah: I love the Eurovision Community | Exclusive Interview

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After the announcement of her participation in this year’s national final of Belgium, Eurosong 2023, Ameerah gave an exclusive interview to EurovisionFun‘s Paschalis.

Ameerah is among the finalists of this year’s Eurosong and will try to represent her country at Eurovision 2023 with one of her two songs, “The Carnival” and “Armageddon“.

Preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival 2023 in Liverpool. Wie gaat voor België naar het Eurovisiesongfestival?

 

I was born in Belgium and I have been living in the US for the last ten years. I write music for other artists and myself.

I hadn’t realised that people outside Belgium knew my song (The Sound of Missing You) and I was surprised to listen to it in other countries!

I’d like to come sing in Greece since I’ve never been there!

Thanks to a friend who is a singer and actor who told me that there was a call for songs. I love Eurovision and decided to participate! I worked with Zach Poor and Morgan Taylor Reid, we sent the songs and they were selected!

About her two songs

They were written for Eurovision. Eurovision isn’t that known in America, so I showed them videos of past winners so that we could create a song that would convince everyone within three minutes. 

It’s hard to choose a song. Carnival is an earworm, while Armageddon is something different, it starts as a ballad and afterwards it goes to a completely different direction. If I myself had to choose I wouldn’t be able to do it!

You are going to see a lot of wow-factor!

About the other Eurosong participants

I like a lot of songs! When we listened to the other artists’ songs they were all good. No matter who wins, we are going to have a very good song at Eurovision this year!

Her favorite past Eurovision entries

Sandra Kim since she won! I also like Loic Nottet, Tom Dice and Jeremie Makiese as well. 

Euphoria for sure, ABBA’s Waterloo and Volare.

I’d love to collaborate with ABBA who are legends, though I know that this is impossible.

Her message to Eurovisionfun

I love the Eurovision Community! You are die-hard fans, you look for the voice, the act, how everything looks and for me as an artist that’s what’s all about! Thank you for your love and I hope to meet you soon!

Watch the interview with Ameerah here:

We would like to thank Ameerah and wish her luck in her Eurovision Journey that has just begun!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more interviews and news about Eurovision 2023! 

Belgium: These are the contestants of Eurosong 2023!

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Despite qualifying for the final twice in a row, the mid-table results made the public broadcaster of Belgium, organise a national final in order to select their representative for Eurovision 2023. In January 14, Eurosong 2023 will take place, in which seven artists will compete for the ticket to Liverpool.

Earlier today, Belgium’s public broadcaster revealed the names of the contestants that will take part in Eurosong 2023:

  • Ameerah is a Belgian singer, who writes and compoese her own songs, initally known by the name “Astrid”. Her greatest success was the song “The Sound of Missing You” sung alongside the Wildboyz which managed to reach the top 3 of USA Billboard Hot Dance Airplay.
  • Cherine became widely known to the Belgian public through her participation to “The Voice 2022”, in which she managed to reach the Live Shows with her unique voice. Her styles reminds of the country’s song for Eurovision 201 and 2018.
  • Gala Aliaj Dragot is the winner of “The Voice Kids 2020” and claims the country’s representation yet again with an indie pop style of songs. Gala managed to stand out through her mature voice desoite her young age and in the final she won by performing the song “Make you feel my love”! Right after the contest, she released a single named “Contagious“.
  • Gustaph is a singer from Flanders has taken part in numerous festivals and he has worked alongside many internationally known artists. He has produced  many songs for a number of record labels in his country having experience in the field.
  • Hunter Falls is a Belgian composer who specialises in aerial productions and all of his songs belong in the indie pop field and are very well produced.
  • The Starlings are a duet with a very special sound and romantic lyrics. Their last song is called “Get to You” and is a great example of their music. One of the members of th eduet is Tom Dice, who represented Belgium in Eurovision 2010 with the song “Me and My Guitar” and ended up in 6th place.
  • Loredana De Amicis was one of the contestants of the Belgian version of “The Masked Singer” dressed up as the Ridder and made an impression with her impressive vocals.

Belgium was represented in Eurovision 2023 by Jérémie Makiese with the song “Miss You” ending up in 19th place in the Grand Final for the second year in a row:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Belgian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!
Source: vrt.be

Belgium: “Eurosong 2023” in February with 7 participants and 14 songs!

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According to the Dutch-speaking Belgian news website Het Laatste Nieuws, the public broadcaster, VRT, is aiming for a new format for Eurosong 2023. Specifically, seven artists are to participate with each competing with two songs.

Mid-February final?

It is not yet known how many shows will make up the Belgian national selection process. Although Het Laatse Nieuws stated that the final is expected to take place mid-February, Belgian website Songfestival.be replied that the process will start in spring 2023 with the final taking place at Palais 12 in Brussels.

This year Belgium competed in Turin, Italy with Jérémie Makiese and the song Miss You which came 8th from the second semi-final and in the grand final they finished in the 19th place with 64 points

Source: Songfestival.be

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news about Belgium and Eurosong 2023!

Belgium: VRT is going to select the national final participants, no open registration!

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Through the summer, Belgian national broadcaster VRT has shown its intention for selecting the country’s representative for Eurovision 2023 through a TV national final. However, today it was confirmed that there will be no open registration for the interested artists but VRT is going to choose the participants of its national final!

Gerrit Kerremans, music coordinator at VRT, has revealed at songfestival.be that due to the late decision for a national final – Eurosong 2023, there won’t be an open registration for those interested. Instead, the competing participants for Belgium’s representation at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest will be directly selected by the Flemish-speaking Belgian national broadcaster VRT, which has already came into contact with record labels and artists that it wants to attend Eurosong 2023.

The dates are still unknown, along with the remaining information for the national final, because all those are going to be clarified through official announcements. The widely known newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws has mentioned that Eurosong 2023 is going to take about five to seven weeks, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet.

This is the first time since 2016 that Belgium will hold a national final for selecting its representative at the contest. “The Voice Belgique” winner Jérémie Makiese represented Belgium in Eurovision 2022 with the song “Miss You” that finished 19th at the Grand Final with 64 points in total.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news!

Source: songfestival.be

Eurovision 2022: Belgium’s Second Rehearsal!

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Belgium and Jeremie Makiese with his song ‘Miss You’ is the next country to rehearse for today. During his first rehearsal, Jérémie appeared on stage in a silver jacket and accompanied by four dancers. The staging featured cool dance moves and great vocals. The belgian delegation comes once again on stage, this time for their second rehearsal.

The Second Rehearsal

Jeremie’s rehearsal starts with shots on himself doing some moves. He wears a silver jacket, he looks great in the street-style clothes. In the chorus, he is accompanied by 4 dancer dressed in black. His dance moves are similar to the video clip ones. Vocally he could have been better. Not a sure qualification for Belgium.

In the third run-through he complains about sound problems.

Watch the exclusive clip of the second rehearsal through the cameras:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6EMDRhVZpE

EBU / ANDRES PUTTING

EBU / CORINNE CUMMING

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Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Eurovision 2022!