Belgium entered the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with
Vanessa Chinitor
Vanessa Chinitor (born 13 October 1976, Dendermonde, East Flanders) is a Belgian singer, best known outside Belgium for her participation in the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
In 1996, Chinitor was a finalist in the VTM talent s ...
and "Like the Wind". The song was selected to represent Belgium at the contest by winning the Belgium national final Eurosong '99.
Before Eurovision
Eurosong '99
''Eurosong '99'' was the national final that selected Belgium's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. The competition consisted of three semi-finals that took place on 7, 14 and 21 February 1999, followed by a final on 28 February 1999 where the winning song and artist were selected. All four shows took place at the VRT studios in
Schelle :''Schelle is also the German name for Šaľa, Slovakia.''
Schelle () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Schelle proper. In 2021, Schelle had a total population of 8,559. The t ...
, hosted by
Bart Peeters
Bart August Maria Peeters (born 30 November 1959) is a Belgian singer, musician, television presenter and actor.
Biography
Early years
Peeters studied Germanic philology and drama in Antwerp. There, he met Jan Leyers and Hugo Matthysen, with ...
and broadcast on
TV1.
Format
Three semi-finals took place on 7, 14 and 21 February 1999. From each semi-final, seven entries competed and the winning entry proceeded to the final. After the semi-finals, the highest scoring second-placed entry also proceeded to the final. The final took place on 28 February 1999 where four pre-qualified entries, the semi-final winners and the highest scoring second-placed entry competed and the winner was chosen. The results of all four shows were determined by five voting groups: a three-member expert jury, a Eurojury consisting of European expats living in Belgium, radio voting in
Radio 2 and
Radio Donna, and public televoting. Each jury had an equal stake in the result and the public televote had a weighting equal to the votes of a single jury. The results of the radio vote in both Radio 2 and Radio Donna were determined by public televoting, which the public was able to vote a week in advance of each show.
During each of the five shows, the expert jury provided commentary and feedback to the artists and selected entries to advance in the competition. These experts were:
*
Liliane Saint-Pierre
Liliane Saint-Pierre (born Liliane Louise Keuninckx, 18 December 1948) is a Belgian pop singer. Hailing from Flanders, she sings mostly in Dutch. She competed at Eurovision Song Contest 1987 with the song " Soldiers of Love".
Biography
Liliane ...
– singer, represented
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987
Belgium was represented by Liliane Saint-Pierre, with the song "Soldiers of Love", at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 9 may in Brussels, following Sandra Kim's victory for Belgium the previous year. Saint-Pierre was the win ...
*
Anja Daems
Anja Daems (born 26 May 1968) is a Belgian radio presenter and television host.
Biography
Daems spent her childhood in Geel. She studied at the Conservatory in Antwerp. During her last year of study she started working as a reporter at Radio ...
– Radio 2 presenter
*
Marcel Vanthilt
Marcel Céline Gerard Edgard Vanthilt (; born 24 August 1957) is a Belgian singer and television presenter.Heerema,Y.Marcel Vanthilt – Presentator Marcel Vanthilit NCRV-gids 1, 5 till 11 January 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
Early life
Mar ...
– singer and television presenter
Competing entries
On 1 November 1998,
VRT opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their songs, with the deadline concluding on 15 December 1998. In addition to the open submissions, VRT also directly invited composers to submit songs as pre-qualified finalists. 199 entries were submitted, and on 12 January 1999, the broadcaster announced the twenty-five entries selected for the competition.
Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 7 February 1999. "Like the Wind" performed by
Vanessa Chinitor
Vanessa Chinitor (born 13 October 1976, Dendermonde, East Flanders) is a Belgian singer, best known outside Belgium for her participation in the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
In 1996, Chinitor was a finalist in the VTM talent s ...
proceeded to the final.
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 14 February 1999. "Never Give Up" performed by Wendy Fierce proceeded to the final. "This Is My Life" performed by Voice Male also proceeded to the final as the highest scoring second-placed entry.
Semi-final 3
The third semi-final took place on 21 February 1999. "Get Ready for the Sunsand" performed by
Alana Dante
Alana Dante (real name Christel Hoogewijs, born 1 December 1969) is a Belgium-born singer. Early in her life she went to a music academy to study violin and receive singing lessons. She would perform regularly at karaoke bars and clubs in Belgium ...
proceeded to the final.
Final
The final took place on 28 February 1999 where the four semi-final qualifiers alongside the four pre-qualified entries competed. "Like the Wind" performed by
Vanessa Chinitor
Vanessa Chinitor (born 13 October 1976, Dendermonde, East Flanders) is a Belgian singer, best known outside Belgium for her participation in the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
In 1996, Chinitor was a finalist in the VTM talent s ...
was selected as the winner.
At Eurovision
Chinitor performed second on the night of the contest, following
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
and preceding
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. "Like The Wind" received 38 points, placing 12th in a field on 23.
Voting
References
External links
Belgium National Final 1999
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1999
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...