Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe (Dima Bilan song), Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the Euro ...
with the song "Copycat" written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall. The song was performed by the group
Copycat
Copycat refers to a person who copies some aspect of some thing or somebody else.
Copycat may also refer to:
Intellectual property rights
* Copyright infringement, use of another’s ideas or words without permission
* Patent infringement, a v ...
, which was internally selected by the Walloon broadcaster
Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française
The ''Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française'' (RTBF, ''Belgian Radio-television of the French Community'', branded as rtbf.be) is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Commu ...
(RTBF) in February 2009 to represent the nation at the 2009 contest in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, 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.
Background
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 . Since then, the country has won the contest on one occasion in with the song "
J'aime la vie
"J'aime la vie" (; "I Love Life") was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed for by Sandra Kim. Belgium had finished the 1985 contest in last place, and thus achieved the rare turnaround from last to first in the space o ...
" performed by
Sandra Kim
Sandra Caldarone (born 15 October 1972), better known as Sandra Kim, is a Belgian singer of Italian descent who won the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. Her father was an Italian immigrant from Torrebruna in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo re ...
. Following the
introduction of semi-finals for , Belgium had been featured in only one final. In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
Ishtar
Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in S ...
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
The ''Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française'' (RTBF, ''Belgian Radio-television of the French Community'', branded as rtbf.be) is a public service broadcaster delivering radio and television services to the French-speaking Commu ...
(RTBF). The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Flemish
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie
The VRT (), is the national public-service broadcaster for the Flemish Community of Belgium.
History
VRT is the successor to a succession of organisations. The Belgian National Institute of Radio Broadcasting was known as the Nationaal Insti ...
(VRT) and the Walloon RTBF. Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past. In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, 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.
Before Eurovision
Internal selection
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
Patrick Ouchène (born 5 December 1966) is a Belgian singer, best known for being the lead singer of the rockabilly band Runnin' Wild.
Eurovision 2009
On 17 February he was chosen internally to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2 ...
to represent Belgium in Moscow, performing the song "Copycat" at the contest.
The song was written by Benjamin Schoos and Jacques Duvall, and was selected in late 2008 by a committee from 10 entries shortlisted among proposals submitted by record companies.
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. 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.
On 10 March 2009, RTBF held a press conference at the Mirano Continental in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
where "Copycat" was presented to the public. The music video for the song, which featured an animation sequence by
Philippe Geluck
Philippe Geluck (born 7 May 1954 in Belgium) is a Belgian comedian, humorist, television writer and cartoonist, who sold more than 14 million albums worldwide. He studied at the INSAS (''Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle'', N ...
, was released on the same day of the presentation. 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."
Controversy
Following the release of "Copycat", the Belgian and Dutch fan club of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, ElvisMatters, complained that the song was offensive to the singer and called on the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...
(EBU) to disqualify the Belgian entry as it violated the Eurovision Song Contest rules which prohibit unacceptable language. The song was ultimately deemed eligible for the contest by the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group.
Promotion
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
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, Netherlands and hosted by
Marga Bult
Marcha (born Margaretha Hendrika Maria Groeneveld on 2 July 1956), also known as Marga Bult, is a Dutch singer and television presenter, who has been a member of the groups Tulip, Babe and Dutch Divas and is also known for her participation in th ...
and
Maggie MacNeal
Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje Lucie van 't Spijker; 5 May 1950) is a Dutch singer. She was a member of Mouth & MacNeal, a pop duo from the Netherlands, who are best known for their million-selling recording of " How Do You Do" in 1972, which to ...
. 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.
At Eurovision
![Patrick Ouchène, 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Patrick_Ouch%C3%A8ne%2C_2009.jpg)
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
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...
(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. 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
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and before the entry from
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
.
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
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
by
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 ...
and
André Vermeulen
André Leopold Adiel Vermeulen (born 25 October 1955 in Bruges) is a Belgian-Flemish journalist and television personality for VRT.
Between 1991 and 2013, Vermeulen following Luc Appermont had been the Flemish commentator for the Eurovision Son ...
. RTBF televised the shows on
La Une
La Une () is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by the French-language public-service broadcasting organization RTBF. La Une is the equivalent of Flemish station Eén, of the Flemish broadcaster VRT.
History
INR
Expe ...
with commentary in
French by
Jean-Pierre Hautier
Jean-Pierre Hautier (18 October 1955 – 12 October 2012) was a Belgian television presenter and broadcaster for RTBF.
Hautier was known for his long-time commentary for RTBF viewers on the Eurovision Song Contest which he has done since the 19 ...
and Jean-Louis Lahaye. All shows were also broadcast by RTBF on
La Première with commentary in French by Patrick Duhamel and Corinne Boulangier.
The Belgian spokesperson, who announced the Belgian votes during the final, was
Maureen Louys
Maureen Louys (born 3 November 1978 in Liège) is a Belgian television presenter.
Career
In 2005 she co-presented the 2005 Junior Eurovision Song Contest with Marcel Vanthilt. Louys still remained associated with the regular Eurovision Song Con ...
.
Semi-final
Copycat took part in technical rehearsals on 3 and 7 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May.
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. 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.
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
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
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...
and 50%
televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.
Broadcast contest televoting
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
Points awarded by Belgium
Detailed voting results
The following members comprised the Belgian jury:
* Marie-Paule Lemmens
* Pierre Guyaut
* Manu Champagne
* Corrado Falciglia
* Isabelle Monnart
References
External links
Belgian Broadcaster: RTBF
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2009
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
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 ...