Prior to the 2019 contest, Belgium had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty 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" performed by Sandra Kim. Following the introduction of semi-finals for, Belgium had been featured in only six finals. In 2018, Sennek represented the country with the song "A Matter of Time", but failed to qualify for the final, finishing in 12th place. The Belgian broadcaster for the 2019 Contest, who broadcasts the event in Belgium and organises the selection process for its entry, was Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française. The Belgian participation in the contest alternates between two broadcasters: the Walloon RTBF and the Flemish Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie. Both broadcasters have selected the Belgian entry using national finals and internal selections in the past.
Before Eurovision
Internal selection
On 14 January 2019, RTBF confirmed that Eliot Vassamillet would be representing Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. His song, "Wake Up", was officially released on 28 February 2019.
Promotion
Eliot made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Wake Up" as the Belgian Eurovision entry. On 6 April, he performed during the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam, hosted by Cornald Maas and Marlayne, to over 4500 spectators. Eliot also performed during the London Eurovision Party at the Café de Paris venue in London on 14 April, hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell. He will also promote "Wake Up" at the Eurovision Pre-Party Madrid on 20 April.
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union 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 28 January 2019, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Belgium was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show. Once all the competing songs for the 2019 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Belgium was set to perform in position 10, following the entry from Serbia and preceding the entry from Georgia.
Semi-final
Belgium performed tenth in the first semi-final, following the entry from Serbia and preceding the entry from Georgia. 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 thirteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 70 points: 20 points from the televoting and 50 points from the juries.
Voting
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. 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. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.
Points awarded to Belgium
Points awarded by Belgium
Split voting results
The following five members comprised the Belgian jury:
Hakima Darhmouch – Chairperson – Head of the Music and Culture department RTBF
