Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Encyclopedia
Belarus and Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC)
announced their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 on 29 September 2008 by releasing the rules of their national selection - "Eurofest 2009". The song did not progress from the first semi-final of the competition.
Submission of songs to BTRC was held from 5 October to 20 November 2008. BTRC received a total of 126 entries for Eurofest 2009. Live auditions were held by BTRC to select the 15 artists that would compete in the semi-final on 15 December 2008. The names of the successful artists were released on 5 December.
in Minsk
, and presented by singers Anastasija Tihanovich and Dmitry Koldun
, with Koldun being the 2007
Belorussian entry, coming sixth. The interval act consisted of the 2008 Belorussian and Ukrainian
entries, Ruslan Alehno and Ani Lorak
. The host, Koldun, also performed. The winner was decided by televoting, and the running order for the songs was not held until the night of the contest.
The contest was won by Petr Elfimov
, with his rock song "Eyes That Never Lie
". He received a landslide number of votes, receiving 11475 votes in total, over 4000 more than runner-up Gunesh. The group "Veter v Golove" were the only act to have changed their song from the semi-final stage.
After being selected as the Belarusian entry, Elfimov promoted his entry in a number of countries before Eurovision, making guest appearances at both the Greek
and Ukrainian
national finals on 18 February and 8 March respectively.
in Helsinki
, both known for their associations with symphonic metal band Nightwish
.
Belarus competed in the first semi final where they failed to qualify, finishing 13th of 18 participants, scoring 25 points.
National State Teleradiocompany
The National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus is the state television and radio broadcasting service in Belarus....
announced their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 on 29 September 2008 by releasing the rules of their national selection - "Eurofest 2009". The song did not progress from the first semi-final of the competition.
Eurofest 2009
The country's quest to select their sixth entry at the Eurovision Song Contest began in a selection process, the first stage involving a professional jury which selected 15 songs to be performed at the semi-final of Eurofest 2009, which was then narrowed down to 5 by the jury for the final, which was decided by televoting.Submission of songs to BTRC was held from 5 October to 20 November 2008. BTRC received a total of 126 entries for Eurofest 2009. Live auditions were held by BTRC to select the 15 artists that would compete in the semi-final on 15 December 2008. The names of the successful artists were released on 5 December.
Semi-final
The semi-final of Eurofest 2009 was held on 15 December 2008. A professional jury selected five artists to qualify for the final in January. The finalists had an opportunity to change their selected songs before performing in the final again.| Draw | Artist | Song | Authors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexei Krechet | "Joy and Freedom" | V. Ruzov, A. Shenets |
| 2 | Petr Elfimov Petr Elfimov Petr Elfimov is a singer from Belarus who represented his nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. He won the national selection of Belarus with 11,475 votes on January 19, 2009 with the rock/pop song Eyes That Never Lie. The song competed in the first semi-final as the... |
"Eyes That Never Lie" | P. Elfimov Petr Elfimov Petr Elfimov is a singer from Belarus who represented his nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. He won the national selection of Belarus with 11,475 votes on January 19, 2009 with the rock/pop song Eyes That Never Lie. The song competed in the first semi-final as the... , V. Prokhozhy |
| 3 | Cola feat. Lidiya Zablotskaya | "Gudok" | Gridin, V. Shevchenko |
| 4 | SingeRin | "Don't Think About It" | K. Dudich |
| 5 | Dakota (Дакота) | "Tsyabe zabyvayu" | Dakota, G. Lobodenko |
| 6 | The Champions | "Shake It, Europe" | Nils, O. Orakposim |
| 7 | Alex Patlis Band | "Kto skazal" | Alex Patlis |
| 8 | Litesound feat. Dakota | "Carry On" | V. Karyakin |
| 9 | Dominica | "This Is My Day" | S. Sukhomlin, A. Kostugov |
| 10 | Dyada Vanya | "Nasha Belarussia" | I. Vabishchevich |
| 11 | Veter V Golove | "Or Or And" | A. Zakharik, G. Galushko |
| 12 | Anna Blagova & Yury Vashchuk | "Behind" | Y. Vashchuk, A. Zhilina |
| 13 | Gunesh | "Fantastic Girl" | Gunesh, M. Khaitbayeva |
| 14 | Victoria Belova | "Don't Give Up From Love" | A. Klimka, V. Belova |
| 15 | Venera | "Big Game" | A. Nabeyev |
Final
The five qualifiers from the semi-final competed again in a national final on 19 January, a show held at the Sports PalaceMinsk Sports Palace
Minsk Sports Palace is an indoor sports arena, located in Minsk, Belarus. The arena seats 4,842 spectators and opened in 1966.It hosts various indoor events and used to serve as the home of HC Dynamo Minsk, of the KHL, before Minsk-Arena was completed....
in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, and presented by singers Anastasija Tihanovich and Dmitry Koldun
Dmitry Koldun
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Koldun is a pop singer from Minsk, Belarus.Koldun participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and has been the most successful entrant from Belarus to date...
, with Koldun being the 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
Belorussian entry, coming sixth. The interval act consisted of the 2008 Belorussian and Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
entries, Ruslan Alehno and Ani Lorak
Ani Lorak
Karolina Miroslavivna Kuiek, , popularly known as Ani Lorak , born 27 September 1978, Kitsman, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, is a famous Ukrainian pop singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and former UN Goodwill Ambassador...
. The host, Koldun, also performed. The winner was decided by televoting, and the running order for the songs was not held until the night of the contest.
The contest was won by Petr Elfimov
Petr Elfimov
Petr Elfimov is a singer from Belarus who represented his nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. He won the national selection of Belarus with 11,475 votes on January 19, 2009 with the rock/pop song Eyes That Never Lie. The song competed in the first semi-final as the...
, with his rock song "Eyes That Never Lie
Eyes That Never Lie
"Eyes That Never Lie" is a song by Petr Elfimov and was the Belarusian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow, Russia. A new version of the song was produced by Tero Kinnunen and recorded at the Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland for the finals.The song competed in the first...
". He received a landslide number of votes, receiving 11475 votes in total, over 4000 more than runner-up Gunesh. The group "Veter v Golove" were the only act to have changed their song from the semi-final stage.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Authors | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunesh | "Fantastic Girl" | Gunesh, M. Khaitbayeva | 7 949 | 2 |
| 2 | Petr Elfimov | "Eyes That Never Lie" | P. Elfimov Petr Elfimov Petr Elfimov is a singer from Belarus who represented his nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. He won the national selection of Belarus with 11,475 votes on January 19, 2009 with the rock/pop song Eyes That Never Lie. The song competed in the first semi-final as the... , V. Prokhozhy |
11 475 | 1 |
| 3 | Litesound feat. Dakota | "Carry On" | V. Karyakin | 4 385 | 3 |
| 4 | Dominica | "This Is My Day" | S. Sukhomlin, A. Kostugov | 1 225 | 5 |
| 5 | Veter V Golove | "Shpatsyruem" | A. Zakharik, G. Galushko | 2 804 | 4 |
After being selected as the Belarusian entry, Elfimov promoted his entry in a number of countries before Eurovision, making guest appearances at both the Greek
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
and Ukrainian
Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest
Ukraine has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eight times, debuting in 2003 with a 14th place finish for the popular singer Oleksandr Ponomaryov. The country won in their second year of Eurovision being represented by the famous singer Ruslana at the 2004 contest, and finished in joint...
national finals on 18 February and 8 March respectively.
At Eurovision
A new version of "Eyes That Never Lie" was made after winning the Belarusian national final, which was produced by Tero Kinnunen at the Finnvox StudiosFinnvox studios
Finnvox Studios is a recording studio located in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1965, it was the first studio in Finland dedicated for music recording. Many metal bands have had albums mastered here , including Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Finntroll, HIM, Moonsorrow, Holy Knights, Ram-Zet, Throes of...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, both known for their associations with symphonic metal band Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
.
Belarus competed in the first semi final where they failed to qualify, finishing 13th of 18 participants, scoring 25 points.