Belgian media have reported that Belgium could be returning to a national final next year to find their representative for Eurovision 2023. However, at the moment, it is only rumoured and has yet to be officially confirmed.
Songfestival.be have stated that weekly magazine TV Familie have rumoured that Belgium could be bringing back Eurosong or something similar in 2023. Belgian broadcaster VRT have responded to these rumours, saying that they “want to focus on entertainment and relaxation, but that nothing concrete can be announced about the selection of the VRT candidate for Eurovision.”
“Each edition we look at the best way to select our candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest. This has already happened via pre-selections, via a TV show and via an internal selection. It is true that we want to focus more on entertainment and relaxation – that came up as a request from a large survey among the Flemings. We will schedule that relaxation in various ways: just think of Hotel Romantiek that can be seen this autumn, or the new daily quiz that will start soon. Music shows also fit in this, so One and Radio 2 will bring six Summer hit next summershows from the coast. At the moment we cannot announce anything concrete about the selection for our VRT candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest, but of course we will share news about this later.”
Niels Destadsbader to host?
It has been reported that former Eurosong presenter, Peter Van de Veire, would not be returning to host the national final. Instead, Niels Destadsbader has been rumoured to take over hosting duties. Niels currently has a contract with VRT, and has already presented many live shows for the broadcaster. He is also a DJ for Radio 2.
The last time Belgium used a national final to select their Eurovision act was in 2016, when Laura Tesoro sang “What’s The Pressure” at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, achieving 10th place. From 2017 onwards, both the Flemish and French broadcasters have opted for internal selections.
Are you excited about the possible return of Eurosong? Or do you think Belgium should go for an internal selection again? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
