All songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 have been selected. During the weeks between the national final season and the actual Eurovision Song Contest, we will introduce all 43 entries in random order. We are half way through and part twenty-six of the series is dedicated to the Belarusian entry.

Basic information

The song

I love Belarus is an up-tempo dance pop song with minor ethnic elements in the arrangement. Through the lyrics, the protagonist describes the beauty of her home country:

We're gonna fly watching lakes in their full view
Fields are full of gold, and it's all my land

I love Belarus
Got it deep inside
I love Belarus
Feel it in my mind
And I wanna see the sun
Shining from above

The performer

Anastasiya Vinnikova is a newcomer to the music business, although she has already competed in various music festivals and talent searches. Recently, she was discovered by producer Eugene Oleinik who she has been working with since. In 2011, she was chosen to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf with the song Born in Byelorussia. The title of the song was later changed to I am Belarusian before the whole entry was disqualified. The new song I love Belarus has therefore become the Belarusian entry.

The songwriters

I love Belarus was written by Eugene Oleinik (music and lyrics) and Svetlana Geraskova (lyrics). They are also the writers behind the first entry Born in Byelorussia.

The national selection

Both singer and song were selected internally for the second year in a row.

Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest

Belarus entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 and was not very successful at the beginning being eliminated in the semi final on its first three attempts. However, it changed in 2007 when Koldun qualified for the final and finished sixth overall. In 2008 and 2009, the country did not make it to the final again but last year the country appeared in the Saturday evening show for the second time.

Statistics

This will be Belarus' eighth participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. It is the third time overall and the first time since 2006 that the country is represented by a female solo performer. Belarus remains one of the few countries that have all of their entries performe entirely in English. Besides, it is already the third time that the original song chosen for a performer was later changed.

I love Belarus is the 16th song to be performed in the second semi final. It is preceeded by the mid-tempo dance pop song from Estonia and it is followed by the mid-tempo pop song from Latvia. A disadvantage might be the fact that the Belarusian entry is performed in the middle of a streak of more lively songs towards the end of the second semi final.

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Videos

Live performance in Amsterdam:

The preview video:

The original choice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx6ou6iDosg

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Sanmarinese entry.

Previous parts of the series:

1. Estonia
2. Italy
3. Croatia
4. Slovakia
5. Lithuania
6. Finland
7. Switzerland
   
8. Ukraine
9. Norway
10. Moldova
11. Belgium
12. Azerbaijan
13. Ireland
14. Portugal
    
15. Austria
16. Latvia
17. France
18. Bosnia & Herzegovina
19. Romania
20. Sweden
21. Bulgaria
22. Armenia
23. Denmark
24. Cyprus
25. Spain