With five months left until the Junior Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Hasselt, the Belgians are being warmed up to the event to take place in their country. This weekend the first introductory program for Eurokids 2005 will be aired and last year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest winner María Isabel will release her winning song, aiming for a summer hit in Belgium.
International success for María Isabel
The international reactions on last year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest winning song Antes muerta que sencilla have been overwhelming so far. In all countries where María Isabel has been introduced, the single and album have scored surprisingly well.
María Isabel received the greatest reactions in France, where the single reached the top 10 of the charts. Thereupon Belgian record company ARS Productions decided to release Antes muerta que sencilla in Belgium, aiming for a summer hit. The single will be released by the end of June.
But María Isabel isn't only popular in Europe. Next month, the album No me toques las palmas que me conozco will be released in Japan. Japanese people will soon be visiting Spain to cover two of María Isabel's shows, in order to promote her in Japan.
Eurokids 2005 introductory shows
This weekend, Belgium's French speaking broadcaster RTBF will start broadcasting the weekly introductory program to the Belgian national Junior Eurovision Song Contest selections, to take place in September. The Eurokids 2005 specials will be broadcast on Saturday nights at 20:15 CET, as of 25th June, on RTBF's first channel La Une.
The Flemish variant will be launched next week. As of Wednesday 29th June, the adventures of the Eurokids 2005 participants can be followed on Ketnet, the youth channel of Flemish broadcaster VRT.
The Belgian representative for the 2005 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Hasselt will be selected through three television shows: two semifinals on 4th and 11th September and a final on 18th September.
