Belgium is getting serious about Copenhagen: broadcaster Eén today confirmed details of an exciting, fresh format to select the country’s participant for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen.

Capitalising on the positive vibe following Roberto Bellarosa’s successful Eurovision stint at Malmö 2013, Flemish channel VRT will be producing a casting extravaganza for Copenhagen. Taking the mould from popular TV talent shows, Eurosong 2014 will employ a panel of experts to help viewers select first the act, and then the perfect song to represent Belgium in Denmark in the two-stage process reported earlier by esctoday.com.

Rough diamonds

Two of the jury members have already been named; Piet Goddaer and Jef Martens will be on the panel, helping nudge artists (and viewers) in the right artistic direction. Martens believes that talent is only half the story: “it’s what you do with it” is his motto. As such, he promises that the search will focus on finding the perfect “rough diamond” to polish up for Copenhagen. This suggests a great opportunity for a new, fresh, up-and-coming artist to make a mark on the international stage.

Hailed as a “brand new show concept” for selecting the national entry, the programme will pile on the drama for seven consecutive Sunday evenings from February 2^nd. First the castings, then the call-backs, and finally the semi-finals and finals will give viewers a chance to follow the hopefuls in the race to Copenhagen.

Eurosong 2014 schedule:

• 02/02 casting #1
• 09/02 casting #2
• 16/02 second chance
• 23/02 semifinal 1
• 02/03 semifinal 2
• 09/03 semifinal 3
• 16/03 final

Keeping up appearances

Flemish VRT last tasted Eurovision Song Contest success at the 2010 contest, when Tom Dice soared into the top ten on the back of “Me and My Guitar”. Now, the pressure is on to keep Belgium on the left-hand side of the scoreboard after “Love Kills”, entered by the francophone station RTBF in 2013, did the country proud.

Budding songwriters may be interested to know that the deadline for song submission is October 28^th. Visit www.een.be for contact details.