Belarus were one of the four countries to make their debut in Eurovision in 2004 when the Semi-Final was introduced, and it hasn't been smooth sailing.  Alexandr & Konstantin were their first entry, and it certainly was a delightful one, but unfortunately, Europe didn't take to their simple quirkiness and they could only muster up 10 points, and finish two from the bottom.  In 2005, hopes were high with Angelica Agurbash and her song Love Me Tonight but unfortunately, she seemed to forget how to sing that particular night, and hence, could only muster up 13th place.  So there was alot of pressure on 2006's Polina Smolova, who again, failed to qualify, and only managed one from the bottom, with a measly ten points.  So once again the pressure is on for Belarus to left themselves out of the Semi, and maybe, just maybe, even end up with direct qualification to next year's final!

 

 

One thing which has escaped most Belarussian entries in the three years they have attempted Eurovision, is the ability to sing in clear English.  Now no-one expects every country to be able to sing in English without an accent, but I really haven’t heard anything like the previous entries when it comes to Belarus.  Fortunately however, this is about to change, and they’re sending a very good singer, with a very good song, which you can actually understand.  Koldun is an attractive guy and a very good singer.  His fame from around Europe should help him pick up votes (much to a similar effect of Dima Bilan), not to mention the song is one of the few and best pop songs in it this year.  The song takes on a James Bond-esque theme at the start and explodes into a wonderful chorus which is catchy and believable.  I think Belarus stand a strong chance this year of lifting themselves from the Final, but it really does all depend on the competition.

 

 

Despite having a poor draw in the Semi-Final, Belarus really do have the best pop song in it, and if Russia's performance is anything to go by last year - then the draw won't really matter all that much.  I love this and should it pull a better draw in the Final then it's definately in with a shot at vitctory.

 

 

A poor draw didn't hold this back the first time, and I doubt it will the second time - espcially since the following three songs are all bound to end up in the bottom half.  I love this, and there's nothing more I would love to see than for this to win.  Koldun looked sexy, and sang really well.  The magic was great too, so Go Belarus! It's about time you did well!!

 

 

Being a big fan of this one, I was always going to be a bit biased, but still, I must confess to completely loving this performance and can only wish it had have done better.  It was slickly staged and really well performed.  I loved the touch of magic which made great use of the moving screens, and the choreography was nailed to a tea.  The vocal, however, wasn’t pristine, which is a real shame as I’m sure it would have picked up a lot more votes had this area have been improved and hence could’ve challenged Serbia to a victory.  Nonetheless, with a better performance in the Semi than the Final, Koldun pulled Belarus through the Semi-Final for the first time since entering, and finished with a very respectable 6^th place – slightly less than I’d hoped for and predicted, but at least I was close!