Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | ||||
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Country | Belarus | |||
National selection | ||||
Selection process | National Final | |||
Selection date(s) | 22 January 2016 | |||
Selected entrant | Ivan | |||
Selected song | "Help You Fly" | |||
Selected songwriter(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result |
Failed to qualify (12th, 84 points) |
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Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Help You Fly" written by Viktor Drobysh, Alexander Ivanov, Timofei Leontiev and Mary Susan Applegate. The song was performed by Ivan, which is the artistic name of singer Alexander Ivanov. The Belarusian entry for the 2016 contest in , Sweden was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where public televoting selected the winner. "Help You Fly" performed by Ivan was selected as the winner with 23,167 votes.
Belarus was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2016. Performing during the show in position 5, "Help You Fly" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Belarus placed twelfth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 84 points.
Prior to the 2016 Contest, Belarus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times since its first entry in 2004. The nation's best placing in the contest was sixth, which it achieved in 2007 with the song "Work Your Magic" performed by Dmitry Koldun. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Belarus had managed to qualify to the final four times. In 2015, Belarus failed to qualify to the final with the song "Time" performed by Uzari and Maimuna.