Ishtar (Belgian band)

Ishtar
Ishtar performing in Belgrade, May 2008
Background information
Origin	Belgium
Genres	folk
Members	Soetkin Baptist Michel Vangheluwe Ann Vandaele Marleen Vandaele Els Vandaele Hans Vandaele Lode Cartrysse Frank Markey Korneel Taeckens Karel Vercruysse

Ishtar is a Belgian (Flemish) folk band who represented Belgium at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest with the song O Julissi, sung in an imaginary language. They competed in the first semi-final on 20 May 2008.

"O Julissi" is a song by Ishtar. The band's site [1] claims that the song is in an imaginary language. There is, however, a certain similarity to Ukrainian; in particular, the first line is fully understandable (Ukrainian "Ой у лісі на ялині", meaning "Oh, in the forest on a spruce"). The folk song represented Belgium at the semi-finals of Eurovision Song Contest 2008, at 20 May 2008, in Belgrade, but did not proceed to the finals. The single was released 14 March 2008. The song entered the Belgian Ultratop at #7. In its second week, O Julissi topped the list.

Ishtar's song was elected after they won the final of Eurosong 2008. Ishtar, until then an unknown band, defeated better known artists, like pop singers Sandrine and Brahim. The other contestants in the final were rock group Paranoiacs and Nelson, who had written a modern ballad.