Made in Belgium: Sandra Kim

After yet another (unsurprisingly) unsuccesful eurovision song contest last week, I realise I have not yet posted our one moment of fame in 1986 when Belgium won the contest.   It was Wallonia, the frenchspeaking region in Belgium that was sending in a contestant as in Belgium both regions alternate each year.  They had selected the 13-year old Sandra Kim (although announced as a15 year old)-, bringing a happy song on how she loved life.

I have not seen the victory live on tv as a kid as it was past my bedtime and my parents had clearly  not anticipated this victory. I couldn't belief it when I woke up in the morning and asked who had won the contest. Gosh, we did!


What a followed was a Sandra Kim hype...half of my class got her haircut, we were all play backing to her song and in French class we were al of a sudden studying her "J aime mon pays " (see below) even though that never became a hit.


Poor Sandra will be doomed to be our eurovison girl for as long as we do not get another victory....every year in May she's getting interviews again and airplay and is asked her opinion on our new participant etc etc. I'm sure she must get so tired of it all and hate to repeat her "child song " for eve over and over again.  Unfortunately her singing career never truly got off the ground and I had to search to find other recent werk from her ...although I find her voice still impressive  and would wish she is taken more seriously.



The contest




A very nice 25 years later remake of the original video

Jorge castre + Sandra Kim : The Player


Crying out for you - Sandra Kim and Udo

J'aime mon pays - with Toots Thielemans

Comments

Brian Miller said…
it is interesting who makes it in these contests and who does not...our versions over here have some that do well..and many of the second or third place finishers do better than the first honestly once the hype is gone...

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