In 1999 , the rule was changed again to allow the choice of language once more , which resulted in 12 out of 23 countries , including the United Kingdom , singing in English that year . Belgium entered the 2003 contest with " Sanomi " , a song sung in a constructed language , finishing in second place . In 2006 , the Dutch entry , " Amambanda " , was sung partly in English and partly in an artificial language . In 2008 , the Belgian entry , " O Julissi " , was sung in an artificial language . In 2011 , the Norwegian entry , " Haba Haba " , which was sung in English and Swahili , was the first song to be sung in an African language , apart from Arabic
singing in English that year
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Eurovision Song Contest