We have reached the last country in the second semi-final and in the semi-finals overal. We’re off to the land of windmills, bikes and stroopwafels. It’s the Netherlands!
History
The Netherlands was one of the seven countries that took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. They will make their 63rd appearance in the contest this year. They have won five times in total. Their first win came in 1957 with Corry Brokken singing “Net als toen”, followed in 1959 with Teddy Scholten singing “Een beetje”, in 1969 as a joint winner with Lenny Kuhr singing “De troubadour” and in 1975 with Teach-In singing “Ding-a-Dong”. Their fifth victory did not come until 2019, when Duncan Laurence won with “Arcade”.
At the 2023 contest, Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper finished 13th in the first semi-final with “Burning Daylight”, leaving the Netherlands out of the final for the first time since 2015.
Selection
The Dutch broadcaster, AVROTROS, internally selected their entrant for the 2024 contest. Joost Klein was selected to represent the Netherlands in Malmö.
Artist
Joost Klein was born on November 10 1997 in Leeuwarden/Ljouwert in Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. He was raised in the nearby village of Bitsum. After his parents died, he was looked after by his older brother and sister.
After starting out as a Youtuber, Joost released his debut album “Dakloos” (Homeless) in 2016. His second album “Scandinavian Boy” was his first album to chart. In 2018, he released his third studio album “M van Marketing” (M for Marketing) together with Dutch rapper Donnie. Later that year, he released a poetry book called “Albino”, which was also the name of his fourth album.
In 2019, Joost released fifth studio album “1983”. To promote the album, he toured the Netherlands and appeared at festivals such as Lowlands, Pukkelpop and Pinkpop. After touring, he released another album called “Joost Klein 7”.
In 2022, Joost released the album “Fryslân” (Friesland). This album spawned the singles “Florida 2009”, “Wachtmuziek” (Hold music) and “Papa en mama” (Mum and dad).
In 2023, Joost scored his first number one single in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria with the song “Friesenjung” (Frisian boy), a collaboration with German rapper Ski Aggu. The song has over 100 million streams worldwide and won Best Song at the 1LIVE Krone Radio Awards.
The song that Joost will perform in Malmö is called “Europapa” (Euro-daddy). It was written by Donny Ellerström, Tim Haars and Joost himself and was composed by Dylan van Dael, Paul Elstak, Teun de Kruif and Thijmen Melissan.
Song Review
Four words: Joost Klein, droom groot!
This song is so Dutch but so international at the same time. Its Dutch sound not only comes from the lyrics being in Dutch, but the inclusion of happy hardcore and gabber, two styles which originated in the Netherlands. The international sound, well, can you stay seated while listening to this song?
The lyrics are also very interesting to me. The pro-Europe lyrics are quite poignant against rising anti-EU sentiments in the Netherlands and as an EU worker myself, I approve this message! The fact that the lyrics are a tribute to Joost’s parents, both of whom are dead, is a recurring theme in Joost’s music and it’s touching that he will get to bring them to the largest stage in the world.
I saw this song performed live at Eurovision In Concert last week and given that the concert was held in Amsterdam, the roof was blown off of the place. While that performance was always going to pop off, I believe this has incredible international appeal. It will close the show in a big way and sail through to the final. I have heard from several Dutch people that they think Joost can bring them their sixth win and honestly, I can kind of see it. If it’s not going to win outright, it is certainly a contender for the win and will do very well in Malmö.
What Could Have Been
We know that the Netherlands are not afraid of sending music in their own language and someone who is willing to bring Dutch to Eurovision is Merol.
Merel Baldé, better known as Merol, is known for her playful and sometimes controversial lyrics. In 2022, she was rumoured to have applied to the Dutch selection with “Applaus” (Applause) but was just pipped at the post to get the Eurovision ticket. It would have better from what they did send!
Now that the Netherlands seems to have moved away from the thought that sad songs do well for them, maybe we can see Merol at Eurovision one day.
Veel succes Nederland! Succes Nederlân!
Will Joost go all the way or are his dreams too big? Leave your comments below. Stay turned tomorrow for another Eurovision preview!
(Sources: eurovision.tv, AVROTROS, YouTube)
Thinking About It 