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Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019

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Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Country Netherlands
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 21 January 2019
Song: 7 March 2019
Selected artist(s)Duncan Laurence
Selected song"Arcade"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (1st, 280 points)
Final result1st, 498 points
Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2018 • 2019 • 2020►

The Netherlands participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Arcade" written by Duncan Laurence, Joel Sjöö, Wouter Hardy and Will Knox. The song was performed by Duncan Laurence, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Laurence's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 21 January 2019, while the song, "Arcade", was presented to the public on 7 March 2019.

The Netherlands was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 16 May 2019. Performing during the show in position 16, "Arcade" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 18 May. It was later revealed that the Netherlands placed first out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 280 points. In the final, the Netherlands placed first out of the 26 participating countries, winning the contest with 498 points. This was the Netherlands' fifth win in the Eurovision Song Contest, having last won in 1975.

Following the victory, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS along with sister broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and their parent public broadcasting organisation Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO) was expected to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam. However, the 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rotterdam was later retained as the host city of the 2021 edition.

Background

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Prior to the 2019 contest, the Netherlands had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-nine times since their début as one of seven countries to take part in the inaugural contest in 1956.[1] Since then, the country had won the contest four times: in 1957 with the song "Net als toen" performed by Corry Brokken;[2] in 1959 with the song "'n Beetje" performed by Teddy Scholten;[3] in 1969 as one of four countries to tie for first place with "De troubadour" performed by Lenny Kuhr;[4] and in 1975 with "Ding-a-dong" performed by the group Teach-In.[5] Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, the Netherlands had featured in six finals.[6] In 2018, Waylon placed 18th in the final with the song "Outlaw in 'Em".

The Dutch national broadcaster, AVROTROS, broadcasts the event within the Netherlands and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The Netherlands has used various methods to select the Dutch entry in the past, such as the Nationaal Songfestival, a live televised national final to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. However, internal selections have also been held on occasion. Since 2013, the broadcaster has internally selected the Dutch entry for the contest. In 2013, the internal selection of Anouk performing "Birds" managed to take the country to the final for the first time in eight years and placed ninth overall. In 2014, the internal selection of the Common Linnets performing "Calm After the Storm" qualified the nation to the final once again and placed second, making it the most successful Dutch result in the contest since its victory in 1975. For 2019, the broadcaster opted to continue selecting the Dutch entry through an internal selection.[7][8]

Before Eurovision

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Internal selection

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Duncan Laurence (pictured in 2021) was internally selected to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.

Following Waylon's eighteenth place in the final in 2018 with the song "Outlaw in 'Em", the Dutch broadcaster revealed on 23 October 2018 during the Dutch talk show Tijd voor MAX that they would continue to internally select both the artist and song for the Eurovision Song Contest, and that several artists had already been in contact with the broadcaster in regards to participating.[8] Artists that were rumoured in Dutch media to be in talks with AVROTROS included singer Caro Emerald and the winner of the sixth series of the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland Maan,[8][9] while polls conducted by Dutch entertainment portal RTL Boulevard and Eurovision website songfestivalweblog.nl were both won by the band Kensington and followed respectively by singers Samantha Steenwijk and Sharon den Adel.[10][11]

On 21 January 2019, AVROTROS announced that they had selected singer Duncan Laurence to represent the Netherlands at the 2019 contest.[12] The proposal of Laurence as the Dutch representative came from Ilse DeLange, who previously represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as a member of the Common Linnets, while the selection occurred through the decision of a selection commission consisting of singer and television host Jan Smit, television host and author Cornald Maas, radio DJ Daniël Dekker and AVROTROS general director Eric van Stade.[9][12]

On 7 March 2019, Laurence's Eurovision entry, "Arcade", was presented to the public through the release of the official music video, directed by Paul Bellaart, via the official Eurovision YouTube channel. The song was written by Laurence himself together with Joel Sjöö, Wouter Hardy and Will Knox.[13][14] Following the release of "Arcade", the Netherlands was installed by bookmakers as the favourite to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.[15]

When I was studying at the Rockacademie, I learned that you can appeal to a large audience without losing your own story in the process. I searched for touching stories that moves people, from my own life or someone else's. I got my inspiration from the story of a loved one who died at a young age. I decided to call the song "Arcade" - the words and chords came by themselves, which is why, despite the alternations in the song, it still sounds so organic. During the writing process of "Arcade", I received help from Joel Sjöö and Wouter Hardy, and because of that it developed into a shared story and not just my own. "Arcade" is a story about the search for the love of your life. It is the hope for the - sometimes - unattainable.

— Duncan Laurence about "Arcade"

Promotion

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Duncan Laurence specifically promoted "Arcade" as the Dutch Eurovision entry on 14 April 2019 by performing during the London Eurovision Party, which was held at the Café de Paris venue in London and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell.[16] In addition to international appearances, promotional activities also occurred within the Netherlands where he performed at live events, radio shows and talk shows. On 14 April, Laurence performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the AFAS Live venue in Amsterdam and hosted by Edsilia Rombley and Marlayne, and on 1 May he performed at a sold-out solo concert which was held at the Zonnehuis in Amsterdam.[17]

At Eurovision

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A video postcard introduced Duncan Laurence's performance in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The postcard was filmed at the Mount Arbel and featured Duncan Laurence performing a themed dance.

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2019, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. The Netherlands was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 16 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[18]

Once all the competing songs for the 2019 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. The Netherlands was set to perform in position 16, following the entry from Norway and before the entry from North Macedonia.[19]

The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast on NPO 1 with commentary by Jan Smit and Cornald Maas as well as via radio on NPO Radio 2 with commentary by Wouter van der Goes and Frank van 't Hof.[20][21] The Dutch spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Dutch jury during the final, was Emma Wortelboer.[22]

Semi-final

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Duncan Laurence during a rehearsal before the second semi-final.

Duncan Laurence took part in technical rehearsals on 7 and 11 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 15 and 16 May. This included the jury show on 15 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[23]

The Dutch performance featured Laurence wearing a blue outfit consisting of a jacket, shirt and trousers, and playing an electric piano alone on stage with a single spotlight focused on the singer to re-create the emotions and feelings he had when he first wrote "Arcade".[24][25] A white light sphere descended from the ceiling during the second chorus and bridge of the song to symbolize the hope Laurence lost and sought to find again.[26][27] The LED screens displayed a smoky blue theme.[25] Laurence was joined by three off-stage backing vocalists: Kris Rietveld, Marcel Swerissen and Sarina Voorn.[28] The staging director for the performance was Hans Pannecoucke, who worked with the Dutch entrants between 2014 and 2016 as well as in 2018 in a similar role.[13]

At the end of the show, the Netherlands was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that the Netherlands placed first in the semi-final, receiving a total of 280 points: 140 points from both the televoting and the juries.[29]

Final

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Duncan Laurence during the winner's press conference

Shortly after the first semi-final, a winner's press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. The Netherlands was drawn to compete in the second half.[30] Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. The Netherlands was subsequently placed to perform in position 12, following the entry from Cyprus and before the entry from Greece.[31]

Duncan Laurence once again took part in dress rehearsals on 17 and 18 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Laurence performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 18 May. The Netherlands won the contest placing first with a score of 498 points: 261 points from the televoting and 237 points from the juries.[32] This was the Netherlands's fifth victory in the Eurovision Song Contest; the country's most recent win was in 1975.[33]

Marcel Bezençon Awards

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The Marcel Bezençon Awards, first awarded during the 2002 contest, are awards honouring the best competing songs in the final each year. Named after the creator of the annual contest, Marcel Bezençon, the awards are divided into 3 categories: the Press Award, given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the event; the Artistic Award, presented to the best artist as voted on by the shows' commentators; and the Composer Award, given to the best and most original composition as voted by the participating composers. Duncan Laurence was awarded the Press Award, which was accepted at the awards ceremony by Laurence.[34]

Voting

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Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.[35]

Points awarded to the Netherlands

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Points awarded by the Netherlands

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Detailed voting results

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The following members comprised the Dutch jury:[35]

Detailed voting results from the Netherlands (Semi-final 2)[36]
Draw Country Jury Televote
EliZe H. Schwedt R. de Wild H. Smits S. Starke Rank Points Rank Points
01  Armenia 8 8 7 15 5 9 2 6 5
02  Ireland 13 11 5 10 13 11 15
03  Moldova 7 10 3 8 3 5 6 16
04   Switzerland 2 6 4 4 14 3 8 3 8
05  Latvia 11 14 15 17 11 15 13
06  Romania 9 12 14 13 15 14 14
07  Denmark 10 9 2 5 10 8 3 7 4
08  Sweden 1 1 1 1 2 1 12 2 10
09  Austria 17 15 16 16 12 17 17
10  Croatia 3 2 12 6 16 6 5 12
11  Malta 4 4 10 2 1 2 10 10 1
12  Lithuania 14 13 8 7 9 12 9 2
13  Russia 5 3 13 3 8 4 7 8 3
14  Albania 16 17 9 14 17 16 11
15  Norway 12 16 17 12 7 13 1 12
16  Netherlands
17  North Macedonia 6 5 6 11 4 7 4 5 6
18  Azerbaijan 15 7 11 9 6 10 1 4 7
Detailed voting results from the Netherlands (Final)[37]
Draw Country Jury Televote
EliZe H. Schwedt R. de Wild H. Smits S. Starke Rank Points Rank Points
01  Malta 4 2 19 3 4 3 8 17
02  Albania 19 18 22 22 25 23 20
03  Czech Republic 5 16 9 6 6 7 4 13
04  Germany 13 17 6 21 8 12 21
05  Russia 3 4 11 7 11 6 5 11
06  Denmark 8 5 1 4 10 4 7 6 5
07  San Marino 24 24 25 25 24 25 12
08  North Macedonia 6 10 8 8 9 8 3 10 1
09  Sweden 1 3 2 2 1 1 12 3 8
10  Slovenia 20 22 24 24 18 24 15
11  Cyprus 7 7 20 17 5 10 1 22
12  Netherlands
13  Greece 25 25 14 23 23 22 25
14  Israel 21 23 15 20 22 21 18
15  Norway 12 13 21 16 19 18 1 12
16  United Kingdom 16 15 12 14 12 16 23
17  Iceland 17 19 23 15 21 20 4 7
18  Estonia 23 14 18 19 17 19 14
19  Belarus 18 11 10 12 16 15 24
20  Azerbaijan 14 8 17 11 13 14 7 4
21  France 15 12 16 13 7 13 16
22  Italy 10 9 3 9 2 5 6 2 10
23  Serbia 11 20 5 10 14 11 19
24   Switzerland 2 1 4 1 3 2 10 5 6
25  Australia 9 6 13 5 15 9 2 9 2
26  Spain 22 21 7 18 20 17 8 3

References

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  1. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1956". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1957". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1959". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1969". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 1975". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  6. ^ "History by Country - The Netherlands". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  7. ^ Knoops, Roy (8 December 2017). "The Netherlands: Eurovision 2018 candidate to be revealed in November". ESCToday. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Cornald Maas: "Belangrijkste is dat er een goed lied komt"". songfestivalweblog.nl (in Dutch). 24 October 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Maan 'twijfelt' over deelname Songfestival". songfestival.be (in Dutch). 25 October 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Kensington en Sharon den Adel favoriet bij songfestivalfans". songfestivalweblog.nl (in Dutch). 19 October 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Kensington favoriet voor songfestival in 2019". RTL Boulevard (in Dutch). 30 October 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Duncan Laurence will represent The Netherlands this year". eurovision.tv. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Duncan Laurence takes 'Arcade' to Eurovision for The Netherlands". eurovision.tv. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Duncan Laurence, Arcade - Paul Bellaart" (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (9 March 2019). "The Netherlands: Duncan Laurence Now Favourite to Win Eurovision 2019". Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  16. ^ London Eurovision Party [@LDNEurovision] (29 March 2019). "For the very first time, we are delighted to welcome The Netherlands to LEP! @dunclaurence will perform "Arcade" at #LEP2019 on Sunday 14th April at Café de Paris and we cannot wait to meet him! #Eurovision https://t.co/T0Gz5ZExQ1" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ EurovisionInConcert [@ESCinConcert] (22 March 2019). "The wait is over! 😉 Our Dutch hopeful @dunclaurence will perform his Eurovision entry Arcade at Eurovision in Concert as well! See you on April 6 at AFAS Live! 😉🇳🇱 #EurovisioninConcert #EiC2019 #eurovision #songfestival #amsterdam #netherlands #duncanlaurence @songfestival https://t.co/Rz6dz0j35K" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Jordan, Paul (28 January 2019). "Eurovision 2019: Which country takes part in which Semi-Final?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  19. ^ "Exclusive: This is the Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final running order!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  20. ^ "Maak kans op de officiële #TEAMDUNCAN vlag". Eurovisie Songfestival (in Dutch). 3 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Finale Eurovisie Songfestival live op NPO Radio 2". nporadio2.nl. NPO. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  22. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 March 2019). "The Netherlands: Emma Wortelboer Announced as Spokesperson". Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2019: Rehearsal Schedule in Tel Aviv". eurovisionworld.com. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  24. ^ ESC 2019 - Press conference Netherlands rehearsal after first rehearsal. Songfestival.be. 9 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ a b Cobb, Ryan (7 May 2019). "LIVE DAY 4 REVIEW: 🇳🇱 Duncan Laurence sits at his piano for The Netherlands 🇳🇱". escXtra. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  26. ^ Duncan Laurence (The Netherlands) @ Eurovision 2019 Red / Orange Carpet Opening Ceremony. wiwibloggs. 12 May 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ Cobb, Ryan (11 May 2019). "LIVE DAY 8 REVIEW: A lot of wide shots for Duncan Laurence". escXtra. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Netherlands". Six on Stage. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Tel Aviv 2019". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Second Semi-Finalists share nerves and excitement before the Grand Final". Eurovision.tv. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  31. ^ "Eurovision 2019: This is the running order of the Grand Final!". Eurovision.tv. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Grand Final of Tel Aviv 2019 - Eurovision Song Contest". Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  33. ^ "Duncan Laurence wins Eurovision 2019 for the Netherlands". eurovision.tv. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Here are the winners of the 2019 Marcel Bezençon Awards". eurovision.tv. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  35. ^ a b Groot, Evert (30 April 2019). "Exclusive: They are the judges who will vote in Eurovision 2019!". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  36. ^ a b c "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Tel Aviv 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  37. ^ a b c "Results of the Grand Final of Tel Aviv 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
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