Despite all the controversy of the past edition, it looks like the Netherlands will still participate in Eurovision 2025 — and might even be represented by the eye of the storm himself, Joost Klein. 🎤
The Dutch delegation’s management and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) seem to have smoothed out their disagreements, reports Het Parool.
Eurovision 2024 was… rocky
The last edition of the beloved European singing contest, held in Malmö (Sweden), was already mired in controversy due to Israel’s contested participation, when the Joost Klein debacle happened.
Following a backstage incident where the Dutch artist allegedly made “threatening movements” at a camerawoman, making her drop her camera, Joost was disqualified — effectively eliminating the Netherlands from the competition.
It was a first: Klein was the first Eurovision contestant ever to be disqualified after the contest had started and, naturally, this sparked a heated debate.
The turning point came last August, when the Swedish Prosecution authority dropped its investigation against Klein — a move that many interpreted as proof of his innocence.
A fresh start (with an old face)
In the wake of last year’s events, the rift between EBU and the companies behind the Dutch delegation, broadcaster Avrotros and umbrella organisation NPO, seemed unlikely to be bridged in time for Eurovision 2025.
However, after months of negotiations, it looks like the Netherlands will, in fact, send a contestant to Basel, Switzerland — this edition’s host city.
What’s more, that contestant might be… Joost Klein. 🤯
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After all, EBU’s internal rules say nothing about formerly disqualified artists not being given a second chance.
And, with Eurovision requesting participants to finalise their songs before March 1, there might not be time to hold auditions and prepare another artist anyway.
The air is not 100% clear
All well’s that ends well, then? Not quite.
While the Dutch delegation still feels that Klein’s punishment was disproportionate, EBU stands by its decision to disqualify the “Europapa” singer.
However, complaints that the incident was partially due to the high media pressure imposed on artists on and off stage seem to have been heard.
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EBU has pledged to give artists more privacy, and has appointed a new festival director, Martin Green, to act as a buffer between the delegations and the festival’s top management.
Will this be enough to fend off new controversy, or will the atmosphere at Eurovision 2025 be chillier than a Swiss glacier? 🤔 We’re going to have to wait until May 13 to find out.
Who will represent the Netherlands at next year’s Eurovision? Place your bets in the comments below!
Image: Arkland/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0