According to media in The Netherlands, broadcaster AVROTROS have found their song for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. Songfestivalweblog.nl have released an article stating that a dance song may be the Dutch pick for Tel Aviv.
Song first, artist second
AVROTROS have opted to go for a ‘song first’ approach this year, after giving artists complete freedom in the past couple of years. Several composers sent their proposals for the Eurovision Song Contest to the broadcaster. Among those were names like the winner of The Voice of Holland, Jim van der Zee, but the choice has most likely gone another way.
Already in November, selection committee member Jan Smit announced that he would like to see a DJ representing the country. The dance scene in The Netherlands is one of the biggest music scenes of the country, delivering music which scores worldwide. Names like Hardwell, DJ Tiësto, Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren are all Dutch and notably, they have all been ranked #1 by DJ Mag in their annual DJ Mag Top 100.
A dance song does therefore not sound too weird if you think about The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s a genre they haven’t explored so far, despite many fans wishing they would in the past years.
Quest for a vocalist
Now the song seems to be chosen, AVROTROS now need to look for an artist. According to Songfestivalweblog.nl, they were looking for a female artist. They claim a singer has now been found and deals are in their final stage. The singer doesn’t necessarily need to be a big name in the country, says Shownieuws expert Koos van Plateringen. He also added that there was a chance of Armin van Buuren being behind the Dutch entry.
Over the past few years, Songfestivalweblog.nl have managed to build a reputation regarding the Dutch artist announcement. When the media jumped on the bandwagon of Dotan possibly flying the country’s flag in 2016, they instead went with a report about Douwe Bob. Eventually, they turned out to be correct with their information. Douwe Bob finished in eleventh in Stockholm with “Slow Down”.
The actual song release for The Netherlands will most likely take place at the end of February or early March. Whether the artist will be revealed before that, is currently unknown.
Last year, Waylon represented The Netherlands for the second time. He then sang “Outlaw In ‘Em”, finishing 18th in the Grand Final.
