Prior to his first rehearsal in Tel Aviv, Duncan remains the favourite to win this year’s contest according to the bookies. Today we learned that lasers will be used in Arcade’s staging in Tel Aviv. But before he even touches down in the host nation, the song has been certified Gold in his native of the Netherlands!
Earlier this week, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has announced that 21 cinemas in the Netherlands will be screening the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year. This, we can assume, is in anticipation of a victory for Duncan Laurence’s “Arcade”. The song topped the odds following its reveal and has remained there ever since. According to Eurovision World, the song has a 27% chance of winning based on betting trends.
Now, before Duncan even hits the stage in Tel Aviv, he has something else to celebrate. The song has been certified Gold in the Netherlands, selling over 40,000 copies since its release. In addition, the song has amassed over 11.5 million streams.
Who is Duncan Laurence?
24-year-old singer-songwriter Duncan Laurence graduated from the Fontys Rock Academy in Tilburg last year. He studied there as a singer, songwriter and producer and, during his studies, he also gained experience in London and Stockholm.
Duncan participated in The Voice of Holland back in 2014. He was in Ilse DeLange’s team and was eliminated just before the final. Ilse was also the one who told AVROTROS about the song they have chosen to represent the country in 2019. She Common Linnets star will join Duncan in Tel Aviv, having acted as a mentor throughout his career thus far.
In recent years The Netherlands have sent well-known artists to Eurovision. Duncan Laurence hasn’t release any music yet, making Eurovision his big break-through.
The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest
The Netherlands debuted at Eurovision at the first edition of the contest in 1956 in Lugano. Since its debut, it has only missed four contests: 1985, 1991, 1995 and 2002). The Dutch have won the competition four times: 1957, 1959, 1969 and 1975. They also hosted the 1980 contest after 1979 champions Israel declined to host for the second year in a row.
Following the introduction of the semi-final system in 2004, the Netherlands began a rough patch in their participation history. They failed to qualify for every grand final between 2005 and 2012, placing last for the first time ever in 2011.
However, in 2013, a fresh approach brought the Dutch delegation a much-needed boost in momentum. They retired their long running national selection, Nationaal Songfestival, and instead internally-selected alt-folk chanteuse Anouk. Her entry, “Birds”, placed 9th and has remained a fan favourite since.
Since 2013, the Dutch have qualified for 4/5 contests. With this success in mind, they took a risk by selecting an unknown name, which has paid off so far. Could this risk bring them their first Eurovision win since 1975? Time will tell.
Are you happy to see Arcade’s commercial success? Do you think Duncan will end up claiming a long-awaited fifth victory for The Netherlands? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! We’ll also be posting plenty of content on our YouTube in the run up to Tel Aviv!
