Prior to releasing the acclaimed video for “Arcade” back in March, Duncan Laurence had never released a song commercially. Now, Duncan has released an acoustic version of his Eurovision-winning song. The version is reminiscent of the demo that was floating around on the internet in the past couple of years.
It has been two months since Duncan Laurence won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with “Arcade”. The song had previously existed in a more stripped-back demo form, prior to the official version being released in March. The version is accompanied by a new visual, reminiscent of the official video.
Since the contest, the song has been certified double-platinum in the Netherlands. He has also embarked on a European tour and is currently work on his debut album.
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. The Common Linnets star joined 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 hadn’t released any music prior to the contest, making Eurovision his big break-through. He of course went on to win the contest and has been touring across the continent since.
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 5/6 contests. With this success in mind, they took a risk by selecting an unknown name, which paid of massively. Duncan won the contest with 498 points, having placed second in the televote and third in the jury vote.
What do you think about his version of Arcade? Are you looking forward to next year’s contest? 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!
