Joost Klein

Joost Klein, widely known as Joost, was born on November 10, 1997, in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. He’s a renowned Dutch musician, writer, and former YouTuber. His notable works include tracks like “Scandinavian Boy,” “Wachtmuziek,” “Ome Robert,” and “Friesenjung,” and albums such as “M van Marketing,” “Albino,” and “1983.” In 2024, he’s set to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.

Growing up in Britsum with his parents, Joost attended Stedelijk Gymnasium Leeuwarden. He experienced significant losses early in life, losing his father in his first year of secondary school and his mother shortly thereafter. In 2008, at the age of 10, Joost started a YouTube channel named EenhoornJoost.

Joost’s career took off with his single “Bitches,” achieving a million views on YouTube. He briefly joined the label Top Notch in 2017-2018 before deciding to establish his own label. The first album released under his label was “Albino” on January 18, 2019. Before that, on October 20, 2017, he released the mixtape “Scandinavian Boy.”

His single “Meeuw” was released on March 21, 2018, with a music video shot in Los Angeles. This was followed by “Ome Robert” on April 26. On August 3, 2018, Joost and Donnie released the album “M van Marketing,” featuring songs like “Stockholm,” “Domme Patta,” “Leipe Dennis,” and “Vogel op de Hek.” Later, on November 2, he released “Chubby,” a track discussing his birthweight, produced by Tantu.

In 2018, Joost also penned the poetry collection “Albino,” inspired by his father, who was also a writer. He expressed the significance of holding a tangible creation, contrasting it with the virtual nature of his YouTube and music work.

Promoting “Albino,” Joost embarked on the “Het gaat niet zo goed” tour on January 25, 2019, visiting nine theaters including Het Paard, De Oosterpoort, Doornroosje, and Paradiso. He concluded the tour on March 3 at Paradiso. During the following summer, he performed at several festivals like Pukkelpop, Pinkpop, Lowlands, and Zwarte Cross. “1983,” an album named after his brother’s birth year, was released on November 15, 2019.

On April 24, 2020, Joost released “Joost Klein 7,” featuring collaborations including Canadian rapper bbno$. In this album, members of Lekker Spelen featured on one of the tracks. “Ik Wil Je,” a remix of De Kreuners’ song, was released on August 7, 2020.

In “Florida 2009,” Joost reflects on his parents’ passing. First performed at Pinkpop 2022, he described it as his most personal and honest track. He released his eighth studio album, “Fryslân,” on September 30, 2022, featuring singles like “Wachtmuziek,” “Florida 2009,” and “Papa en Mama,” entirely produced by Teun de Kruif (Tantu Beats). The album includes collaborations with South African rapper Jack Parow, Pestcore Collectief member Gladde Paling, videographer Appie Mussa (Apson), and YouTuber Nathan Vandergunst (Acid), incorporating samples from Doe Maar and Crazy Frog.

In 2023, Joost’s first German hit “Friesenjung,” made in collaboration with Berlin rapper Ski Aggu and an adaptation of a song by East Frisian comedian Otto Waalkes (itself an adaptation of Sting’s “Englishman in New York”), topped the German charts. He released more songs in the gabberpop genre and participated in the Flemish TV show “De Slimste Mens ter Wereld,” where he was eliminated after two episodes.

On social media, Joost’s presence evolved from making YouTube videos under the name EenhoornJoost, featuring sketches and mini-documentaries, to focusing solely on music videos under the name joost klein. Joost Klein has amassed over 225,000 subscribers on YouTube, with his videos garnering more than 23 million views. However, he doesn’t consider himself a YouTuber anymore, having shifted his focus from creating general content to exclusively music videos. He identifies more as an artist. On Instagram, he has gained a substantial following, with over 385,000 followers, reflecting his growing popularity and influence in the digital realm.

Joost was one of 600 candidates aspiring to represent the Netherlands at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Supported by 3FM DJs, he gathered 25,000 signatures displayed on a banner at the entrance of the Media Park in Hilversum, in front of Beeld & Geluid. On December 11, 2023, he was officially chosen as the Dutch singer. On February 29, 2024, he presented his Eurovision song “Europapa”.

After reaching the final on the 9th of May, an incident occured between Joost Klein and a lady of the camera crew. Although Joost was not found guilty, EBU thought it was necessary to disqualify him. After Eurovision, Joost’s “Europapa” reached the first place in three countries and became a hit in many European countries. “Europapa” even reached the British charts, as the first Dutch language song ever.