Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus
Heddy Lester At the age of 72, Dutch singer and actress Heddy Lester passed away. Heddy Lester is especially known in The Netherlands for representing the Netherlands in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest. Carreer pre-eurovision Heddy Lester started her carreer in 1971, when she had a huge hit in The Netherlands with the “Railroad song” as half of the duo April Shower. The duo also toured throughout the USA. Since 1974 Heddy performed solo and in 1977 she won the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. De Mallemolen “De mallemolen” was composed by Heddy’s brother Frank Affolter. After the Eurovision Song Contest Heddy has been seen especially in theatres. The last role she played was in the Dutch movie “Groeten van Gerri”, where she played the role of a mother. There have been times when she didn’t want to sing “De mallemolen”. She wanted to concentrate on other things in her carreer. The last few years she embraced the song again. In The Netherlands it became a Eurovision classic.
About Quick Facts NameDion Cuiper Born29 November 1993 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Mia Nicolai, 2023) Biography Dion Cuiper is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2020 with the release of the EP “Too young, too dumb”. In 2021, he signed at Duncan Laurence‘s Yellow Field Publising at Sony ATV. In October and November of that year he opened for Duncan Laurence in his Dutch tour.In February 2022, Dion released a new single called “Know”. In april of the same year he opened for Benedict Cork and on 5 May he performed at the annual Bevrijdingsfestival. On 29 September 2022, his new single “Blue jeans” was released.On 1 November 2022, it was announced that Dion and Mia Nicolai are going to represent the Netherlands in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. On March 1st 2023, the song “Burning Daylight” found it’s première. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (with Mia Nicolai) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameMichaja Nicolaï Born07 March 1996 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Dion Cooper, 2023) Biography Mia Nicolai is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam of a Russian mother and a Dutch father. Mia attended music school in London, and moved to Melbourne after that. Back in Amsterdam, she released a song called “At last”. Mia currently lives in Los Angeles, where she released two singles in 2020: “Set me free” and “Mutual needs”. She created a lyric video vor “Set me free”, while She also released a 3 episode documentary about herself. In 2021, the songs were followed by “People pleaser”, a cooperation with Jordan Garfield, the boyfriend and partner of Duncan Laurence. The song got the support of Billboard. On 18 May 2022, she stated on Instagram “6 months from now a project very very dear to me will be out in the world and it’s gonna blow the f upppp!”. Half a year later, it was announced that she and Dion Cooper are going to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song was “Burning daylight”. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (With Dion Cooper) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song. There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo. Their song will be released on a later point in time.
Save the date!! Friday 28 October, Café Peanuts in Tilburg is organizing a Eurovision Night. The night is organized in collaboration with OGAE Netherlands, Songfestivalweblog and Eurovision Universe. You can enjoy the most danceable songs from Eurovision Histor. There will also be a sing-a-long and you can show your karaoke qualities. The icing on the cake of this great event will be a performance of Justine Pelmelay. Justine represented the Netherlands in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. Of course she will sing her Eurovision song “Blijf zoals je bent. The event starts at 20:00, but doors are open from 19:00. Café Peanuts can be found at Stadhuisstraat 19 in Tilburg and the entrance is free.
©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk. Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”. After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”. Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC
Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Iceland Lithuania Moldova United Kingdom
Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s Tears, but less strong. It’s gonna be hard for Switzerland, but it is possible. Ukraine, because…. it’s Ukraine. The country is the hot favourite to even win the final. The Netherlands, S10 manages to tell the people where she sings about. Even in Dutch! Portugal: You can’t explain “Saudade” in any other language. MARO explains it by music. Not a sure qualifier, but we think it will. Greece; there is no such a song in Eurovision this year. It is unique and the act is strong. Norway, because every year needs an act like this. People vote for yellow masked wolves. Armenia: The song is strong, the singing is strong, the act is strong….. it has written final all over! But of course, we wish all the artists good luck. Tomorrow, by this time, we will know more….
Today we had the opportunity to talk to Stien den Hollander. You know her better as S10, the Dutch candidate for the festival in Turin. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it from the start, of course, and we really just wanted to see all of your faces too,” S10 explains why she’s so curious about the fan media. Not a lot of choreogrography The conversation soon came to the rehearsals: “Of course there are some problems with the sun, I think everyone suffers from that. So do we, but not too much because our act was also quite intimate and small.”, says S10 light-hearted. “We’ve actually built the show in a way that I’m very free in where I look and stand,” the singer explains about the act. “So there’s not a lot of choreography in terms of looking. When the camera is very close to me, I look into it and that feels nice to me. Then I enclose myself completely and I actually do things for the people at home. Not like Now I have to look here and oh yes, now I have to look there, that would really be a bit too much for me.” I couldn’t wait “I also saw the stand-in rehearsal”, the singer said, “That was crazy. They pick out someone who looks a bit like you, so it was a blonde girl too, but she was pretty sultry and pretty sexy. She had quite a sexy interpretation of “De diepte”, which I really liked, because it was something different. It was good to see because then you really see: oh yes, we made this and now she is performing it there.” “I wasn’t nervous at all for the first rehearsal. It was also nice because it was still quite private. It just felt really good. The very first rehearsal went really well for me. We could just really do some stuff. I am of course completely in my own focus. I look into the camera and i don’t see what’s happening behind me. We had the first rehearsal on Saturday and the second rehearsal on Wednesday and I couldn’t wait for Wednesday. I really wanted to get on that stage again.” Small theaters S10 also looked ahead, because she possibly can end up high in the contest. So, what would be next? “It is quite difficult to estimate that. Thinking: the higher you finish, the bigger your career i think can be or become abroad. I would like, if I finish high, for example to do a tour through Europe end of this year, but especially the small theaters in Paris or Berlin, for example, a bit underground. I wouldn’t fly to LA to sign a contract there.” Music first and rock and roll never dies And who does she think, will win? “If there is someone I would really like to see win, it is Sam Ryder. I just think he is so nice and so sympathetic and such an appearance. Still find it quite difficult to place all Eurovision candidates in a sort of ranking. I feel like there were about five artists last year who we thought: yes, they can all win. I think i can really see Sam Ryder winning.”And if S10 would win herself, what would she say? “I still don’t really have a plan for that. Maybe I’ll just say ‘Music first’ and ‘Rock and roll never dies’, just a copy of the other artists who won.”
Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus
Heddy Lester At the age of 72, Dutch singer and actress Heddy Lester passed away. Heddy Lester is especially known in The Netherlands for representing the Netherlands in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest. Carreer pre-eurovision Heddy Lester started her carreer in 1971, when she had a huge hit in The Netherlands with the “Railroad song” as half of the duo April Shower. The duo also toured throughout the USA. Since 1974 Heddy performed solo and in 1977 she won the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. De Mallemolen “De mallemolen” was composed by Heddy’s brother Frank Affolter. After the Eurovision Song Contest Heddy has been seen especially in theatres. The last role she played was in the Dutch movie “Groeten van Gerri”, where she played the role of a mother. There have been times when she didn’t want to sing “De mallemolen”. She wanted to concentrate on other things in her carreer. The last few years she embraced the song again. In The Netherlands it became a Eurovision classic.
About Quick Facts NameDion Cuiper Born29 November 1993 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Mia Nicolai, 2023) Biography Dion Cuiper is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2020 with the release of the EP “Too young, too dumb”. In 2021, he signed at Duncan Laurence‘s Yellow Field Publising at Sony ATV. In October and November of that year he opened for Duncan Laurence in his Dutch tour.In February 2022, Dion released a new single called “Know”. In april of the same year he opened for Benedict Cork and on 5 May he performed at the annual Bevrijdingsfestival. On 29 September 2022, his new single “Blue jeans” was released.On 1 November 2022, it was announced that Dion and Mia Nicolai are going to represent the Netherlands in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. On March 1st 2023, the song “Burning Daylight” found it’s première. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (with Mia Nicolai) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameMichaja Nicolaï Born07 March 1996 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Dion Cooper, 2023) Biography Mia Nicolai is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam of a Russian mother and a Dutch father. Mia attended music school in London, and moved to Melbourne after that. Back in Amsterdam, she released a song called “At last”. Mia currently lives in Los Angeles, where she released two singles in 2020: “Set me free” and “Mutual needs”. She created a lyric video vor “Set me free”, while She also released a 3 episode documentary about herself. In 2021, the songs were followed by “People pleaser”, a cooperation with Jordan Garfield, the boyfriend and partner of Duncan Laurence. The song got the support of Billboard. On 18 May 2022, she stated on Instagram “6 months from now a project very very dear to me will be out in the world and it’s gonna blow the f upppp!”. Half a year later, it was announced that she and Dion Cooper are going to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song was “Burning daylight”. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (With Dion Cooper) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song. There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo. Their song will be released on a later point in time.
Save the date!! Friday 28 October, Café Peanuts in Tilburg is organizing a Eurovision Night. The night is organized in collaboration with OGAE Netherlands, Songfestivalweblog and Eurovision Universe. You can enjoy the most danceable songs from Eurovision Histor. There will also be a sing-a-long and you can show your karaoke qualities. The icing on the cake of this great event will be a performance of Justine Pelmelay. Justine represented the Netherlands in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. Of course she will sing her Eurovision song “Blijf zoals je bent. The event starts at 20:00, but doors are open from 19:00. Café Peanuts can be found at Stadhuisstraat 19 in Tilburg and the entrance is free.
©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk. Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”. After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”. Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC
Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Iceland Lithuania Moldova United Kingdom
Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s Tears, but less strong. It’s gonna be hard for Switzerland, but it is possible. Ukraine, because…. it’s Ukraine. The country is the hot favourite to even win the final. The Netherlands, S10 manages to tell the people where she sings about. Even in Dutch! Portugal: You can’t explain “Saudade” in any other language. MARO explains it by music. Not a sure qualifier, but we think it will. Greece; there is no such a song in Eurovision this year. It is unique and the act is strong. Norway, because every year needs an act like this. People vote for yellow masked wolves. Armenia: The song is strong, the singing is strong, the act is strong….. it has written final all over! But of course, we wish all the artists good luck. Tomorrow, by this time, we will know more….
Today we had the opportunity to talk to Stien den Hollander. You know her better as S10, the Dutch candidate for the festival in Turin. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it from the start, of course, and we really just wanted to see all of your faces too,” S10 explains why she’s so curious about the fan media. Not a lot of choreogrography The conversation soon came to the rehearsals: “Of course there are some problems with the sun, I think everyone suffers from that. So do we, but not too much because our act was also quite intimate and small.”, says S10 light-hearted. “We’ve actually built the show in a way that I’m very free in where I look and stand,” the singer explains about the act. “So there’s not a lot of choreography in terms of looking. When the camera is very close to me, I look into it and that feels nice to me. Then I enclose myself completely and I actually do things for the people at home. Not like Now I have to look here and oh yes, now I have to look there, that would really be a bit too much for me.” I couldn’t wait “I also saw the stand-in rehearsal”, the singer said, “That was crazy. They pick out someone who looks a bit like you, so it was a blonde girl too, but she was pretty sultry and pretty sexy. She had quite a sexy interpretation of “De diepte”, which I really liked, because it was something different. It was good to see because then you really see: oh yes, we made this and now she is performing it there.” “I wasn’t nervous at all for the first rehearsal. It was also nice because it was still quite private. It just felt really good. The very first rehearsal went really well for me. We could just really do some stuff. I am of course completely in my own focus. I look into the camera and i don’t see what’s happening behind me. We had the first rehearsal on Saturday and the second rehearsal on Wednesday and I couldn’t wait for Wednesday. I really wanted to get on that stage again.” Small theaters S10 also looked ahead, because she possibly can end up high in the contest. So, what would be next? “It is quite difficult to estimate that. Thinking: the higher you finish, the bigger your career i think can be or become abroad. I would like, if I finish high, for example to do a tour through Europe end of this year, but especially the small theaters in Paris or Berlin, for example, a bit underground. I wouldn’t fly to LA to sign a contract there.” Music first and rock and roll never dies And who does she think, will win? “If there is someone I would really like to see win, it is Sam Ryder. I just think he is so nice and so sympathetic and such an appearance. Still find it quite difficult to place all Eurovision candidates in a sort of ranking. I feel like there were about five artists last year who we thought: yes, they can all win. I think i can really see Sam Ryder winning.”And if S10 would win herself, what would she say? “I still don’t really have a plan for that. Maybe I’ll just say ‘Music first’ and ‘Rock and roll never dies’, just a copy of the other artists who won.”
Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus
Heddy Lester At the age of 72, Dutch singer and actress Heddy Lester passed away. Heddy Lester is especially known in The Netherlands for representing the Netherlands in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest. Carreer pre-eurovision Heddy Lester started her carreer in 1971, when she had a huge hit in The Netherlands with the “Railroad song” as half of the duo April Shower. The duo also toured throughout the USA. Since 1974 Heddy performed solo and in 1977 she won the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. De Mallemolen “De mallemolen” was composed by Heddy’s brother Frank Affolter. After the Eurovision Song Contest Heddy has been seen especially in theatres. The last role she played was in the Dutch movie “Groeten van Gerri”, where she played the role of a mother. There have been times when she didn’t want to sing “De mallemolen”. She wanted to concentrate on other things in her carreer. The last few years she embraced the song again. In The Netherlands it became a Eurovision classic.
About Quick Facts NameDion Cuiper Born29 November 1993 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Mia Nicolai, 2023) Biography Dion Cuiper is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2020 with the release of the EP “Too young, too dumb”. In 2021, he signed at Duncan Laurence‘s Yellow Field Publising at Sony ATV. In October and November of that year he opened for Duncan Laurence in his Dutch tour.In February 2022, Dion released a new single called “Know”. In april of the same year he opened for Benedict Cork and on 5 May he performed at the annual Bevrijdingsfestival. On 29 September 2022, his new single “Blue jeans” was released.On 1 November 2022, it was announced that Dion and Mia Nicolai are going to represent the Netherlands in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. On March 1st 2023, the song “Burning Daylight” found it’s première. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (with Mia Nicolai) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan Garfield BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameMichaja Nicolaï Born07 March 1996 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Dion Cooper, 2023) Biography Mia Nicolai is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam of a Russian mother and a Dutch father. Mia attended music school in London, and moved to Melbourne after that. Back in Amsterdam, she released a song called “At last”. Mia currently lives in Los Angeles, where she released two singles in 2020: “Set me free” and “Mutual needs”. She created a lyric video vor “Set me free”, while She also released a 3 episode documentary about herself. In 2021, the songs were followed by “People pleaser”, a cooperation with Jordan Garfield, the boyfriend and partner of Duncan Laurence. The song got the support of Billboard. On 18 May 2022, she stated on Instagram “6 months from now a project very very dear to me will be out in the world and it’s gonna blow the f upppp!”. Half a year later, it was announced that she and Dion Cooper are going to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song was “Burning daylight”. It was a difficult path to the final, as performances in Madrid and Amsterdam were not good. Shortly before Eurovision, the song was made 1 1/2 octave higher to fit it to their voices. It didn’t help, Mia and Dion didn’t make it to the final. Entries Burning Daylight (With Dion Cooper) Country🇳🇱 The Netherlands Year2023 LanguageEnglish LyricsDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten MusicDuncan LaurenceJordan GarfieldMia NicolaïDion CooperLoek van der Grinten BackingsRachell MelanieKatie van SteenisKris Rietveld Results Semi Points: 7Position: 13Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/3XAsam043OY
On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song. There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at AvroTros said “their voices work beautifully together”. At least there’s one small hint: Duncan Laurence, and his partner Jordan Garfield, wrote the song together with the duo. Their song will be released on a later point in time.
Save the date!! Friday 28 October, Café Peanuts in Tilburg is organizing a Eurovision Night. The night is organized in collaboration with OGAE Netherlands, Songfestivalweblog and Eurovision Universe. You can enjoy the most danceable songs from Eurovision Histor. There will also be a sing-a-long and you can show your karaoke qualities. The icing on the cake of this great event will be a performance of Justine Pelmelay. Justine represented the Netherlands in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. Of course she will sing her Eurovision song “Blijf zoals je bent. The event starts at 20:00, but doors are open from 19:00. Café Peanuts can be found at Stadhuisstraat 19 in Tilburg and the entrance is free.
©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk. Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first EP, “Antipsychotica”, was released in 2017. She already self-released it in 2016. It caught the attention of rapper Jiggy Djé. He helped her by letting her sign a contract at his record label Noah’s Ark. She also released the 2nd EP, “Lithium”. After completing highschool in 2018, she studied at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht. In 2019, her debut album “Snowsniper” was released. The album was rewarded an Edison Award in 2020. In november of that year, her second album “Vlinders” was released. It became a success in the Dutch album charts. In 2021, Den Hollander scored a hit with the single “Adem je in”. After the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, S10 expressed her wish to go to Eurovision on Twitter: “darlings, how are we going to make sure I can participate in #Eurovision next year??? xx”. It happened, and in 2022 she was the Dutch representative with the song “De diepte”. At the same time, S10 had a hit in The Netherlands in duet with Froukje, “Zonder gezicht”. Entries De diepte Country🇳🇱 Netherlands Year2022 LanguageDutch LyricsStien Den HollanderArno Krabman MusicStien Den HollanderArno Krabman Backings– Results Semi Points: 221Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 171Position: 11Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/sgOnu7ux2-k?si=-avz34zBy_ET6XuC
Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Iceland Lithuania Moldova United Kingdom
Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s Tears, but less strong. It’s gonna be hard for Switzerland, but it is possible. Ukraine, because…. it’s Ukraine. The country is the hot favourite to even win the final. The Netherlands, S10 manages to tell the people where she sings about. Even in Dutch! Portugal: You can’t explain “Saudade” in any other language. MARO explains it by music. Not a sure qualifier, but we think it will. Greece; there is no such a song in Eurovision this year. It is unique and the act is strong. Norway, because every year needs an act like this. People vote for yellow masked wolves. Armenia: The song is strong, the singing is strong, the act is strong….. it has written final all over! But of course, we wish all the artists good luck. Tomorrow, by this time, we will know more….
Today we had the opportunity to talk to Stien den Hollander. You know her better as S10, the Dutch candidate for the festival in Turin. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it from the start, of course, and we really just wanted to see all of your faces too,” S10 explains why she’s so curious about the fan media. Not a lot of choreogrography The conversation soon came to the rehearsals: “Of course there are some problems with the sun, I think everyone suffers from that. So do we, but not too much because our act was also quite intimate and small.”, says S10 light-hearted. “We’ve actually built the show in a way that I’m very free in where I look and stand,” the singer explains about the act. “So there’s not a lot of choreography in terms of looking. When the camera is very close to me, I look into it and that feels nice to me. Then I enclose myself completely and I actually do things for the people at home. Not like Now I have to look here and oh yes, now I have to look there, that would really be a bit too much for me.” I couldn’t wait “I also saw the stand-in rehearsal”, the singer said, “That was crazy. They pick out someone who looks a bit like you, so it was a blonde girl too, but she was pretty sultry and pretty sexy. She had quite a sexy interpretation of “De diepte”, which I really liked, because it was something different. It was good to see because then you really see: oh yes, we made this and now she is performing it there.” “I wasn’t nervous at all for the first rehearsal. It was also nice because it was still quite private. It just felt really good. The very first rehearsal went really well for me. We could just really do some stuff. I am of course completely in my own focus. I look into the camera and i don’t see what’s happening behind me. We had the first rehearsal on Saturday and the second rehearsal on Wednesday and I couldn’t wait for Wednesday. I really wanted to get on that stage again.” Small theaters S10 also looked ahead, because she possibly can end up high in the contest. So, what would be next? “It is quite difficult to estimate that. Thinking: the higher you finish, the bigger your career i think can be or become abroad. I would like, if I finish high, for example to do a tour through Europe end of this year, but especially the small theaters in Paris or Berlin, for example, a bit underground. I wouldn’t fly to LA to sign a contract there.” Music first and rock and roll never dies And who does she think, will win? “If there is someone I would really like to see win, it is Sam Ryder. I just think he is so nice and so sympathetic and such an appearance. Still find it quite difficult to place all Eurovision candidates in a sort of ranking. I feel like there were about five artists last year who we thought: yes, they can all win. I think i can really see Sam Ryder winning.”And if S10 would win herself, what would she say? “I still don’t really have a plan for that. Maybe I’ll just say ‘Music first’ and ‘Rock and roll never dies’, just a copy of the other artists who won.”
Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus
Heddy Lester At the age of 72, Dutch singer and actress Heddy Lester passed away. Heddy Lester is especially known in The Netherlands for representing the Netherlands in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest. Carreer pre-eurovision Heddy Lester started her carreer in 1971, when she had a huge hit in The Netherlands with the “Railroad song” as half of the duo April Shower. The duo also toured throughout the USA. Since 1974 Heddy performed solo and in 1977 she won the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. De Mallemolen “De mallemolen” was composed by Heddy’s brother Frank Affolter. After the Eurovision
About Quick Facts NameDion Cuiper Born29 November 1993 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Mia Nicolai, 2023) Biography Dion Cuiper is a Dutch singer-songwriter. He debuted in 2020 with the release of the EP “Too young, too dumb”. In 2021, he signed at Duncan Laurence‘s Yellow Field Publising at Sony ATV. In October and November of that year he opened for Duncan Laurence in his Dutch tour.In February 2022, Dion released a new single called “Know”. In april of the same year he opened for Benedict Cork and on 5 May he performed at the
© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameMichaja Nicolaï Born07 March 1996 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongBurning Daylight (& Dion Cooper, 2023) Biography Mia Nicolai is a Dutch singer. She was born in Amsterdam of a Russian mother and a Dutch father. Mia attended music school in London, and moved to Melbourne after that. Back in Amsterdam, she released a song called “At last”. Mia currently lives in Los Angeles, where she released two singles in 2020: “Set me free” and “Mutual needs”. She created a lyric video vor “Set me free”, while She also released a
On November first, it was announced that Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper will travel to Liverpool to represent The Netherlands at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The 26-year-old Mia and 28-year-old Dion met about two years ago, when Duncan Laurence, Eurovision 2019 winner brought them together. Their voices blended well together, and they wanted to share the same musical message: “music that allows room for showing vulnerability and emotion. Laurence recommended the two artists to the Dutch selection committee and they unanimously selected the yet to be announced song. There’s still much speculation about the song. The general director at
Save the date!! Friday 28 October, Café Peanuts in Tilburg is organizing a Eurovision Night. The night is organized in collaboration with OGAE Netherlands, Songfestivalweblog and Eurovision Universe. You can enjoy the most danceable songs from Eurovision Histor. There will also be a sing-a-long and you can show your karaoke qualities. The icing on the cake of this great event will be a performance of Justine Pelmelay. Justine represented the Netherlands in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest. Of course she will sing her Eurovision song “Blijf zoals je bent. The event starts at 20:00, but doors are open from 19:00. Café
©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameStien den Hollander Born08 november 2000 Nationality🇳🇱 Dutch National SelectionInternal selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongDe diepte (2022) Biography Stien den Hollander, known professionally as S10, is a Dutch singer, rapper and songwriter. She was born in Abbekerk. Throughout her teenage years, Den Hollander suffered from mental health issues. When she was 14 years old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her songs, her struggle with mental illness was an important theme. Her first two EP’s “Lithium” and “Antipsychotica” even being named after types of psychiatric medication. The first
Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland
Tomorrow, the moment is there. We will have the first semifinal for the Eurovision Song Contest. What does the team of Eurovision Universe think? You will read it here. In fact, we are convinced of a final place for these countries: Albania, after all the fuzz around the act. Song and act are strong, Rona will qualify! Latvia: A song about veggies and (….). Cheerful, colourful and with a very modern topic. Lithuania: The act might not be what Monika wished for, but the song will stand out. Switzerland: The swiss song is in the style of Duncan Laurence and Gjon’s
Today we had the opportunity to talk to Stien den Hollander. You know her better as S10, the Dutch candidate for the festival in Turin. “We’ve been keeping an eye on it from the start, of course, and we really just wanted to see all of your faces too,” S10 explains why she’s so curious about the fan media. Not a lot of choreogrography The conversation soon came to the rehearsals: “Of course there are some problems with the sun, I think everyone suffers from that. So do we, but not too much because our act was also quite intimate and