“Hello mom and dad,” Joost begins his message. ‘I am now in Malmö for the Eurovision Song Contest. It feels very surreal. I think about you a lot.’
Joost was twelve years old when his father died of cancer. Less than a year later he lost his mother to cardiac arrest. The singer processes this trauma in the song ‘Europapa’. Joost continues: ‘Hopefully some people can find recognition or understanding. My darkness will turn into light. Forever your son.’
He previously said in an interview with founder and journalist William Lee Adams that he hopes his parents are proud of him. “I think my mother would be very proud,” he said. “She would laugh silently. My dad would make a lot of jokes about my outfit and how I look. But in a friendly way.”
Just like last year, all rehearsals are behind closed doors. What exactly Joost will show on stage will therefore remain unknown until the dress rehearsal on May 8. However, Eurovision Song Contest organization European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will release some rehearsal images via social media before then. Aran Bade spoke to Joost before departure:
Tags: Joost Klein shares emotional message deceased parents son RTL Boulevard
