Eurovision Song Contest adventure officially starts for Joost Klein

Joost Klein.
Photo: ANP / Sander Koning

The time has come: Joost Klein is boarding a plane today to Malmö, where he will represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest next week. Klein is looking forward to it and has a good feeling about it, he told the press upon departure this morning.

“I expect everything from it and nothing.”

Joost Klein

Klein has decided to take on the “whole adventure”. “I’ve been working on this for a year. I am mainly just very curious and above all very hyped.” In recent weeks, Klein prepared himself in all kinds of ways. “Meditation, lots of air frying, training, abdominal exercises, swimming and lots of exercise,” he summed up. “I’ve sung the song 15,000 times,” he laughed.

It’s a dream come true for Klein. “The dream was to one day be in the Eurovision Song Contest and in a few hours my dream came true. Now that I say it out loud: I already achieved my goal during the rehearsal, so I don’t know if I will finish this adventure,” he joked.

He doesn’t reveal anything about the rehearsal itself. “You’re not going to film a magician’s rehearsals, are you? We have 20 suitcases with us, no joke,” Klein told it Algemeen Dagblad. “I have a lot of clothes with me, I am a fashionista.”

Europapa

On Tuesday, Klein will take the stage for the first time in the Malmö Arena for his first private rehearsal. The second is on Friday and this is also behind closed doors. The Netherlands is in the second semi-final, which is next Thursday.

The song with which Klein goes to the Eurovision Song Contest Europapa, is quite something. A combination of humorous lyrics, catchy party music and another dose of Happy Hardcore. At the end of the song the singer quotes his father in a quieter part. Klein’s parents are both deceased. His father taught him that the world has no boundaries and that boundaries are created by people.

The song received many reactions. Some don’t like it, others love it. Europapa has already been viewed 21 million times. Most of the people were lyrical about Klein’s first live performance, in mid-March in 013 in Tilburg.

“That he brings a deeper layer of poetry in a way and with a musical style that we are not used to. That will help him at the Eurovision Song Contest. Also his honesty, openness, creativity and the fact that he can completely bond with young people. I think he really has a good chance,” Eurovision expert GJ Kooijman concluded at the time good morning Netherlands on NPO 1.

At the bookmakers Europapa In any case, it’s good: Klein’s song is currently in third place. He says nothing about where Klein expects to end up. But: “Someone is going to give twelve points anyway.”