Previewing the Entrants of Eurovision 2019 – Part Twenty-Eight: The Netherlands

Hello everyone and welcome to another post on The Blogging DJ, where we will be continuing to look in-depth at each of the forty-one competing entries for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. In this part, we are off to Amsterdam, to discuss the entry from The Netherlands, Duncan Laurence and “Arcade”. It is a big favourite at the moment, so will it maintain its momentum into the Grand Final in Tel Aviv?

Selection Process

As they have done ever since their fortunes improved in the contest a few years ago, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS internally selected their entry. Duncan Laurence was announced as their representative on the 21st of January, with “Arcade” released to the public on the 7th of March. It has also been announced that The Netherlands will perform late on in semi-final two, in slot number sixteen.

Music Video

The Blogging DJ’s Review

In a very average year, where many countries have played very safe with their song selection, there is a reason why The Netherlands stands out. Pitched perfectly, it is a modern ballad that feels more fluid than structured, flowing along with the emotion of the song. I’m sure that many listeners can relate to the lyrics (“Loving you is a losing game”), especially when you can tell the words are being sung from a far deeper place than in many of his contemporaries. It is a very good listen, the rousing final minute of the song invites the audience to clap along and was performed very well in recent live performances. From a personal perspective, it lacks the unique “WOW” factor of previous winners. However, with everyone playing safe, this is the highest quality song of the competition and I would be happy if this won. 9

Live Performance Video

Odds

According to Oddschecker, this song is the bookie’s favourite across the whole of Europe. You can get odds on The Netherlands winning Eurovision 2019 from 7/5, with the highest at only 7/4. This suggests that it will be a safe act to bet on, but there may be better options to win with higher odds.

Record at Eurovision

The Netherlands have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest on an impressive fifty-nine occasions, performing in the Grand Final in fifty of those years. They have won the contest on four occasions, 1957 (Corry Brokken), 1959 (Teddy Scholten), 1969 (Lenny Kuhr) and finally in 1975, with Teach-In and “Ding-a-Dong”. Last year Waylon, who came second as part of the duet The Common Linnets in 2014, returned as a soloist with his song “Outlaw in ‘Em”. He managed to get The Netherlands to the Grand Final for the fifth time in six years, finishing in eighteenth overall.

So what do you make of the Dutch entry for Eurovision 2019? Is it as clear cut a winner as the bookmakers believe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below! Stay updated for more Eurovision-themed articles coming out in the weeks leading up to the contest by subscribing to the site and to the site’s Twitter account (@thebloggingdj).