After Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper faced criticism following the first live performances of “Burning Daylight”, songfestival.be reports that AVROTROS may consider returning to a national final for the first time since 2012. Eric van Stade, broadcasting director at AVROTROS and member of the Eurovision selection committee, implied this in a recent interview with Dutch outlet ANP.
Mia & Dion’s Controversy
At the recent Eurovision preparty circuit, fans and media had the opportunity to hear “Burning Daylight” live for the first time. Fans were disappointed by the pair’s vocal abilities and noted that they were out of sync with each other; video clips from their performance at Amsterdam’s Eurovision in Concert went viral. The Dutch media and public have expressed concern over this year’s selection.
AVROTROS has already confirmed that the pair will receive extra coaching, and 2019 winner Duncan Laurence, who contributed to the song, recently announced that he is postponing his own music releases in order to devote his energy to Mia and Dion.
The Netherlands’ Selection Process
The Netherlands has opted for an internal selection for the past ten years. Their first internal selection in that run, Anouk, successfully qualified the Netherlands to the final after a long slump in results, placing ninth with her song “Birds”. Since then, the Netherlands have only missed one Grand Final.
Prior to this, the Netherlands failed to qualify for any Grand Final between 2005 and 2012.
Van Stade revealed to ANP that a national final is discussed every year, as the broadcaster reevaluates the previous year’s results, but “until now, we thought it was more sensible to stay on the path we were on.” As concern mounts about Mia and Dion’s performance, van Stade noted that “after this year’s contest, we’ll of course have that discussion again,” and that this year it will be taken “very seriously”. Should Mia and Dion qualify to this year’s final, AVROTROS may choose to continue internally selecting their artist.
And they may choose to continue internally selecting regardless. They opted to continue internal selections even after Trijntje Oosterhuis’ non-qualification in 2015, and the internal selection has brought them a second place (in 2014) and a win (in 2019) in the past decade. However, Mia and Dion’s result will certainly prompt further strategic discussions regardless of how they place.
About Mia & Dion
Michaja Nicolai, professionally known as Mia Nicolai, was born in Amsterdam but has lived in London, Melbourne, and New York City. She now resides in Los Angeles. The daughter of composer Marynka Nicolaï-Krylova, Mia began drama and dance classes at the age of three, which sparked a later interest in music. She has been releasing music since 2018.
Dion Cooper grew up near The Hague, the son of a funk drummer who introduced him to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Earth, Wind, & Fire. He participated in the 2015 edition of The Voice of Holland, and released his first EP in 2021 before supporting Eurovision 2019 winner Duncan Laurence on tour.
The Netherlands’ Eurovision Journey
The Netherlands is one of the founding countries of the ESC, having performed the very first song ever on the Eurovision stage back in 1956. While the result of “De Vogels van Holland” is unknown, the Netherlands have since clocked 5 wins, with their most recent in 2019. However the Netherlands are also known to have had the longest ever non qualification streak in the Semi final era- they missed out on the final a whopping 8 times between 2005-2012. In 2022, S10 represented the nation with “De Diepte” – the first song in Dutch in over 12 years. The Netherlands qualified for the final, where it reached 11th place, with 171 points from the juries and televoters. This year, duo Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper are due to represent the country with their song “Burning Daylight”, penned by 2019 winner Duncan Laurence.
Do you think the Netherlands should return to a national final format? Will Mia and Dion rise above their preparty performance and deliver in Liverpool? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow That Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
News Source: songfestival.be
Photo Credit: AVROTROS
Georgia Garnett