The Netherlands: Daniël Dekker critiques AVROTROS and the selection process for Eurovision 2023!

Daniël Dekker, radio presenter and former member of the Dutch selection committee for Eurovision, spoke to Story magazine and critiqued AVROTROS for the Dutch Eurovision 2023 entry!

The radio presenter was part of the selection committee that brought great results for The Netherlands over the last decade, including a victory in 2019. He is not a part of the jury ever since, and he expressed his disappointment with the selection of Mia & Dion by the broadcaster for Eurovision 2023.

“In my time, it would have been unthinkable that those same artists would only perform at a pre-party, like in Barcelona, for the first time. We knew that artists as Anouk, Waylon, Ilse DeLange and Trijntje Oosterhuis could sing. But you also want to hear them perform the song. And with Duncan, who was less known to us, I went into the studio. Ilse, who mentored him, was there too. When I heard him sing “Arcade”, I knew that it was good. More than good.”

Mia & Dion was the first Dutch act that failed to qualify in almost a decade. Daniël expressed his disappointment by the way they were treated by local media, stating that no other artist in the future should have to deal with such media coverage.

Despite AVROTROS’s efforts to work on vocal problems that Mia & Dion faced, even having the former winner and composer of “Burning Daylight,” Duncan Laurence as their mentor, Mia and Dion failed to secure a ticket to the Grand Final, finishing in 13th place in the first semi-final with only seven points. Moreover, the country’s non-qualification also had an impact on viewership, marking a significant decline compared to 2022.

A selection method for the Eurovision 2024 entry is yet to be decided, while the return of a national final to select the Dutch entry will be discussed, with many people including commentator Cornald Maas being against this selection process.

Source: Story