Second to last act to come up on the stage are Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper from Netherlands with their balad “Burning Daylight”.
Who are Mia & Dion?
Mia Nicolai is 26 years old and she grew up with music. She has been taking violin and piano lessons since the age of three and received a very creative upbringing from her family, with drama, ballet, music and storytelling. After living in London, Melbourne and Mexico, she moved to Los Angeles where she resides permanetley. Her first single titled “Set Me Free” was released in 2020.
Dion Cooper is a 28 year old and he has always dreamed of becoming an artist and making music. He picked up a guitar at the age of fifteen and he has never put it down ever since. In the following years, he began to sing and write his own music and in 2021 released hus first EP called “Too Young Too Dumb” making a million streams on music platforms.
Among the writing team of the song “Burning Daylight” was the Dutch winner of Eurovision 2019 Duncan Laurence. The song made a huge impression on the entire selection jury, being unanimously chosen as the Dutch entry for this year’s Eurovision.
The Rehearsal
Unfortunately this year, accredited journalists don’t get the chance to watch the first and second rehearsals, so we only get the information and content that the organizers officially release to the public.
As we know so far, Mia and Dion are standing on a small revolving stage, it penetrates a beautiful effect as they move around each other against the backdrop of spotlights in the arena. It’s a complex camera set-up that makes the whole performance feel really intimate. There is a harmony on their voices compared to the staging and the outfits that makes that really special and powerful that everyone will have goosebumps.
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Below you can watch a small clip from the Dutch second rehearsal, once it’s published on YouTube:
The Dress Rehearsal for Netherlands and the rest of Semi Final 1 will be held on the 8th of May.
Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Liverpool:
Eurovision in Concert 2023 took place in AFAS Live in Amsterdam, last night, with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.
The concert was hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.
The artists that performed last night were the following:
Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija
Balcan sounds and consistent vocals is what we got from Albina and the Kelmendi Family! Might be the suprise entry of this year.
Armenia – Brunette
Brunette singing about her Future Lover with ethereal vocals and the crowds singing along. Beautiful performance!
Australia – Voyager
Voyager give what they promise! Rock and electronic sounds, so 2025! What is concerning though, is that even though their song is supposed to be very uplifting, the crowd was too static. Also falsetto was not always on point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx73Q68eWwU
Austria – Teya & Salena
That’s not a song where you can show off some unreal vocals, however it’s the song that will definitely make you dance! And Teya & Salena deliver, solid vocals and much much fun! One of my personal favourites and if you ask me, a finalist and highly likely a Top5 entry!
Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX
TuralTuranX “tell us more” about their entry this year, however I’m still not getting it. A song that I could listen to the radio without complaining, but wouldn’t catch my eye/ear at the contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiT0RvJPn0
Belgium – Gustaph
The queerest entry of the year! His vocals are as good as the studio version! He is a fun guy! This is the kind of entries that I would like to qualify, even though that’s not the style of songs that I normally listen to!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgx-CPHRx5A
Czechia – Vesna
I can only comment on their vocals. They were okay. However, this entry started off as a potential winner, but I’m not getting that vibe, at least not yet. But hey! It’s just a party performance! Let’s wait for their contest rehearsals!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocNlkxpxdg
Denmark – Reiley
Danish heart-throb Reiley, had his best performance to date. Some minor vocal issues, but overall a nice performance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuT–QEIyag
Estonia – Alika
Nice song and great vocals! But for me, it’s no more than just that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Estonia got disqualified.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UKYFFFWjgU
Finland – Käärijä
Normally, that’s a song that I can’t stand listening to for more than 10 seconds. Strangely, combined to his eccentric looks and his super nice personality, I could now handle listening to his entire Amsterdam performance! Personal opinion aside, I can totally see why this is a contender for the win.
France – La Zarra
Unfortunately, after a statement in her personal Twitter account, La Zarra announced that she has to cancel her appearance in Amsterdam, due to personal circumstances.
Bonsoir à tous, malheureusement suite à un problème personnel survenu ce soir, c’est avec regret que La zarra ne pourra pas se produire au concert prévu à Amsterdam. Merci à tous de votre compréhension 🇫🇷
I can’t be objective, I don’t like this style of music. I can only be objective about their vocal abilities, which are on point I must admit!
Iceland – Diljá
That’s a song that I would add to my daily playlist, however, this song lacks something that I still don’t know what it is! Diljá’s voice is great admitedly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjjsWy1R93k
Ireland – Wild Youth
“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” x “Ritmo De La Noche” x “We Are One” would be a great mashup! I low-key like this song and I loved their Amsterdam performance. But something tells me that they will struggle to qualify this year. Let’s see what happens!
Latvia – Sudden Lights
Another performance that sounds exactly like the recorded version of their song! I didn’t see the love from the AFAS Live crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qFm5Wtkgg
Lithuania – Monika Linkytė
Monika definitely sounds even better than the studio version of the song. She will try to claim a high placement in the rankings of the jury voting in this year’s contest! In the beginning I didn’t quite like “Stay“, I can now say that I love her vocals on this track!
Malta – The Busker
They were not bad, not at all sounding bad live, but were they as good as it needs to be to qualify to the final show of Eurovision Song Contest? Song-wise I think not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIswu3YrrfU
Moldova – Pasha Parfeni
Despite the technical issues with his Madrid performance, Pasha, the Moldovan 2012 representative and returning artist of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, managed to pull off his performance. Great vocals and energy overall!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LsW-dA_0U
Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper
It’s really sad to see my 2nd place to perform questionably in their own country’s party concert. Their vocals sound a bit off at times and as a duo their vocals don’t seem to connect on their live performance. I hope they fix it till their semi-final, I don’t want to see them become the shocking non-qualifier of the year.
Norway – Alessandra
Very much improved vocally, Alessandra, gets carried away by the strength of her song and her fans are absolutely loving it! The whistle note was so-so. She will improve, I am sure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F97_a4eMpK0
Romania – Theodor Andrei
Theodor has a nice voice, but this song is totally “Off and On” so one would either like it or not. I don’t.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyin57pzpcc
San Marino – Piqued Jacks
Their are very very good vocally. Their lead vocalist sounds like Klaus Meine, frontman of Scorpions band. Their song is not at all bad after all.
Slovenia – Joker Out
I simply love this band and this song! One of my favourites! I love how they sound in each and every appearance they make before the contest. I hope they continue delivering up until the Eurovision finals!
Spain – Blanca Paloma
A blend of flamenco and modern sounds, bringing Spanish tradition to 2023. Her vocals are absolutely amazing. I just don’t get the hype around this entry, it is a great entry for Spain, but definitely not a top 3 entry as many fans are claiming over at social media!
Sweden – Loreen
Her vocals are out of this world! Another amazing performance of the former Eurovision 2012 winner and potential 2023 winner! And for those that claim that she sings with the assistance of an Auto-Tune device, I can assure you that even when she rehearsed in the corridors of Malmö Arena or Friends Arena during the Melodifestivalen season, she sounded exactly the same, or even better than the studio version! My winner for sure!
Switzerland – Remo Forrer
I absolutely love his Amsterdam (and every single one of his) live performance! I can’t wait to see this song complete and staged and Remo joined by his four dancers! I think he will qualify! But let’s wait and see!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsRTZ5sPcA
Ukraine – TVORCHI
I love TVORCHI and their song and their Amsterdam performance. They sounded really really good, I am a fan of their style of music, but I don’t see this entry winning. Let’s see another country winning this year!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOFkzKOkc_k
United Kingdom – Mae Muller
Come on, she doesn’t sound as atrocious as most of the Twitter people claim. And at least she enjoys it and the crowd loves her! I hope she will do much better in Liverpool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMepsNxZUU
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!
https://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/loreen-eurovision-in-concert-2023-e1681674665692.jpeg8561284Andreas Papayiannakishttp://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/eurovision-fun-transparent-1-3.pngAndreas Papayiannakis2023-04-16 18:41:142023-04-16 23:37:49The Netherlands: All the performances of “Eurovision in Concert 2023”!
Earlier today, we had the chance to listen to the two Dutch representatives Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper, performing their song “Buring Daylight”live, through their official TikTok accounts!
In the first video, we can listen to the two young singers performing the chorus of their song, while in the second one, we can see Mia Nicolai performing her solo verse:
Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper with their song “Burning Daylight” hope to continue the country’s qualification streak and the positive results of recent years! As of now, the Netherlands is placed 10th in the odds for qualifying to the final.
The Netherlands is competing in number 14 of the running order of the First Semi-Final of Eurovision 2023, in May 9, 2023.
You can watch the reaction of the editors of Eurovisionfun, reacting and commenting on the Dutch entry for Eurovision 2023 below:
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Dutch participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!
https://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Mia-Dion.jpg10762048Spyros Koronakishttp://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/eurovision-fun-transparent-1-3.pngSpyros Koronakis2023-04-01 18:29:192023-04-01 18:29:19Netherlands: Watch Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper’s first live performance of “Burning Daylight”!
The experienced Dutch commentator of Eurovision, Cornald Maas, voiced on Twitter his negative attitude towards the possibility of hosting a national final for the selection of the future representatives of the Netherlands.
In response to Dutch sociologist Sjors Joosten’s article, published in NRC Handelsblad, arguing that the Netherlands should follow Sweden’s example and organize a Melodifestivalen-style national final, Cornald Maas stated:
Hear hear? I would say: think think. Leaving out the upcoming competition: All (Dutch) national finals since 2004 have resulted in only a single qualification to the final. From 2013 onwards (internal selection), we are always in the final. Or maybe you just want an orange national celebration?
Nou ja, nu is het een heel select groepje dat kiest; er valt best wel wat te zeggen voor een democratischer methode.
In a subsequent tweet, after having being asked why the selection method is not democratic anymore,he commented the following:
It doesn’t work at the moment if we want to guarantee quality. The music industry is not willing to participate in a national final in the Netherlands, unlike in Sweden. Even “in the background”, big/good names with good songs do not want to compete here, as it has been proven more than once.
Werkt niet vooralsnog, als je kwaliteit wil waarborgen. Bij nationale selectie in NL werkt muziekindustrie niet of nauwelijks mee, anders dan in Zweden. Zelfs ‘backstage’ willen grote/goede namen met goede songs hier niet in competitie, zo bleek meer dan eens
In spite of the fact that holding a Dutch national final does not seem likely in the near future, Cornald Maas did not rule out seeking for alternative,more democratic selection processes such as plebiscites.
The Netherlands is a country that has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the competition,with a considerable amount of remarkable entries that gave them various top-10 placements,including a 9th, a 2nd and even a top position in the scoreboard ever since the reintroduction of the internal selection process.
The Greek cooperating broadcaster ERT may find themselves at the crossroads between the internal selection and the national final on account of the fact that ever since the implementation of a selection process similar to the Dutch one (submission of proposals by interested artists and selection by an artistic committee), they have returned to the final (2019) and to the top 10 subsequently (2021,2022).
Do you think a Melodifestivalen type national final could be successfully held in Greece? Would it capture the interest of well-known/respectable artists and record companies? Would the Greek public make the right choice?
Write us in the comments and stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for more things about Eurovision!
https://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cornald-Maas-Netherlands.jpg450800Stathis Poztanidishttp://eurovisionfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/eurovision-fun-transparent-1-3.pngStathis Poztanidis2023-03-21 10:37:552023-03-21 10:37:55The Netherlands:Commentator Cornald Maas is hesitant towards a national final possibility
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