DUTCH POINTS.

The Netherlands does not have a single sound at the Eurovision Song Contest. The narrative delivery of Corry Brokken, the soul of Edsilia Rombley, the country of The Common Linnets, and the electronic energy of Joost Klein do not fit into the same box. Together, they demonstrate how differently a country can present itself in just a few minutes.

This history runs from the two Dutch entries in 1956 to Claude in 2025 and the absence in 2026. The results below are facts; the musical analysis is the verdict of SJELF. A low ranking does not prove that an artist is bad, and a high ranking does not automatically make a song everyone's favorite. Last updated: September 5, 2026.

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TWO SONGS AT THE START.

Jetty Paerl sang *De vogels van Holland* and Corry Brokken performed *Voorgoed voorbij* at the first edition in Lugano. Each participating country was allowed to submit two songs in 1956. Only the Swiss winner was announced; a definitive second place for the Dutch songs cannot be derived from any published point tally.

A year later, Brokken did definitively win with *Net als toen*. Her delivery gives the melody time to become a story. Teddy Scholten followed in 1959 with *Een beetje*, in which lightness and timing are central. The first two Dutch victories already show different ways of holding attention.

A RESULT DOES NOT TELL THE WHOLE STORY.

The sixties brought many familiar names to the festival: Greetje Kauffeld, Anneke Grönloh, Conny Vandenbos, and Ronnie Tober. Their domestic fame did not automatically translate into a high international ranking. After all, an audience seeing an artist for the first time does not bring that national history with them.

Milly Scott became the first Black participant in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966. *Fernando en Filippo* had a mobility that differed from many ballads of that period. Her fifteenth-place finish says little about the significance of that appearance. An overview that only remembers winners would miss such an important piece of history.

Lenny Kuhr won in 1969 with *De troubadour*, tied with three other countries. The song revolves around storytelling, melody, and the direct presence of a singer with a guitar. There is little distance between the character in the song and the way it is performed. It is precisely this cohesion that makes the performance convincing.

THE SEVENTIES FOUND THE HOOK.

Sandra & Andres finished fourth in 1972, Mouth & MacNeal came third in 1974, and Teach-In won in 1975. Their entries have a strong sense for a chorus that gets stuck in your head after one listen. Harmony and rhythm help to engage an audience that might only partially understand the words.

*Ding-a-dong* turns repetition into a strength. The rhythm remains light-footed, the vocals have momentum, and the melody is compact enough to become immediately recognizable. It is a pop song that doses its means precisely. That explains its appeal better than the idea that a cheerful song automatically yields points.

In the years that followed, the Netherlands kept searching. Sandra Reemer, Heddy Lester, Harmony, and Xandra brought different forms of melodic pop. Maggie MacNeal finished fifth in 1980 with *Amsterdam*. The line between a nationally recognizable song and an international presentation remained a recurring subject of the entries themselves.

BIG VOICES, VARYING RESULTS.

Marcha achieved fifth place in 1987, and Gerard Joling finished ninth a year later. The nineties saw Humphrey Campbell, Ruth Jacott, and Edsilia Rombley, among others, bring vocals that leaned heavily on rhythm and phrasing. In *Vrede* and *Hemel en aarde*, energy runs through the voice, even between the big notes.

Edsilia's fourth place in 1998 shows that Dutch-language soul pop could work internationally. The chorus opens up, while her delivery remains agile. You don't have to understand every word to feel the build-up. The song offers both a direct rhythm and a clear progression.

Conversely, there are low positions for artists like Willeke Alberti and Mrs. Einstein. Such results primarily make clear how risky it is to use a national reputation as a starting point. A song must capture its own space that night among very different entries. Domestic familiarity cannot replace that first introduction.

EIGHT TIMES OUTSIDE THE FINAL.

Re-union made the final in 2004. Following that, from 2005 through 2012, eight Dutch eliminations occurred in the semi-finals. Glennis Grace, Treble, Edsilia Rombley, Hind, De Toppers, Sieneke, 3JS, and Joan Franka came with diverse songs. The series therefore had no single musical cause.

Some choices do make it clear where things can go wrong. *Shine* by De Toppers relies heavily on a collective party atmosphere. For SJELF, the song remains less musically specific than the grand presentation promises. A lot of energy does not automatically result in a recognizable emotional core.

*Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)* by Sieneke opts for an immediately singable chorus. The downside is the limited development: those who don't immediately get into the tune receive little new musical information later on to hook them in. That is an editorial reading of the song, not proof of why every viewer voted differently.

ANOUK CHANGED THE DISTANCE.

*Birds* brought the Netherlands back to the final in 2013, finishing ninth. Anouk presented a song with space, dark harmonies, and a melody that doesn't rush toward a festive chorus. Its strength lies in its unique atmosphere. You hear an artist who keeps her musical world recognizable.

The Common Linnets finished second in 2014 with *Calm After the Storm*. Ilse DeLange and Waylon allowed two voices to move around each other. The quiet accompaniment makes small differences in timing and tone important. The performance feels like a conversation that the camera is allowed to follow from up close.

With that, restraint did not become a new success formula for every subsequent edition. Trijntje Oosterhuis missed the final in 2015 with *Walk Along*. The repeated vocal hook provides recognition but can also limit emotional development. An established voice and a simple chorus are separate qualities; their combination must remain captivating as a whole.

ARCADE AND WHAT CAME AFTER.

Douwe Bob, OG3NE, and Waylon subsequently reached the final. In 2019, Duncan Laurence won with *Arcade*. The piano foundation gives the voice plenty of space, after which the chorus grows larger without losing its vulnerability. The structure carries the same emotion as the vocals. The whole thing therefore feels clearly focused.

For Jeangu Macrooy, it went differently: *Grow* was selected for the cancelled 2020 festival. In 2021, he entered with *Birth of a New Age* and finished twenty-third. The warm harmonies and rhythmic dignity of that song deserve attention beyond the result.

In 2022, S10 showed with *De diepte* how much an open vowel and a small melodic movement can carry. She finished eleventh. Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper did not reach the final in 2023 with *Burning Daylight*, placing thirteenth in their semi-final. The duet requires a shared tension arc; the interplay of two voices must eventually yield one convincing moment.

EUROPAPA, CLAUDE, AND A YEAR WITHOUT AN ENTRY.

In 2024, *Europapa* paired a lightning-fast party energy with a personal conclusion. That shift gives the song its own identity. Joost Klein finished second in his semi-final but was disqualified by the EBU before the final. Consequently, he received no final placement in the results. The subsequent criminal investigation into the incident was dropped; that did not change the competition result.

Claude represented the Netherlands in 2025 with *C'est la vie* and finished twelfth. The French-English song moves from a personal memory to a widely singable chorus. His entry fits into a longer Dutch tradition: an artist does not have to represent a single national sound to bring a recognizable story along.

In 2026, the Netherlands did not participate. AVROTROS withdrew due to the circumstances surrounding Israel's participation and concerns about the values and independence of the festival. Therefore, there is no artist or song listed for that year.

ALL DUTCH SONGFESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS.

A regular number is the final position in the grand final. HF means the position in the respective semi-final, without reaching the final. Shared places follow the official ranking. Years without participation and the cancelled edition are included so that the timeline remains complete. In 1956, there were two Dutch entries.

Want to listen beyond the border? Check out all the international winners of the Eurovision Song Contest.