Several weeks ago the Dutch edition of the Metro newspaper published an interview with AVRO-TROS editor Daniël Dekker. He said that The Netherlands wouldn’t be sharing any new information regarding their Eurovision 2019 act before Christmas.
And Dekker’s word has proven true. As the Eurovision speculation wheel goes round and round, and as Albania, Cyprus and Armenia have revealed their artists, The Netherlands has left us with little to chew on. All we know so far is that they’re considering a ‘song first, artist second’ approach. By this time last year Waylon had already been announced!
Within Temptation in 2019?
With no official word on the horizon, fans are busy scouring for clues. And recently RTL Boulevard gave us a new storyline to dive into when they interviewed Within Temptation.
The group, you’ll remember, had their breakthrough in 2002 with their single “Ice Queen”. And within years they had become big even outside of the Netherlands, performing on big stages all over the world. But in June 2016 the group famously said “no” when asked about Eurovision. At the time they said:
“No. We really like the event, we really like to watch it. We think it has gotten a lot better over the past few years. But we can only do worse [at Eurovision], than in our own genre.”
Well, lead singer Sharon den Adel and guitarist Ruud Jolie recently appeared on RTL Boulevard to discuss their new album and tour around Europe. During the show fellow guest Ronald Molendijk — a well-known DJ and producer — suggested that the group follow in Waylon’s footsteps and consider giving Eurovision a go. In his mind their genre, which is frequently described as a metal with a symphonic flair, simply hasn’t had the exposure it deserves.
So far, so normal. But here’s where things get juicy. When the interview was shared on Facebook, Within Temptation replied in a comment that they’d consider the song contest. From a PR perspective it makes great sense. The band is currently busy promoting their latest album Resist and are embarking on a North American tour in February and March. They won’t resume their European performances until the summer, meaning there is plenty of time for ESC.
Other rumoured artists
Speculation about the Dutch entry for Eurovision 2019 started almost immediately after this year’s contest. The list, which is even longer than the wait for information, has included acts like musical star Romy Monteiro, The Voice 2016 winner Maan and singer Caro Emerald.
More recently the long-rumoured Glennis Grace, who renewed her fame by competing on America’s Got Talent earlier this year, ruled herself out of contention. Asked about a potential return to Eurovision, she said: “Nooooo! It’s something fun to do once, but then it’s finished.”
Other rumoured artists have included Raffaëla Paton, the winner of Idols 3. Her name might ring a bell, because she entered the national contest in 2012 with her song ‘Chocolatte’. Unfortunately for Paton, Joan Franka went instead.
And then there’s Sharon Kovacs. She’s strong, raw and almost theatrical. Her voice takes you on a journey into the story she’s telling. And that story tends to be very dark and mysterious, yet somehow beautiful and breathtaking. Kovacs’ music might remind you of Dihaj’s ‘Skeletons’ in 2017.
Another popular name has been YouTube star Davina Michelle. Davina gained her fame during the television series “De Beste Zangers” (The Best Singers), which also brought about her version of “Duurt Te Lang”. It went on to top the Dutch charts. Even though she’s said that Eurovision won’t be happening for her ‘this year’, people are still rooting for her.
We could go on. Nielson, Alain Clark or Dotan? Rappers Lil Kleine and Ronnie Flex, who scored a huge number one hit with their song “Drank en Drugs”, which doesn’t really need any translation. What about the music group De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, who have earned quite the following for their ‘we don’t give a sh*t’-attitude? They recently told radio 3FM: “If someone puts a huge bag of money on the table, yes we will go.”.
What do you think? Will the Netherlands send in another serious entry, or go for a more playful act this year?
Oh, yeah; this is going to be interesting. They really should have picked this group when they picked Trijntje in 2015. With a good song, they will definitely get the Dutch some points, and maybe sneak into the top 10…
…If they back down, though, I hope they send Kensington. Their last 2 albums were outstanding.
Within Temptation have been around longer then Evanescence neither are a copy of each other its called being part of the same genre and too old? pffft wow
wow, I haven’t read such stupid comment since a very long time! Within Temptation a cheap copy of Evanescence? haha! have you listened Ice Queen or Mother Earth? is it similar to any of Evanescence song? please let me know! WT had its own style for a very long time, they were just unique! Maybe Sharon’s voice isn’t as perfect nowadays as it used to be a few years ago, but still you can’t even compare her and Amy Lee… I think that we don’t have to be fans of all the bands in the world, but stil need to… Read more »
Sharons Stimme ist einzigartig und hat sich ständig verbessert!
They have a break in there tour from mid March till the end of June !!!
Eurovision could happen !
They are just teasing. That is very unlikely they would do Eurovision tbh.
Fun fact: Anyone remember Avantasia, who participated in the German pre-selection in 2016? Sharon de Adel, vocalist of Within Temptation, was featured on the most recent Avantasia album Ghostlights (and on some of their older releases as well).
I did hear. They can not find a singer who is intrested to go to Israël. Because of the confliict overthere. No one want to support a apartheid state. It was on the news overhere.
Source? I read like every single dutch article about eurovision that I come across ( and i read a lot of news y’all) and i’ve never read something like that.
Don’t be getting people excited now!
They are outstanding as musicians and have been consistently for years. If they stay true to their style, The Netherlands would have an easy top 5 song.
Yes please!
OMG I’d have a heart attack if Within Temptation were announced to represent Netherlands! I’ve been a huge fan since The Silent Force in 2007, they were one of my favorite bands during my teenage rocker years, I own all their albums(CD or digital) and I still listen to some of their heaviest and lightest tracks every now and then, they’re big across Europe(well maybe only German speaking + Nordic markets but idk) so it’d be a mighty risk if they were to finally say yes to a contest that is allegedly known for killing careers and looked down upon… Read more »
I don’t think that fans would turn away from Within Temptation because of the ESC. They’d laugh it off or make a few snarky remarks.
WITHIN TEMPTATION!!!!
Omg Within Temptation would be great! I love them and I saw them live in Prague two weeks ago and it was awesome! 😀
Same here! I saw them in Ludwigsburg (for the first time ever, might I add) and it was AMAZIN!
Yessss! Within Temptation are a fantastic band, and quality rock acts have done increasingly well in recent editions. Within Temptation are a cut above the rest and songs like And We Run, Paradise and Whole World is Watching would have great cross-over appeal to both rock fans and people who aren’t traditional fans of rock (like myself!). Would be an excellent choice for the Netherlands and I hope they’re convinced to take part!
Ooooh, I really hope so! I LOVE Within Temptation.
I’m surprised that this article doesn’t mention that lead vocalist Sharon den Adel was in the Dutch jury for this year’s contest. She put Slovenia at No.1 in the semi-final, and Germany at No.1 in the final. She put Moldova last in both, so I assume she really didn’t like that one. XD
Good taste. What’d she think of Netta?
not much the dutch jury didnt give her any points i checked it
That’s incorrect, they gave her 5 points.
She put Netta 16th. Netta came 6th overall in the Dutch jury, meaning she got 5 points.
PLEASE I love them!!!