Sep and Jasmijn are heading to Nice with their song “Holding On To You” to represent the Netherlands at Junior Eurovision 2023. With this, they keep up the Dutch record of being the only country to compete in every edition of the contest.
This year’s participation follows last year’s fan favourite “La Festa” by Luna, who finished seventh in Yerevan.
Scroll down for “Holding On To You” lyrics
Netherlands in Junior Eurovision 2023: Sep & Jasmijn with “Holding On To You”
Sep and Jasmijn earned their place at Junior Eurovision 2023 via the Dutch national selection Junior Songfestival. They beat the competition handily, gaining 36 points — seven points more than their closest rival in the contest.
Their vibrant performance had plenty of choreography paired with great live vocals, so the young pair are prepared for the big stage in Nice. The selected track has high energy with a chilled but upbeat verse, blaring into a light-EDM style chorus.
“Holding On To You” bursts with joy and positivity, and is crafted to put a smile on the viewer’s face. There’s great chemistry between Sep and Jasmijn. They show the storyline of their song really well in their performance. Jasmijn’s live vocals are exceptional, and she is able to belt big notes with confidence and precision. Not surprising, given she has partaken in Dutch singing show Ministars this year.
With all these factors in place, the question is how many votes will that turn into once the public have their say at Junior Eurovision?
What do the “Holding On To You” lyrics mean?
Despite being sung mostly in their native Dutch, with pops of English in the chorus, Sep & Jasmijn do a phenomenal job of conveying their message to non-speakers of their language.
This is a sweet song, which speaks of a pair who mean everything to each other. It can be seen as an ode to friendship or potentially a young first love.
The chorus says “I’ll try to dance here on my own,” meaning they are trying to be independent from each other. But, they really miss the other whilst doing so. The song brings us these themes with a youthful sound, giving it the genuine innocence of early relationships of any kind, whether it be a close friendship or otherwise.
Either way, the performers sing of the other being on the brain, “You are in my head, it doesn’t want to go away again”. We’ve all been there, missing our best friends and wishing for nothing more than to hang out with them — Sep & Jasmijn gives us all the feels!
“Holding On To You” lyrics – Sep & Jasmijn (Netherlands JESC 2023)
Music and lyrics by: Robert Dorn
Dutch textBen je er wel |
English translationAre you there |
Will you be voting for “Holding On To You”? Are you dancing along to the chorus already? Let us know in the comments below.
Very good! I like it! I think this is going to win.
Nice song! Cool beat! They are so enjoyable! It’s one of the fan favorites! Good luck to them!
Why does it need to be a boy and a girl singing this? Does everything need to be ultra heteronormative for this contest?
If it was two boys, or two girls, maybe it might actually have some value.
You are why people are homophonic
How so?
Because This Is Children . Stop With Forcing The Gay Agenda , They Are To Young To See This And Plus It Is Highly Inapropriete
Forcing gayness onto everything even children. Let people be who they want to be it is not up to you who someone loves. Just as it is not up to you who a country sends. If a country sends gay representatives then great. But there doesn’t always need to be LGBT representation especially with kids who most likely haven’t matured yet and do not know what they want.
You agree with me, then. You just don’t know it. If we can’t “force gayness” on children, then we can’t force hetero-ness on them either. Which is what is happening here. If these children have not matured yet, why are adults coupling them up? If they don’t know what they want, why have we decided they are hetero? Why can’t two boys or girls perform this? Answer : heteronormative is the default. Which is WRONG.
Why does Eurovision always have to be about sexuality, even in the children’s edition now apparently? If it’s a boy and a girl, a boy and a boy, a girl and a girl, I don’t f.cking care, I just want a good song. It’s a song contest. I don’t care about the sexuality of my favourite singers either.
I AGREE WITH YOU. That is my point. People should NOT care. That said, this is HETERO. If hetero is allowed, so should gay be. If gay is deemed “too adult”, well then hetero should also be deemed too adult. Except it is not. If this song and video was two boys, there would be an outcry. Where is the outcry for the hetero content? There is NONE. Why not? Why would gay content be deemed a “gay agenda” but nobody bats an eyelid at hetero content? Why is that not considered a hetero agenda? These are children. It is… Read more »
I think you don’t even know what you’re trying to say. Try to look at the world a little less in terms of pro- or anti-agendas and a little more in terms of people just trying to do their best (in this case, children! trying to do their best). Anything else is mostly just your own perception.
I know what I’m TRYING to say, I just wish I could be more articulate about it. Bottom line… projecting a world where only hetero people exist is wrong. These are impressionable vulnerable young minds. We have had many hetero romance songs, but no gay ones. Gay children are excluded, this will have an effect on young gay viewers. Hetero is presented as what is expected. This is wrong.
Also, importantly, I have ZERO grudge against these children. I could easily accept a hetero love song if the performers actually wrote it themselves. In this case, it was given to them by adults. I think this is the important part.
Are you seriously complaining about a child act?
Yes, I seriously am. What part of my point do you not understand?
I don’t understand why you’re complaining in first place…
I’m complaining because children are vulnerable and need protection. They are important, and the future.
The vast majority of people in the world are not gay.
As a democracy, the Netherlands decided to go for majority rule. If you don’t like it, I actually don’t care.
This is a kids singing contest and prats like you have to bring sexuality into it. Save your comments for the adult contest. Goodbye.
Did I direct this video of two children in love? Did I write this song? No. Did I assume these children are hetero? No.
Nobody gets my point. Heavy sigh. Sad face.
Gay is sexual, but somehow hetero is not. Can someone please explain this to me? Speak up, downvoters, I can’t hear you.
When they are hetero why can’t they show it? That is just as bad as two gay youngsters who can’t show they are gay. Let children be themselves, no matter who they fall in love with.
We do not know they are hetero. They are children who have been GIVEN this song by adults.
Songs like this make me hate the junior contest. Utterly awful in many ways. Completely wrong to give this song to two children. Is this really what we want to teach them? The only thing in life is couplehood. Only this gives you worth.
I don’t think so.
Sep and Jasmijn deserve better!
Nice song and performance, good luck in Nice!
How come you didn’t like Hold Me Now for children, but Holding On To You is okay?
Because they are different *and* the sentiment behind them is different.
This is obviously a love song though, with “hold” in the title. A 13-year-old was directed to lovingly gaze into the eyes of another child for the “adorable” music video. Foisting heteronormative stupidity on impressionable minds. It makes me nauseous.
great song, am proud of our entry once again (i also liked Luna’s La Festa, and i personally loved Ayana’s Mata Sugu Ao Ne a lot, which was very underrated)
I love our entry and I hope for a great result
Soooo, my own country. Helps that I can effortlessly understand the lyrics, but… it doesn’t mean much, haha. It’s another typical Dutch JESC entry in which it’s decently well performed, it’s a bit on the bland and generic side but it’s catchy and does what it wants to do. And is it just me or does this song sound a bit dated? It reminds me of like very early Armin van Buuren, like 2013 or something. Both Sep and Jasmijn are solid live performers, but they need to do a little more in terms of chemistry with one another, as… Read more »