Netherlands in Eurovision: While the country’s representative for 2025, Claude, is preparing for the contest, the Netherlands is gearing up for Eurovision 2026 by announcing an internal selection and the start of registration!
While the singer Claude, who will represent the Netherlands with the song “C’est La Vie”, as entry number 13 in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025, which will take place on May 13th in Basel, Switzerland, is preparing vigorously to perform at Eurovision and is featured in the betting odds for a fifth-place win, the country is already warming up its engines for next year and has announced today an internal selection!
The country initially announced a selection process that would begin on August 1st, but now, the Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS has announced an internal selection process that will open just two days after the grand final of Eurovision 2025 in Basel, on May 19th!
The Netherlands was the first country to confirm its participation in Eurovision 2026, doing so in November 23rd, 2024, and following this, Australia expressed interest, whose participation is contingent on an invitation from the European Broadcasting Union and therefore cannot confirm participation on its own.
Netherlands at Eurovision 2025
“C’est La Vie” (translated as: “That’s life”) is the name of the song to be performed by the singer Claude who will represent the Netherlands in the second part of the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025 to be held on May 13th in Basel, Switzerland.
The song was written by the singer himself along with Arno Krabman who is responsible for the song “De Diepte” (in English: “The Depth”) that represented the Netherlands in 2022 and reached 11th place in the grand final. In addition to these creators, the creators Joren van der Voort and Léon Palmen are involved in the writing and production of the song. Apart from Krabman, this is the first song by the other creators in the Eurovision competition. The song is performed in English and French. The song “C’est la vie” blends childhood memories with a burst of nostalgia and a deep reflection on the cyclicality and rotations of life.
Currently, the singer is ranked fifth in the betting tables, with a 5% chance of winning.
Who is Claude?
Claude Kiambe, 21 years old, was born in Congo and moved to the Netherlands with his family at the age of 13. The first Eurovision he watched was in 2014, when he and his family cheered for the winning singer Conchita Wurst from Austria. Since then, Claude has been an avid follower of the Eurovision contest. He began releasing music in 2022, with his debut single “Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot)” (in English: Ladada (My Last Word)). His song reached about 53 million views and won the 3FM award for “Best New Discovery.”
Claude released his debut album in 2024, in which he co-wrote and co-composed every song. Since then, he and his band have been performing extensively in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium. His debut hit, for which he made English and French versions, achieved international success in about 15 countries worldwide, making Claude a globally recognized singer.
After the announcement of his selection, the Dutch singer said: “I feel extremely honoured that I will represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest next year and I still can’t believe it. I’m really looking forward to it and can’t wait to present my song to Europe.”
Sources: Eurovisionfun, songfestivalweblog.nl.
Eurovision 2025: This will be the Netherlands’ 65th participation in Eurovision. The Netherlands joined the competition in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won it five times over the years. The Netherlands’ last victory was at Eurovision 2019 with the song “Arcade” performed by singer Duncan Laurence.
