Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest
The Netherlands debuted as one of the original competing countries at the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and has competed in all but four editions since, missing the contest in 1985, 1991, 1995 and 2002. The nation has been victorious at the competition five times, making them one of the most successful countries at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since the semi-final system was introduced in the early 2000s, the Netherlands had a run of non-qualifications from 2005 to 2012. They turned things around in 2013 when singer-songwriter Anouk broke their streak and qualified for the Grand Final for the first time in nine years. Since then the country has had great success, qualifying every year except 2015.
2023 Entry: Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper - 'Burning Daylight'
Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper will compete in 14th spot in semi-final 1
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 17th
Odds to win ranking: 15th
(Rankings as of 5 April 2023)
About the artists
Dion Cooper was born and raised in the Netherlands. He started playing the guitar at 15 and since then has been writing music and singing. In 2021, he released his first EP 'Too Young Too Dumb' and has released several singles including 'Fire' which has now surpassed one million streams.
He says his musical style is "classic rock meets singer songwriter, or Bryan Adams meets Harry Styles". Dion has a record deal with Sony Music and has previously opened for Duncan Laurence on tour who he also writes music with, including the Eurovision 2023 song.
Amsterdam-born Mia Nicolai grew up with music and has been taking violin and piano lessons from the age of three. She has also dabbled in drama, ballet and acting. Mia, who identifies her music as pop, started releasing songs in 2018 and is often seen performing with a band at live venues.
Mia takes her life experiences and uses them throughout her her music. She also loves fashion and art and finds her inspiration in artists like David Bowie. Fun fact: Mia once resided in Melbourne, Australia, but now calls Los Angeles home.
About the song
'Burning Daylight' has been written by Mia and Cooper as well as Duncan Laurence and his long-time partner, Jordan Garfield.
The song was revealed on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel and is available on all major streaming platforms. The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS’ official Instagram account had previously announced the song reveal on 22 February, including teasers showcasing the underlying message behind the song.
'Burning Daylight' was unanimously chosen by the internal selection committee, which included AVROTROS general director Eric van Stade and Eurovision 2021 presenter Jan Smit.
Van Stade, on behalf of the internal selection committee, said, "the selection committee were, without exception, very positive about their song, in which their voices work together beautifully."
How Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper were selected for Eurovision
Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper were chosen internally to represent the Netherlands. The Netherlands has not held a national final since 2012.
Back in November 2022, the duo were announced on a morning radio show and were one of the first artists to be announced for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Netherlands will compete in semi-final 1 on May 9 (European time) in Liverpool.
For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet