The high notes from Switzerland and the chopping from the Netherlands: these are Mustii’s competitors in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest

Joost Klein is definitely a hype. The Dutch will receive a lot of attention at this Eurovision Song Contest. Joost Klein is assisted on stage by influencers Appie Mussa and Stuntkabouter and together they do everything they can to put ‘Europapa’ in the spotlight.

But – it must be said – the promised “never done before” act that was announced as a “new form of moon landing”, well, we didn’t get that during the dress rehearsals. And Joost’s singing was also somewhat lacking.

Yet the hype remains intact, partly due to the part where Joost Klein starts chopping. The quiet, emotional ending in which Joost Klein addresses his dad (whom he lost at a young age) is also striking.

‘Europapa’ with symbols of the European Union, but it is not propaganda for the European Union, it sounds. “I don’t check politics,” says Joost Klein. “For us it stands for love. I meant it as a kind of metaphor. When things went a bit worse for me, from crisis shelter to foster home… If I could take the bus, I took the bus to cross countries.”