New Dutch Eurovision act thinks organisers listened after 2024 disqualification
Dutch singer Claude Kiambe has said he thinks the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have "listened", following his country's disqualification in 2024.
Last May, the Netherlands' contestant Joost Klein was kicked out by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) just before the final over allegedly making verbal threats to a female production worker.
Swedish prosecutors dropped the criminal case against Klein months later, and he called the experience of being disqualified "terrible".
Klein had been one of the favourites to win at Malmo 2024 with the upbeat Europapa.
This time, 21-year-old singer Claude hopes to fare better with C'est La Vie, a blend of French, his first language, and English, that reflects on his early aspirations and his mother's support after being born in the "unsafe" country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Reflecting on the inspiration, he said "my mother used to tell me sometimes s*** happens to life", and you should be "thankful" for what you have.
It is a message filled with a "lot of energy, a lot of positivity" that he wants to bring to Eurovision.
When asked about last year's disqualification, Claude said: "We don't know what happens backstage, but I can talk about what I saw.
"It was amazing what Joost did."
He added that it "was so nice to see how he was connecting everybody through the song" and he really hopes "to see him doing great and doing the best".
Claude added: "He was disqualified, and we don't know what happened, so I also don't know what happened, but what he did on stage, it was really inspirational."
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros previously called the decision on Klein "unnecessary and disproportionate", and called for a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues.
The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct along with a raft of new measures would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists following a number of controversies last year.
Claude said: "I've heard about the adjustments they made, and I feel like they also listened to everything what happened, and they were like, 'well, if there was something we could do about this, we are going to do it'.
"So from what I've heard about… (there are) areas that cannot be filmed and stuff going on, I really (support) those adjustments."
He has already had a breakthrough in the Netherlands, after the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify.
Claude said the sudden rise to fame was "actually really crazy" as he was working at a restaurant when he reached the top of the charts in the Netherlands.
"There was like a turning point where people were coming to see me work, and I liked those worlds separate to each other," he said.
"It was combined, and it was also sometimes it was hard to do my job. Like… people that wanted to know everything about me and I was like, 'I have to bring other coffees to other tables'."
The singer, who grew up in Enkhuizen, and currently lives further south in Amsterdam, said the fans got in the way of him waiting tables and sent him messages complaining when he was not working.
After realising he "cannot do my job properly right now", he decided to focus on his music full time, following the release of more songs.
"So it was actually really fun to do, but at a certain point I had to stop with the bar and restaurant, but I often visit them, and I've been there also a few times to just go work like a shift with my old colleagues and stuff like that," Claude said.
He teased that his performance during the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday, 12 May would be "emotional" and involve dancing.
"So I don't know what my body is going to think when the camera is going to be pointed towards me. I (might be) thinking about, 'Oh, 300 million people are watching'," Claude said.
"I hope I will enjoy the moment."
The music video from the singer, who speaks French, Dutch, English and Congolese language Lingala, sees a young boy represent him while watching Conchita Wurst win for Austria at 2014's Eurovision.
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