Eurovision 2025: Dutch-Congolese singer Claude to represent the Netherlands in Basel
Singer-songwriter Claude Kiambe will represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland this coming May. The 21-year-old was born in Congo, and has been living in the Netherlands for about eight years. He performs only under his first name, and is perhaps best known for his 2022 hit, "Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot)," which charted in more than 15 countries.
It was the English-French version of the song that was a hit, which cracked the top ten in Italy, according to AvroTros, the broadcaster responsible for Dutch involvement in the competition. The Dutch-language version spent 30 weeks on the doestic top 40 chart, and remained on the Single Top 100 list for 55 of 56 weeks.
He was picked from a total of 331 candidates who tossed their hats in the ring to take part in the event in Switzerland. His entry in the upcoming competition is expected to be unveiled in March.
“I feel incredibly honoured to be representing 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 let Europe hear the song,” Claude wrote in a statement published on Thursday.
Radio broadcaster 3FM awarded him Best Newcomer, and rival broadcaster Qmusic crowned him Artist of the Year. He was tapped as one of the four Ambassadors of Freedom for the Remembrance Day ceremonies and Liberation Day festivals this past May, an honor he highly valued since he was forced to flee Congo with his mother, three brothers, and three sisters as a nine-year-old boy.
It was always music which helped him through difficult times as a child, when sometimes he did not know if there would be any food on the table, he said. Once he arrived in the Netherlands, he lived in an asylum reception center in Alkmaar before moving to Enkhuizen.
“My freedom is that we live in a country where you do not have to fear for your safety. But my freedom also means being able to eat and drink what I want and when I want,” he said earlier this year.
He watched Eurovision for the first time on television in 2014, and saw Conchita Wurst win the top prize for Austria. "A tradition was born and Claude has continued to follow the Song Contest ever since," AvroTros stated.
Last year, Ladada was added to the NPO Radio 2 annual Top 2000 broadcast. It moved up more than a hundred spots to 528 for this year's edition of the end-of-year broadcast.
While Ladada has been streamed more than 57 million times, he also scored success with "Layla" and "Écoutez-moi". He has been performing in concerts on the back of his first album, Parler Français. Aside from Eurovision, he will also take the stage at the upcoming edition of the Pinkpop Festival.
A scandal involving Claude's predecessor, Joost Klein, nearly led to the Netherlands abstaining from future Eurovision events. Klein was accused of making a threatening motion towards a Eurovision camera crew member backstage in the run-up to the final. The incident with the woman led to his disqualification, under protest from AvroTros, and a criminal investigation. Prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against the Dutch singer, and the criminal case was dropped.
In the wake of this, AvroTros pressed contest organizer European Broadcasting Union to enforce more reforms to protect the safety and mental health of all contestants. The Dutch broadcaster finally said it would take part in Eurovision 2025 at the end of October. The European Broadcasting Union pledged to give artists more space, and more opportunity to step out of the spotlight, especially during broadcasts and in green rooms.
With Nemo's victory during the controversial edition of Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden, the contest moves to Switzerland. The Grand Final will be broadcast live from Basel on May 17 at 9 p.m. Central European Time.
It will be preceded by the first semifinal on May 13, and the second on May 15. Those shows will both air at 9 p.m.
