Dutch Eurovision entry “C’est La Vie” leaks out a day early; Investigation underway

The Dutch entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest leaked out on social media on Wednesday, a day before the official announcement was due to take place. Dutch-Congolese singer Claude, 21, will perform “C’est La Vie” at the event in Basel, Switzerland, broadcaster AvroTros confirmed. The organization handles the country’s participation in the event, and said a full investigation into the leak was already planned.

However, the broadcaster will not be filing a criminal complaint about the leak. “It is what it is,” an AvroTros spokesperson said. “C’est la vie.”

The song, which is in both French and English, was distributed on a Eurovision fan account on social media. Claude’s number starts off with calm piano music before moving into a more uptempo beat.

Although AvroTros confirmed the song was authentic, it would not comment further. The broadcaster said more information will be announced at a press conference at the Eye in Amsterdam on Thursday. Neither Claude nor Eurovision expert Cornald Maas planned to respond to the leak on Wednesday, their management said.

The broadcaster is investigating how Claude’s song could have leaked via social media, a spokesperson told ANP. Even the name of the song was not publicly known prior to the leak, and few details emerged since Claude was named the representative from the Netherlands at the end of last year.

“We are of course investigating whether we can find out where the leak originated from,” a spokesperson said. “Also to learn lessons for the future. But it is difficult. We know that it has happened before in other countries.”

Claude was supposed to present the song to the press and the public on Thursday afternoon. It was then scheduled to be broadcast simultaneously on all major radio stations at 4:15 p.m. From that moment on, the song will also be available on Spotify and YouTube.

The Eurovision Song Contest will begin with the first semi-final on May 13, which will include Claude’s participation. The second semi-final will take place on May 15, with the final set for May 17.