The Netherlands has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since making its debut as one of the seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The country has missed only four contests, twice because the dates coincided with Remembrance of the Dead, and twice because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year. It has missed the final despite qualifying once, in 2024, due to the personal conduct of its entrant which led to disqualification. The current Dutch participant broadcaster in the contest is AVROTROS. The Netherlands has hosted the contest five times: in Hilversum (1958), Amsterdam (1970), The Hague, and Rotterdam (2021).
Rudi Carrell was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.
Tonny Eyk, pseudonym of Teun Eikelboom, is a Dutch composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, producer, entertainer, columnist and writer. Eyk is also known for his appearances as a jury member in various television shows including Sterrenslag, Soundmixshow and Mini Playbackshow. His first book, Met Tonny Eyk naar de Provence, combines his love of the Tour de France and French gastronomy. Eyk is also an ambassador of the Dutch company Princess Household Appliances. Eyk graduated by majoring in trombone at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
"De troubadour", is a song recorded by Dutch singer Lenny Kuhr, with music composed by David Hartsema and lyrics by Kuhr herself. It represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs.
Jan Smit is a Dutch singer, television host, and actor. Smit mostly sings songs in the Dutch language, in a genre known as palingsound. In addition to his solo career, in 2015 Smit joined the schlager trio KLUBBB3, and in 2017 The Toppers. As a TV presenter, he has worked on programs like the Beste Zangers and Sterren Muziekfeest op het Plein Since 1999, Smit has been serving as an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages.
David Gijsbert van der Linden, known as Dolf van der Linden, was a Dutch conductor of popular music with a reputation which extended beyond the borders of the Netherlands.
Jeroen van der Boom is a Dutch singer who rose to fame in 2007 with his No. 1 hit single Jij bent zo.
Ronald Edwin Tober is a Dutch singer, known for representing the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "Morgen".
Annie Palmen was a Dutch singer, best known for her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" written by Pierre Kartner. The song was performed by Sieneke. The Dutch broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) internally selected the song for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" was presented to the public on 18 December 2009, while the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2010 was organised in order to select the Dutch representative. Five artists competed in the national final on 7 February 2010 where Sieneke was selected by Pierre Kartner as the winner following a tie between two of the artists based on the combination of votes from a four-member jury panel and an audience vote.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 with the song "Vrede" written by Eric van Tijn, Jochem Fluitsma and Henk Westbroek. The song was performed by Ruth Jacott, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) to represent the Netherlands at the 1993 contest in Millstreet, Ireland. Ruth Jacott's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 15 July 1992, while the national final Nationaal Songfestival 1993 was organised in order to select the song. Eight songs competed in the national final on 26 March 1993 where "Vrede" was selected as the winning song following the votes from twelve regional juries.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "One More Night" written by Tjeerd van Zanen and Alan Michael. The song was performed by Esther Hart. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) returned to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2002 as one of the bottom six countries in the 2001 contest. NOS organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2003 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2003 contest in Riga, Latvia. 32 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Eight entries qualified from to compete in the final on 1 March 2003 where "One More Night" performed by Esther Hart was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel and a public vote.
The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 with the song "De troubadour", composed by David Hartsema, with lyrics by Lenny Kuhr, and performed by Kuhr herself. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), selected its entry through a national final. The song won the competition in a joint win with the songs from France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The Netherlands was represented by Rudi Carrell, with the song "Wat een geluk", at the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 29 March in London. Although Teddy Scholten had won the previous contest for the Netherlands, Dutch broadcaster NTS declined to host the contest for a second time in two years, so 1959 runners-up the United Kingdom had agreed to host the 1960 contest, which was staged by the BBC at London's Royal Festival Hall.
Cornald Maas is a Dutch television presenter who has been known for presenting talk shows in the Netherlands. He is the brother of Frans Maas.
Willy van Hemert was a Dutch actor and theatre and television director, but is best known as a songwriter who penned two winning Dutch songs for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Slow Down" written by Douwe Bob, Jan Peter Hoekstra, Jeroen Overman and Matthijs van Duijvenbode. The song was performed by Douwe Bob, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Douwe Bob's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 22 September 2015, while the song, "Slow Down", was presented to the public on 4 March 2016.
Dick Bakker is a Dutch composer, conductor and music producer. He succeeded Rogier van Otterloo as conductor of the Metropole Orkest, serving between 1991 and 2005.
The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Outlaw in 'Em" written by Waylon, Ilya Toshinsky and Jim Beavers. The song is performed by Waylon, who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to represent the Netherlands at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Waylon's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 9 November 2017. Five potential songs were presented to the public between 23 February and 1 March 2018 during the Dutch talk show De Wereld Draait Door, and the selected song, "Outlaw in 'Em", was announced on 2 March 2018.
Jeangu Macrooy is a Surinamese singer-songwriter. He was born in Paramaribo and has been living in the Netherlands in the eastern city Enschede in the region Twente since 2014. Macrooy's music is described as modern soul. His audience is in the Netherlands, Suriname, and increasingly in Belgium, France and Germany. He was due to represent host nation the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with the song "Grow", but the contest was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he represented the country in the 2021 contest with "Birth of a New Age".
