Following the disqualification of The Netherlands from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 — and on the day of the Grand Final — the Dutch artist Joost Klein maintained a period of silence. We only heard publicly from his lawyer, who re-iterated that Joost denied any wrongdoing at Eurovision. But last weekend our man came roaring back to life last weekend when he performed at the Freshtival Weekend in Enschede.
Joost Klein at Freshtival Weekend in Enschede
While the legal proceedings following Eurovision are still ongoing, Joost Klein has made his first public appearance following the Eurovision incident at the Freshtival Weekend in Enschede, the Netherlands. The artist performed a series of fan favorite songs, including his Eurovision entry, “Europapa.”
P-Magazine stated that the show had been in the works since last October, well before the Eurovision incident. There were 9,000 fans at the concert, and the organizers were forced to implement new security measures since they were poised to exceed the venue’s maximum capacity. Eric Van Oosterbaan, the festival organizer, confessed that after closing the area they used drones to ensure that the security situation was under control. It was just SO crowded!
P-Magazine added that during the concert Joost Klein made no comment about what happened at Eurovision. However, he did acknowledge the elephant in the room — and thanked the crowd for their overwhelming support.
I know everyone expects me to say something (about the incident), but everything is love. I love you. What a mentality here. I feel the love in the air. We need a little more love.
Both fans and organizers praised his appearance, noting that he didn’t allow outside events to influence his on-stage performance. He felt emboldened and empowered.
My name is small (*Klein in Dutch means small) but I’m standing tall.
Eric Van Oosterbaan was pleased with the artist’s performance and the popularity he brought to his festival, telling NPO Radio 1:
How he evokes so much emotion with just a few words. The people at the front had tears in their eyes. Above all, I am very proud that we were able to do this in such a good way. He came in in a darkened bus. He had his own dressing room. I only saw him when he was on his way to the stage. So he was completely shielded. Joost Klein has become a world artist. How long that will last is always the question, but at the moment he is one of the greatest artists in Europe. In any case, the most talked about artist in Europe.
NPO Radio 1 also gathered some impressions from fans attending the concert. One of them stated:
The fact that he can give such a performance after what happened is just powerful, I have the feeling that he was moved because everyone was shouting so much. I think he felt embraced again, after all the drama. Joost as we know him is back.
Joost ended the concert with a remix of ABBA’s famous hit “The Winner Takes It All.”
Joost Klein’s Instagram update
During the concert, Joost decided to make a return to Instagram as well. He posted a text story that said “Love always wins” followed by a blue heart emoji (the color that defined him and his song during the Eurovision period due to his “Europapa” outfit). The post was made during the show, and while he made it, he said to the audience:
I thought I want to be earlier than the news, so here we are, this is breaking news, I’m about to post something on my Instagram story.
Joost Klein posts his instagram story LIVE!! #europapa #eurovision pic.twitter.com/GQRfbZW6Dw
— Albino Sports ||JOOST KLEIN?|| (@Albinosports) May 19, 2024
While fans were delighted to see his return, some started to wonder about the meaning of his post. On the one hand, some fans believe that the post came as a way for him to express appreciation towards the support he received from both old and new fans after the Eurovision incident. On the other hand, others wonder if the post is somehow a hint about the outcome of the ongoing process.
New security measures for his following concerts
Belgium is one of the next countries that Joost Klein will visit. According to The Brussels Times, organizers are already preparing to implement new security measures due to the huge number of people expected in the audience. He will perform on June 29th in Genk, at the Genk on Stage Festival. This is Joost Klein’s first performance in Limburg and in Belgium, and what’s more, the festival has a free entrance policy. The festival will expand its site to accommodate an additional 4,000 people, allowing for a total of approximately 11,000 people for the main stage. Additional emergency exits will also be implemented. Mathies Wouters, the festival organizer, said:
We have been aware of his popularity for a long time and his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will only provide a boost. The security services will also operate at maximum capacity so it remains safe and pleasant for everyone on the site. For the biggest fans, I still recommend arriving on time because it is going to be very crowded.
More performances are scheduled for Belgium this year at Moenfeest (6 July), Rock Zottegem (12 July), Het Groot Verlof (26 July), Suikerrock (2 August), Lokerse Feesten (11 August) and Rijvers Festival (18 August ).
“Europapa” goes viral worldwide
The Eurovision disqualification did not affect the song’s popularity in Europe, as Joost’s Eurovision entry is reaching new heights by the day. It has been listened to more than 83 million times on Spotify, and in 10 European countries, the song is in the top 5 of the most played songs on Spotify this week. And the song has started to go viral worldwide. In the United States and Canada, ‘Europapa’ was at number 4 in the ‘viral top 50’ last Friday, and the song also seems to be immensely popular in Australia (ranked 2nd), Japan, and Argentina (ranked 3rd), as well as in South Africa (ranked 8th). Additionally, more than 100,000 videos have appeared on TikTok using “Europapa” as background music.
Are you happy about Joost Klein’s return? Are you feeling the “Europapa” hype too? Let us know in the comments bellow.
