Joost Klein‘s emotional music video for “Europapa” has helped him break Dutch streaming records — and it’s also the most-streamed Eurovision 2024 video on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
But beyond the bright outfits, viral dance moments, and smile-inducing party vibe, it also emits inspiration. The music video tells the story of an orphan traveling Europe.
“I’ve always tried to implement my life story,” he says of his art. “The shortest version would be I lost my parents at a young age. I’m trying to deal with that throughout the years. Now I’m 26. I got the chance to use this platform — probably the biggest stage ever — to share that emotion.”
“I think the story of an orphan traveling, trying to get known, to get his name out there. That’s the main core of it. My dad was one of my biggest inspirations. He taught me an open mind. He taught me not to look at labels. Just people are people and that’s where the sentence ends.”
At the end of the music video, we see a family photo burning. Joost tells me it’s a copy of an actual family photo of him and his parents on holiday in Norway.
So why does the photo — and a house — burn at the end of his journey?
“It took a lot of sparring with the director. I’ve known him for like ten years plus, and I told him about all the years of therapy and how in certain therapy sessions they make you write down your story, a part of your story, and then you have to burn it to make room for new energy. Don’t let your traumas only be your burden. It can also be something that moves you in a new direction.”
And Joost has definitely moved. As he continues to rack up accolades and prepares for Eurovision, the emotional roller coaster has, in his words, become “the entire theme park.”
“It’s crazy. It’s actually insane. I feel very honoured. I grew up loving marketing. I love commercials, I love marketing, I love thinking about aesthetics and ways to market myself. It’s my life. I got it tattooed on my leg. The fact that marketing is marketing now? It’s crazy.”
“It feels like my YouTube video is a TikTok — the amount of views is like a TikTok.”