C’est la Vie: Dutch entry Claude qualifies for Eurovision final
Dutch Eurovision performer Claude has qualified for Saturday’s final in Basel with C’est la Vie, following what commentators described as a strong performance featuring clean vocals, tight choreography, and sharp camera work. Claude, who came to the Netherlands as a refugee from Congo, said the song is an ode to his mother. The performance ends with him singing to an image of himself as a child reflected in a mirror.
Speaking to fans and reporters later in the evening, Claude said he had been worried just before going on stage that he had forgotten the lyrics. “But then I was standing there and the cameraman did a hand box, and I thought, ‘This is going to be fine’,” he said. “And I really enjoyed it.”
The Netherlands has now qualified for 10 of the past 12 finals. Norway, Albania, Sweden, Iceland, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal, and Ukraine also made it through Tuesday night’s semi-final but Belgium, which had been one of the bookmakers’ favourites, did not qualify. The latest betting review puts Claude on course to finish fourth with Sweden in the top spot.
Last year’s Dutch contestant, Joost Klein, was controversially disqualified from the final after a camerawoman complained that he had threatened her during a rehearsal.
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