Several weeks ago the Dutch edition of the Metro newspaper published an interview with AVRO-TROS editor Daniël Dekker. He said that The Netherlands wouldn’t be sharing any new information regarding their Eurovision 2019 act before Christmas.

And Dekker’s word has proven true. As the Eurovision speculation wheel goes round and round, and as Albania, Cyprus and Armenia have revealed their artists, The Netherlands has left us with little to chew on. All we know so far is that they’re considering a ‘song first, artist second’ approach. By this time last year Waylon had already been announced!

Within Temptation in 2019?

With no official word on the horizon, fans are busy scouring for clues. And recently RTL Boulevard gave us a new storyline to dive into when they interviewed Within Temptation.

The group, you’ll remember, had their breakthrough in 2002 with their single “Ice Queen”. And within years they had become big even outside of the Netherlands, performing on big stages all over the world. But in June 2016 the group famously said “no” when asked about Eurovision. At the time they said:

“No. We really like the event, we really like to watch it. We think it has gotten a lot better over the past few years. But we can only do worse [at Eurovision], than in our own genre.”

Well, lead singer Sharon den Adel and guitarist Ruud Jolie recently appeared on RTL Boulevard to discuss their new album and tour around Europe. During the show fellow guest Ronald Molendijk — a well-known DJ and producer — suggested that the group follow in Waylon’s footsteps and consider giving Eurovision a go. In his mind their genre, which is frequently described as a metal with a symphonic flair, simply hasn’t had the exposure it deserves.

So far, so normal. But here’s where things get juicy. When the interview was shared on Facebook, Within Temptation replied in a comment that they’d consider the song contest. From a PR perspective it makes great sense. The band is currently busy promoting their latest album Resist and are embarking on a North American tour in February and March. They won’t resume their European performances until the summer, meaning there is plenty of time for ESC.

Other rumoured artists

Speculation about the Dutch entry for Eurovision 2019 started almost immediately after this year’s contest. The list, which is even longer than the wait for information, has included acts like musical star Romy Monteiro, The Voice 2016 winner Maan and singer Caro Emerald.

More recently the long-rumoured Glennis Grace, who renewed her fame by competing on America’s Got Talent earlier this year, ruled herself out of contention. Asked about a potential return to Eurovision, she said: “Nooooo! It’s something fun to do once, but then it’s finished.”

Other rumoured artists have included Raffaëla Paton, the winner of Idols 3. Her name might ring a bell, because she entered the national contest in 2012 with her song ‘Chocolatte’. Unfortunately for Paton, Joan Franka went instead.

And then there’s Sharon Kovacs. She’s strong, raw and almost theatrical. Her voice takes you on a journey into the story she’s telling. And that story tends to be very dark and mysterious, yet somehow beautiful and breathtaking. Kovacs’ music might remind you of Dihaj’s ‘Skeletons’ in 2017.

Another popular name has been YouTube star Davina Michelle. Davina gained her fame during the television series “De Beste Zangers” (The Best Singers), which also brought about her version of “Duurt Te Lang”. It went on to top the Dutch charts. Even though she’s said that Eurovision won’t be happening for her ‘this year’, people are still rooting for her.

We could go on. Nielson, Alain Clark or Dotan? Rappers Lil Kleine and Ronnie Flex, who scored a huge number one hit with their song “Drank en Drugs”, which doesn’t really need any translation. What about the music group De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, who have earned quite the following for their ‘we don’t give a sh*t’-attitude? They recently told radio 3FM: “If someone puts a huge bag of money on the table, yes we will go.”.

What do you think? Will the Netherlands send in another serious entry, or go for a more playful act this year?