Friday 4 March 2016, Douwe Bob presented the song that he will sing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden: Slow down. At first it may seem a cheerful, up-beat country-pop song, yet the Dutch singer has a message to deliver through his entry.

Douwe Bob will represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song Slow down, written by himself, Matthijs van Duijvenbode, Jeroen Overman and JP Hoekstra – all members of Douwe Bob’s band, that will most likely accompany him on the Eurovision-stage in Stockholm.

That Slow down has personal significance for the artist was already clear at the press conference where the song was revealed: the place belonged to a good friend of Douwe Bob, and the singer was surrounded by paintings made by his father Simon “Seemon” Posthuma, former member of designer collective and band The Fool.

Slow down was created during writing sessions in Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The song itself is true to Douwe Bob’s style, influenced by the music of the 1960’s and 1970’s, country and rock ‘n roll. However, there is a tale to tell about how the song was created, and the message it conveys: a personal account of the artists’ life, living the fast pace of a rock ‘n roll singer in Amsterdam, and a call to our often hectic society to slow down.

Douwe Bob explains:

We are moving to fast. There is a constant pressure to manifest yourself. Slow down is a protest song against myself, against the speed with which I live in Amsterdam. If you are in the forests of Sweden, or riding on a horse through the fields in Spain, a peace settles over you, and you see everything more in perspective. That feels good! That’s why Slow down is also a state of mind. A liberation of the pressure to costantly have to do something. You should not let yourself be made crazy: relax, do everything a bit slower, then you will feel better and you will see everything clearer.

Slow down will feature on Douwe Bob’s forthcoming third album, Fool bar, set for release in May 2016. The Dutch artist will perform Slow down in the first half of semi-final 1 of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, on Tuesday 10 May 2016.

Please enjoy the official videoclip for Slow down:

Artist bio

Douwe Bob Posthuma was born December 12 1992 in Amsterdam, and is the son of designer and musician Simon “Seemon” Posthuma, member of the designer collective and band The Fool during the 1960’s, and former professional dancer Ellen Benard.

Douwe Bob started playing the piano from age six, focusing mainly on classical music and jazz, and guitar from age fourteen. As he grew older, he became influenced by country music, bluegrass and the musical repertoire from the 1960’s and 1970’s. Being a musician for several years already, he participated in the first edition of the talent show De Beste Singer-Songwriter Van Nederland (The Best Singer-Songwriter Of The Netherlands) in 2012. Douwe Bob won the show, releasing his first single Multicoloured angels, which landed the 17th place in the Dutch Top 40. His fame as talented new musician grew quickly, and in 2012 he played at festival Songbird in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and festival Sziget in Budapest, Hungary.

Douwe Bob’s debut album Born in a storm was released on May 3 2013, and in the same year a documentary about the young artist’s relationship with his father was released, Whatever Forever: Douwe Bob.

In January of 2015, Douwe Bob released a duet with Anouk (Eurovision Song Contest 2013), Hold me, which became an instant hit. His second album, Pass it on, appeared in February 2015, rising to the first place on the Dutch album chart.

Douwe Bob is also part of the the folk-, bluegrass-, and country-collective Monroe.

Stay tuned to ESCToday.com for all the latest news on The Netherlands, Douwe Bob and the Eurovision Song Contest 2016!