The Dutch preselection song Blue skies are for free gets more and more promotion and is already tipped as a possible winner of the Dutch national final by fans. The promotors of the song, DJs of the popular radio show Stenders Vroeg, already call the song “their winning Eurovision song”. In the meantime, the original writer and composer of the song, Ad van Olm, gets the credits he deserves.
In an interview, Eric Dikeb told esctoday.com that he “only assisted Ad van Olm with the lyrics and actually wrote just two lines”. Because Eric Dikeb is more famous in the Netherlands, the press wrote that Dikeb was the composer, together with Ad van Olm. “Actually it's the other way around. Ad van Olm is the main composer and I only assisted him and worked out some possible acts”, Eric Dikeb told us.
Ad van Olm told esctoday.com that this is his 9th time entering the Dutch Nationaal Songfestival with a composition: “I really want to go to the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Blue skies are for free'. This year I submitted six songs to the broadcaster NOS and they selected this one, which is the best in my opinion. Originally I performed the song myself to get it at the NOS before the November 1 deadline and when Paul de Leeuw offered to perform it, I agreed. Now that Paul de Leeuw took a step back to pay more attention to his two adopted sons, I arranged with Bert Heerink (picture) that he will do the job, together with Marian van Noort and Anoushka de Wolff”. Ad van Olm also told us that Hubert Heeringa, one of the Ten Sharp singers, will assist them as one of the backing vocals.
According to Eric Dikeb, the single of Blue skies are for free will be produced right after the Christmas holidays, so it will probably be in the stores around the end of January. The Dutch preselections will take place at February 1, 8, 15 and 22. The final of the Nationaal Songfestival 2003 will take place at March 1 in the Ahoy venue in Rotterdam, where esctoday.com will be present too.
