The Eurovision-season has officially kicked off now that the first candidate has been revealed: Douwe Bob will represent The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden! Time to take a closer look at the 22-year old singer-songwriter from Amsterdam.

Although Douwe Bob Posthuma is a relative newcomer within the Dutch music scene, the artist has experienced a stormy rise of his career in the past few years, and he is viewed as being one of the talented new generation of Dutch artists.

Douwe Bob was internally chosen by a selection commission of Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, consisting of singer and TV-host Jan Smit (Dutch commentator of Eurovision), tv-host and author Cornald Maas (also commentator of Eurovision and ESC-specialist), radio-DJ Daniël Dekker and AVROTROS media-director Remco van Leen. The commission had negotiations with several artists, but uninamously chose Douwe Bob. His participation had leaked to the press a few days ago, and the young artist had to return home from Spain, where he was working on new material, including his upcoming Eurovision-entry.

The singer is extremely proud to be chosen to represent his country at Eurovision 2016, and relieved that he can finally admit it, as he said yesterday evening in the Dutch TV-show De Wereld Draait Door (The World Keeps Turning). He appeared in the show together with Jan Smit and talked to host Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, and Paul de Leeuw, TV-host, actor, singer, and fan and former commentator of Eurovision:

They also asked me last year, and I thought: I want to do this! Now they have chosen me, and I’m very happy. And I’m happy it’s known now, I hate being so secretive! I’ve been working on the song in Spain, Andalusia, and just got back to The Netherlands. My manager said: it has leaked! And I thought: what is happening now?!

The first time I really followed Eurovision, was with The Toppers (2009). But that’s not my sort of music. However, then Anouk came, and The Common Linnets and I thought: doors have been opened, singer-songwriters can also participate.

The Eurovision-entry is ready:

It’s an up-tempo song. I’m going for the victory, I’m going for gold!

Watch the entire interview (in Dutch) by following this link

Douwe Bob will intensively work on the stage presentation these coming months, leaving nothing to chance, and putting the finishing touches to the song, which will probably be presented in February 2016. The artist will bring his own band with him on stage, knowing full well that the presentation has to be visually and musically appealing.

It is clear that after Anouk (2013), The Common Linnets (Ilse DeLange & Waylon, 2014), and Trijntje Oosterhuis (2015), The Netherlands have chosen to procede with the line of classy, well-known artists.

About Douwe Bob- Biography

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.
Douwe Bob started playing the piano from age six, focussing 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), an initiative of radio-DJ Giel Beelen, in 2012. Douwe Bob won the show, releasing his first single Multicoloured Angels, which landed on 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. Visit Douwe Bob’s official website for more information, including tour-dates.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, May 10 (semi-final 1), 12 (semi-final 2), and 14 (grand final).

Listen to Douwe Bob’s songs Multicoloured Angels, Stone Into The River (live), and his duet with Anouk, Hold Me:

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