At the contest last year, many fans were rooting for Joost Klein, a Dutch pop star, who had entered with “Europapa,” a hyperfast dance track about a journey through Europe.
But just hours before the final, Eurovision officials threw the singer out of the contest, saying that he had threatened a camerawoman backstage.
Klein recalled in an interview that he had learned he was in trouble while dressed in a comically large blue suit and waiting for a rehearsal. He said he had begged to talk to the upset camerawoman to try to change his fate. But to no avail: Soon enough, Klein was out.
Although Klein never got to appear before the final’s vast TV audience, his career has gotten stronger over the past year. This spring, Klein played his first New York shows, as well as a string of dates in Europe, and he now has over three million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Klein said he was not over the Eurovision scandal, however. “Everyone’s like, ‘Hey, your career grew,’” Klein said. “I don’t care.”
The disqualification, for which he never received any criminal penalty, still stung, Klein said. “I wish I could forget stuff fast, or let it rest, but that’s not how I work,” Klein added. The star said he had poured some of those emotions into his most recent album, “Unity.”
“Unity” includes several tracks referencing Eurovision, one of which includes an expletive aimed at the Eurovision Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest.
During the interview, which took place in March, Klein said he wouldn’t be watching on Saturday night. “Hell, no!” he said. But maybe he will still have something to add on Instagram, where he can be outspoken.
