Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Netherlands in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Participating broadcasterAVROTROS
Country Netherlands
Selection processInternal selection
Announcement dateArtist: 25 November 2013
Song: 12 March 2014
Competing entry
Song"Calm After the Storm"
ArtistThe Common Linnets
Songwriters
Placement
Semi-final resultQualified (1st, 150 points)
Final result2nd, 238 points
Participation chronology
◄2013 2014 2015►

The Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Calm After the Storm", written by Ilse DeLange, JB Meijers, Rob Crosby, Matthew Crosby, and Jake Etheridge, and performed by the Common Linnets. The Dutch participating broadcaster, AVROTROS, internally selected its entry for the contest. In November 2013 the broadcaster announced that it had internally selected them as the performers, with their song first presented to the public in March 2014. The Common Linnets is a duo consisting of DeLange and Waylon, two well-known and popular Dutch artists, and formed by DeLange as a platform for Dutch artists to create country, Americana, and bluegrass music.

In the weeks leading up to the contest, the Netherlands was considered by the bookmakers to be one of the countries most likely to qualify for the final. In the first of two Eurovision semi-finals "Calm After the Storm" came first of the sixteen participating countries, securing its place among the twenty-five other countries in the final. In the Netherlands fifty-fifth Eurovision appearance on 10 May, "Calm After the Storm" finished in second place, receiving 238 points and full marks from eight countries. This was the Netherlands best finish in the contest since 1975.

After the show, the song went on to chart in several European countries, reaching number one in Belgium, Iceland and the Netherlands, as well as reaching the top ten in several other European countries. The group's self-titled début album, released in May 2014, was also a success in the Netherlands and several other European countries. The success of the Common Linnets in the contest was met with wide praise, with many commenting that their triumph was a boost to the musicality and credibility of the contest.