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Europapa
"Europapa" (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈøːroːˌpɑpaː]) is a song by Dutch musician Joost Klein. Self-described as a "very Dutch" 1990s-style song, it was written by Klein along with six other songwriters. It was self-released on 29 February 2024 and was the Netherlands' entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where it was disqualified from the final due to Klein reportedly making "unlawful threats" to a member of the contest's production crew, prompting a police investigation that eventually led to Klein's charges being dropped. The song was the first and as of 2025, only in the contest's history to be disqualified after the contest had started. The song was later included in Klein's ninth studio album, Unity (2025).
The song has been described as an ode to Europe and a "letter" to his late father, who taught him that the world has "no borders". It was met with relative praise amongst both Dutch and international media, with support for the song's message about the advocation of diversity along with the tribute to Klein's father being mentioned. "Europapa" was met with commercial success, peaking at number one on the singles charts of the Netherlands, Flanders, Latvia and Lithuania, in the process becoming the most streamed competing song of Eurovision 2024 on Spotify and YouTube.
"Europapa" was composed by Paul Elstak, Teun de Kruif (Tantu Beats), Thijmen Melissant, and Dylan van Dael, and written by Joost Klein, Donny Ellerström (Maradonnie), and Tim Haars (as Gerrie from New Kids). In interviews, Klein stated that the song is an ode to Europe and a "letter to his deceased father", who taught him that the world has "no borders", with his father stating that "borders are invented by people and that you can therefore invent the world yourself." Described by Trouw as "retro happy hardcore", the song's style draws inspiration from 2 Unlimited and Vengaboys according to Klein, being a mix between the "typical Eurovision genre" and "gabber". Vulture's Jon O'Brien also noted influences from Scooter. The song premiered on 29 February 2024 on a special live broadcast of De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach at 16:45 CET (15:45 UTC), hosted by Arjen Lubach.
The song itself features an orphan child "wanting to tell his story", which was inspired by Klein's upbringing. The first lines praise the Schengen Area and its relative open borders, stating that even without a passport, Klein can still visit friends across international borders. It references the Stromae song "Papaoutai" midway through the song, referring to a line within "Papaoutai" where the singer asks where his father is. In an analysis by Wiwibloggs' Ruxandra Tudor, it was described to have "embodie[d] a collective ethos... It’s a philosophy that celebrates diversity, fosters connection, and embraces the shared humanity that unites us all". The end of the song features a somber message to his father, in which Klein realizes the impact his father had on him.
Along with the song's release, an accompanying music video was released on the same day. Directed by Véras Fawaz, a personal friend of Klein, The music video for "Europapa" was premiered live on De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach at 16:45 CET, followed by a release on the Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube ten minutes later. The music video was filmed at the Etersheimer Braakmolen mill in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. It features cameo appearances by past Dutch Eurovision entrants René Froger (2009, as part of De Toppers) and S10 (2022), in addition to Emma Wortelboer, the Dutch spokesperson for the 2019 contest, and TikTokers Appie Mussa and Stuntkabouter. Co-lyricist Tim Haars appears briefly in character as Gerrie from New Kids. According to Fawaz, throughout production, he described Klein as "very difficult" to work with. In an interview with Algemeen Dagblad, Fawaz stated that Klein "struck out a few times against my assistant on my set. I had a lot of fights with him during the process... [before the release], it was 'this sucks, I am not feeling it, I am not releasing this' all the time." Fawaz later declared Klein as a "control freak", adding that "being a control freak is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness."
In interviews, Klein has stated that the video details the story of "an orphan traveling Europe ... trying to get known, to get his name out there". The video is heavily inspired by his life story; particularly the event of losing his father early in his life. The end of the video displays a family photo featuring Klein and his dad, along with a house burning; to Klein, it represented years of therapy and "how in certain therapy sessions they make you write down ... a part of your story, and then you have to burn it to make room for new energy". In another interview given by Fawaz, the video, which features K-pop dancers and a mobility scooter race, is meant to represent "the embodiment of the Joost cinematic universe".
To further promote the song in the months before the Eurovision Song Contest, Klein performed the song on numerous occasions. He first performed the song live during a concert at 013 in Tilburg. He later announced his intent to participate in various Eurovision pre-parties throughout the month of April, including Eurovision in Concert 2024 on 13 April and the Nordic Eurovision Party on 14 April. Klein also released an EP inspired by the song on 5 April, which featured the original variation of the song along with five other remixed versions of "Europapa", including a ringtone and nightcore version.
"Europapa" has drawn relatively positive reactions. Richard van de Crommert, writer for De Telegraaf, felt that the song was a strong representation of Dutch culture, declaring it a "cheerful and crazy composition". Linda Wagenmakers, a Dutch representative that participated in the 2000 iteration of the contest, praised the song for being having a "happy hardcore sound... [it's] great for the energy. It's also nice that he sings some phrases from other languages in between." Frank van Pamelen, a Dutch comedian, stated in Algemeen Dagblad that although "he will not win a Nobel Prize with it", he thought that "the Eurovision Song Contest is a possibility. I like it... It is a real contender." In contrast, journalist Johan Derksen stated on Dutch talk show Vandaag Inside that "I like good wine and this is sparkling lemonade... I don't want anything to do with this bullshit. I am ashamed that he represents the Netherlands."
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Europapa
"Europapa" (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈøːroːˌpɑpaː]) is a song by Dutch musician Joost Klein. Self-described as a "very Dutch" 1990s-style song, it was written by Klein along with six other songwriters. It was self-released on 29 February 2024 and was the Netherlands' entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where it was disqualified from the final due to Klein reportedly making "unlawful threats" to a member of the contest's production crew, prompting a police investigation that eventually led to Klein's charges being dropped. The song was the first and as of 2025, only in the contest's history to be disqualified after the contest had started. The song was later included in Klein's ninth studio album, Unity (2025).
The song has been described as an ode to Europe and a "letter" to his late father, who taught him that the world has "no borders". It was met with relative praise amongst both Dutch and international media, with support for the song's message about the advocation of diversity along with the tribute to Klein's father being mentioned. "Europapa" was met with commercial success, peaking at number one on the singles charts of the Netherlands, Flanders, Latvia and Lithuania, in the process becoming the most streamed competing song of Eurovision 2024 on Spotify and YouTube.
"Europapa" was composed by Paul Elstak, Teun de Kruif (Tantu Beats), Thijmen Melissant, and Dylan van Dael, and written by Joost Klein, Donny Ellerström (Maradonnie), and Tim Haars (as Gerrie from New Kids). In interviews, Klein stated that the song is an ode to Europe and a "letter to his deceased father", who taught him that the world has "no borders", with his father stating that "borders are invented by people and that you can therefore invent the world yourself." Described by Trouw as "retro happy hardcore", the song's style draws inspiration from 2 Unlimited and Vengaboys according to Klein, being a mix between the "typical Eurovision genre" and "gabber". Vulture's Jon O'Brien also noted influences from Scooter. The song premiered on 29 February 2024 on a special live broadcast of De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach at 16:45 CET (15:45 UTC), hosted by Arjen Lubach.
The song itself features an orphan child "wanting to tell his story", which was inspired by Klein's upbringing. The first lines praise the Schengen Area and its relative open borders, stating that even without a passport, Klein can still visit friends across international borders. It references the Stromae song "Papaoutai" midway through the song, referring to a line within "Papaoutai" where the singer asks where his father is. In an analysis by Wiwibloggs' Ruxandra Tudor, it was described to have "embodie[d] a collective ethos... It’s a philosophy that celebrates diversity, fosters connection, and embraces the shared humanity that unites us all". The end of the song features a somber message to his father, in which Klein realizes the impact his father had on him.
Along with the song's release, an accompanying music video was released on the same day. Directed by Véras Fawaz, a personal friend of Klein, The music video for "Europapa" was premiered live on De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach at 16:45 CET, followed by a release on the Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube ten minutes later. The music video was filmed at the Etersheimer Braakmolen mill in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. It features cameo appearances by past Dutch Eurovision entrants René Froger (2009, as part of De Toppers) and S10 (2022), in addition to Emma Wortelboer, the Dutch spokesperson for the 2019 contest, and TikTokers Appie Mussa and Stuntkabouter. Co-lyricist Tim Haars appears briefly in character as Gerrie from New Kids. According to Fawaz, throughout production, he described Klein as "very difficult" to work with. In an interview with Algemeen Dagblad, Fawaz stated that Klein "struck out a few times against my assistant on my set. I had a lot of fights with him during the process... [before the release], it was 'this sucks, I am not feeling it, I am not releasing this' all the time." Fawaz later declared Klein as a "control freak", adding that "being a control freak is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness."
In interviews, Klein has stated that the video details the story of "an orphan traveling Europe ... trying to get known, to get his name out there". The video is heavily inspired by his life story; particularly the event of losing his father early in his life. The end of the video displays a family photo featuring Klein and his dad, along with a house burning; to Klein, it represented years of therapy and "how in certain therapy sessions they make you write down ... a part of your story, and then you have to burn it to make room for new energy". In another interview given by Fawaz, the video, which features K-pop dancers and a mobility scooter race, is meant to represent "the embodiment of the Joost cinematic universe".
To further promote the song in the months before the Eurovision Song Contest, Klein performed the song on numerous occasions. He first performed the song live during a concert at 013 in Tilburg. He later announced his intent to participate in various Eurovision pre-parties throughout the month of April, including Eurovision in Concert 2024 on 13 April and the Nordic Eurovision Party on 14 April. Klein also released an EP inspired by the song on 5 April, which featured the original variation of the song along with five other remixed versions of "Europapa", including a ringtone and nightcore version.
"Europapa" has drawn relatively positive reactions. Richard van de Crommert, writer for De Telegraaf, felt that the song was a strong representation of Dutch culture, declaring it a "cheerful and crazy composition". Linda Wagenmakers, a Dutch representative that participated in the 2000 iteration of the contest, praised the song for being having a "happy hardcore sound... [it's] great for the energy. It's also nice that he sings some phrases from other languages in between." Frank van Pamelen, a Dutch comedian, stated in Algemeen Dagblad that although "he will not win a Nobel Prize with it", he thought that "the Eurovision Song Contest is a possibility. I like it... It is a real contender." In contrast, journalist Johan Derksen stated on Dutch talk show Vandaag Inside that "I like good wine and this is sparkling lemonade... I don't want anything to do with this bullshit. I am ashamed that he represents the Netherlands."