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Nationaal Songfestival
Nationaal Songfestival (Dutch: [nɑ(t)ɕoːˌnaːl ˈsɔŋfɛstiˌvɑl]; lit. 'National Song Festival') was an annual music competition, which was originally organised by the Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), and later by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and the Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS). It was staged almost every year between 1956 and 2012 to determine the country's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced four Eurovision winners and eight top-five placings for the Netherlands at the contest.
Due to declining interest in the competition and the Netherlands' poor performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was decided that the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 would be internally selected. As this led to the Netherlands' best Eurovision result in over ten years, Nationaal Songfestival has not been organised since. The children's version of the competition, Junior Songfestival, is still active.
From 1956 to 1969, Nationaal Songfestival was organised by the Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS). From 1970 onwards, the show was produced and broadcast by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), with the exception of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions, which were organised by the Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS). After the 2006 edition, the NOS stated that it no longer wanted to organise the competition. After a two-year hiatus, the TROS took over the event in 2009.
Throughout the years, different formats were used to determine which artist and/or song would represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition was usually held in February or March. In 1985, 1991, 1995 and 2002, Nationaal Songfestival was not organised, because the Netherlands would not take part in that year's Eurovision Song Contest.
In 1961, 1963, 1980, 2007 and 2008, the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was not selected through Nationaal Songfestival, but was chosen internally by a special committee. The 1963 edition of Nationaal Songfestival had been scheduled to take place on 23 January at the Tivoli in Utrecht, but was cancelled due to a strike of the Metropole Orchestra. In 2007, a special edition of the show Mooi! Weer De Leeuw, titled Mooi! Weer het Nationaal Songfestival, was broadcast in which Edsilia Rombley performed three potential Eurovision entries, after which she announced which song she had picked.
After a two-year hiatus, Nationaal Songfestival returned in 2009 as the selection method for the Dutch Eurovision entry; this time to select a song for De Toppers, who had been internally selected by the TROS as the Dutch representatives. In 2010, this format was reversed when the song "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" written by Pierre Kartner was internally selected, and the performer was chosen through Nationaal Songfestival. Both schlager acts failed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest and were subject of heavy criticism in the Netherlands.
When asked in the talk show Pauw & Witteman why "acknowledged composers" are no longer involved in writing the "best possible songs" for Nationaal Songfestival, Eric van Tijn, composer of the winning entries "Vrede" (1993) and "Hemel en aarde" (1998), stated that "it is not an honor anymore to take part in [the competition]". He attributed the Netherlands' poor performance in the Eurovision Song Contest to the NOS and TROS's limited budgets, which did not allow established songwriters to present their songs in the best possible way, thereby making it unattractive to submit an entry.
After more disappointing Eurovision results that Nationaal Songfestival continued to produce in 2011 and 2012, Anouk approached TROS to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. While initially TROS was pushing for another Nationaal Songfestival selection that year, Anouk refused to participate in it and wanted to be internally selected with full creative control over the entry. Ultimately, TROS decided to select her, and she went on to represent the country with the song "Birds". Anouk was the first Dutch entrant to qualify for a Eurovision final since 2004, which is the longest non-qualification streak of any country to date. With this success, Nationaal Songfestival has not been held since. In subsequent years, the internal selection method led the Netherlands to more success, including placing second in 2014, and winning the 2019 contest.
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Nationaal Songfestival
Nationaal Songfestival (Dutch: [nɑ(t)ɕoːˌnaːl ˈsɔŋfɛstiˌvɑl]; lit. 'National Song Festival') was an annual music competition, which was originally organised by the Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), and later by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) and the Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS). It was staged almost every year between 1956 and 2012 to determine the country's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced four Eurovision winners and eight top-five placings for the Netherlands at the contest.
Due to declining interest in the competition and the Netherlands' poor performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was decided that the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 would be internally selected. As this led to the Netherlands' best Eurovision result in over ten years, Nationaal Songfestival has not been organised since. The children's version of the competition, Junior Songfestival, is still active.
From 1956 to 1969, Nationaal Songfestival was organised by the Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS). From 1970 onwards, the show was produced and broadcast by the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), with the exception of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions, which were organised by the Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS). After the 2006 edition, the NOS stated that it no longer wanted to organise the competition. After a two-year hiatus, the TROS took over the event in 2009.
Throughout the years, different formats were used to determine which artist and/or song would represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. The competition was usually held in February or March. In 1985, 1991, 1995 and 2002, Nationaal Songfestival was not organised, because the Netherlands would not take part in that year's Eurovision Song Contest.
In 1961, 1963, 1980, 2007 and 2008, the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was not selected through Nationaal Songfestival, but was chosen internally by a special committee. The 1963 edition of Nationaal Songfestival had been scheduled to take place on 23 January at the Tivoli in Utrecht, but was cancelled due to a strike of the Metropole Orchestra. In 2007, a special edition of the show Mooi! Weer De Leeuw, titled Mooi! Weer het Nationaal Songfestival, was broadcast in which Edsilia Rombley performed three potential Eurovision entries, after which she announced which song she had picked.
After a two-year hiatus, Nationaal Songfestival returned in 2009 as the selection method for the Dutch Eurovision entry; this time to select a song for De Toppers, who had been internally selected by the TROS as the Dutch representatives. In 2010, this format was reversed when the song "Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" written by Pierre Kartner was internally selected, and the performer was chosen through Nationaal Songfestival. Both schlager acts failed to qualify for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest and were subject of heavy criticism in the Netherlands.
When asked in the talk show Pauw & Witteman why "acknowledged composers" are no longer involved in writing the "best possible songs" for Nationaal Songfestival, Eric van Tijn, composer of the winning entries "Vrede" (1993) and "Hemel en aarde" (1998), stated that "it is not an honor anymore to take part in [the competition]". He attributed the Netherlands' poor performance in the Eurovision Song Contest to the NOS and TROS's limited budgets, which did not allow established songwriters to present their songs in the best possible way, thereby making it unattractive to submit an entry.
After more disappointing Eurovision results that Nationaal Songfestival continued to produce in 2011 and 2012, Anouk approached TROS to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. While initially TROS was pushing for another Nationaal Songfestival selection that year, Anouk refused to participate in it and wanted to be internally selected with full creative control over the entry. Ultimately, TROS decided to select her, and she went on to represent the country with the song "Birds". Anouk was the first Dutch entrant to qualify for a Eurovision final since 2004, which is the longest non-qualification streak of any country to date. With this success, Nationaal Songfestival has not been held since. In subsequent years, the internal selection method led the Netherlands to more success, including placing second in 2014, and winning the 2019 contest.