Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
Encyclopedia
The Netherlands were present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, held in Birmingham
, West Midlands
, United Kingdom
.
The Dutch national final to select their entry, the Nationaal Songfestival 1998, was held on 8 March at the Rai Congrescentrum in Amsterdam
, and was hosted by Paul de Leeuw
and Linda de Mol
. The final decision was weighted 50-50 between a panel of "experts" and telephone voting across the country.
The winning entry was "Hemel en aarde
," performed by Edsilia Rombley
and written and composed by Eric van Tijn
and Jochem Fluitsma
.
and preceding Sweden
. At the Contest, she performed under her first name only. At the close of the voting the song had received 150 points, placing 4th in a field of 25 competing countries. It was the best placing the Netherlands had seen since their last win in 1975.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Dutch national final to select their entry, the Nationaal Songfestival 1998, was held on 8 March at the Rai Congrescentrum in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and was hosted by Paul de Leeuw
Paul de Leeuw
Paul Henri de Leeuw is a Dutch television comedian, singer and actor.De Leeuw gained national fame in the late eighties and early nineties with television shows for broadcasting company VARA...
and Linda de Mol
Linda de Mol
Linda Margaretha de Mol , known as Linda de Mol, is a Dutch actress and television presenter in the Netherlands and in Germany. She is the sister of Endemol founder John de Mol...
. The final decision was weighted 50-50 between a panel of "experts" and telephone voting across the country.
The winning entry was "Hemel en aarde
Hemel en aarde
"Hemel en aarde" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Dutch by Edsilia.The song is a moderately up-tempo ballad, with Edsilia describing her feelings on discovering love in what was seemingly an unexpected place...
," performed by Edsilia Rombley
Edsilia Rombley
Edsilia Francisca Rombley is a Dutch singer. She participated in the Soundmixshow in 1996. She represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 1998 and 2007.-Biography:...
and written and composed by Eric van Tijn
Eric van Tijn
Eric Job van Tijn is a Dutch music producer and judge on the Dutch versions of the music competitions Idols and X Factor....
and Jochem Fluitsma
Jochem Fluitsma
Jochem Fluitsma , is a Dutch music producer and musician. With Eric van Tijn, he is also part of the successful musical writing duo Fluitsma & Van Tijn...
.
National final
| Draw | Artist | Song | Informal translation | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylvia Samson | Mijn wens voor 2000 | My wish for 2000 | 38 | 7th |
| 2 | Frederique Spigt | Mijn hart kan dat niet aan | My heart can't take it anymore | 70 | 3rd |
| 3 | Marco Marle | Hou me nu maar vast | Hold me now | 29 | 8th |
| 4 | Ryan van den Akker and Lone van Remndaal | Over | Over | 48 | 5th |
| 5 | Edsilia Rombley | Hemel en aarde | Heaven and earth | 138 | 1st |
| 6 | Nubia | Ze kwamen overzee | They came from over the sea | 65 | 4th |
| 7 | Nurlaila | Alsof je bij me bent | As if you're with me | 84 | 2nd |
| 8 | Claudia Nelson | Zintuigen | Senses | 40 | 6th |
At Eurovision
Rombley was the eighteenth performer on the night of the Contest, following CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and preceding Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. At the Contest, she performed under her first name only. At the close of the voting the song had received 150 points, placing 4th in a field of 25 competing countries. It was the best placing the Netherlands had seen since their last win in 1975.