The Netherlands: Trijntje Oosterhuis

SEMI FINAL 1: Trijntje Oosterhuis from The Netherlands will sing 'Walk Along' at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest held in Vienna, Austria.

The Dame of Dutch rock Trijntje Oosterhuis brings serious pedigree into this year’s competition. She’s one of the vocal coaches on The Voice of Holland and has performed with artists as varied as Queen, Andrea Bocelli and X Factor Australia’s Ronan Keating. 'Walk Along' is a middle-of-the-road rock song composed by another Dutch diva Anouk whose song 'Birds', from the 2013 contest, sparked a renewed confidence in Dutch entries. It’s a pity the song does not really go anywhere and unfortunately for our friends with a penchant for orange we won’t be seeing a repeat of last year’s sterling 2^nd placing.   

 

Spoiler: Watch The Netherlands' Semi Final 1 performance below

4 Questions with Trijntje

What are three interesting aspects about your entry?

1. Anouk wrote the song. She entered the competition herself two years ago.
2. It’s a fresh and catchy song.
3. Its premiere was on the show The Voice of Holland where I was one of the coaches.

What are three impressive facts about you?

1. From the start of my career I always did different genres, which made me very versatile and an all round singer: pop/ blue note jazz/soul, both Dutch and English.
2. I had the honour of working together with a lot of international high profile artists: Al Jarreau, Queen, Andrea Bocelli, Burt Bacharach, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Richie, Coolio, Ivan Lins, Incognito, Khaled, Salomon Burke, Candy Dulfer, Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans, Bobby McFerrin en Ronan Keating. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to share music with these inspiring people.
3. I’ve performed many times for the Royal Family, both privately and in public. When Princess Amalia was born, I even got to sing a song that was especially written for her.

Do you have a (lucky) routine before you go on stage?

I like to talk chit-chat with my sons.

Why is the Eurovision Song Contest important for you?

Having been a professional Dutch singer for a long time, for more than 20 years, I thought it was an honour to be asked to take part in this contest and I’m very proud to represent my country.

Trijntje's video profile