Awww, do you recognize him?
In exactly one week the time has come: then we have to Joost Klein will live up to expectations in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Now that we all know him with his bleached locks, mullet, tattoos and of course gigantic shoulders, the Glamial editors wondered: what did little Joost actually look like?
Europapa
Immediately after the release of his Eurovision song, Europapa, the song turned out to be an absolute hit. Even the biggest skeptics couldn’t help it: you only have to hear Europapa’s tune once and you’ll keep humming it for weeks.
The Eurovision entry is more than just a catchy tune. It is also an emotional ode to Joost’s parents, whom he lost at a young age. For example, he told host Arjen Lubach in De Avondshow that the song is a kind of letter to his parents. “The letter is a kind of closure for me, I dare say. Mom, Dad, you will always be there for me, but I cannot carry this pain with me forever,” Joost shared at the time.
Tough childhood
Although Joost only really became known to the general public with Europapa, he has been causing a stir among the younger generations for some time. For example, he went viral with his song Friesenjung, both in his own country and with our eastern neighbors.
He also made a deep impression with his performances at Pinkpop and Lowlands in 2022. There he ended an energetic and exuberant performance with the subdued Florida 2009, which is about the loss of both his parents. In seventh grade he had to say goodbye to his father, who died of cancer. Just a year later, his mother died of cardiac arrest. His brother and sister, who are both about fifteen years older than Joost, took him in afterward. He even had their birth year, 1983, tattooed on his knuckles as a tribute.
Young artist and YouTuber
Although his youth was certainly not easy, Joost has been working on a career in the spotlight for many years. He has been active on YouTube for more than seven years under the alias ‘EenhoornJoost’. He has now deleted his very earliest videos, but there are still plenty of images of ‘YouTube sensation’ Joost Klein, as he was introduced in an episode of Bynt, a program from Omrop Fryslân.
His locks are bleached a little less white than during his Europapa days, and he has acquired quite a few tattoos over the years. You would hardly recognize the young artist anymore!
Humour
Joost also shared a cheerful photo from the old box, which he had edited to great amusement. Would little Joost in this photo ever have dreamed that he would conquer the world from the Eurovision stage?
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/MQQMEefj8R
— 𓆈 (@rauweboy) May 18, 2018
Although the ‘Link in bio’ tattoo in the above school photo is of course clearly photoshopped, the text now actually appears on the artist’s body. Not on his face, but on his thigh.
Who knows: could a tattoo on his face also be planned? In any case, we wouldn’t be surprised – after all, with Joost you never know!
Source: EO.nl, Glamial archive, Avrotros, 3voor12
