Armin van Buuren, one of the world’s highest-earning DJs, was rejected by the Dutch Eurovision Song Festival committee without even a phone call to say he had not been chosen.

Van Buuren told Shownieuws that he had submitted a song in 2021, together with singer Jaap Reesema. But the selection committee instead opted for relatively unknown singer-songwriter S10, and her entry De Diepte, which came 11th.  

“We did not hear if it was us or not,” Van Buuren, five times voted best DJ in the world, said. “In the end we had to phone someone ourselves to find out that we had not been chosen. It is very odd when you think that that they seemed to really want me.

“Maybe it was down to miscommunication, I don’t know. But I do think [Eurovision] is not my world.” 

TV channel AvroTros, which organises the Dutch side of Eurovision, said his management had been told about the decision. “This would appear to be a misunderstanding,” a spokesman told the AD. 

AvroTros is known to be rethinking the way the Netherlands selects its entry for the song contest following this year’s problems.

 Two very inexperienced singers were picked to perform as a duo but the song had to be revised at the last moment so they could sing it live and the Netherlands failed to qualify for the final.