| Joost Klein | |||||||||
| Landscape: | no | ||||||||
| Alias: | Joost | ||||||||
| Birth Date: | 10 November 1997 | ||||||||
| Birth Place: | Leeuwarden, Netherlands | ||||||||
| Origin: | Britsum, Netherlands | ||||||||
| Years Active: | 2016–present | ||||||||
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Joost Klein (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /joːst klɛin/; born 10 November 1997), also known mononymously as Joost, is a Dutch musician, rapper, singer, and former YouTuber. Mainly a hip hop artist, his songs and performances often include influences of electronic music, such as drum and bass, hardstyle, and gabber.[1] [2] He has released eight studio albums, two of which reached the top ten of the Dutch Album Top 100. He has amassed four chart entries on the Dutch Top 40, and is best known for "" (2022), "Europapa" (2024), Luchtballon (2024) and his collaborations with German rapper Ski Aggu on "Friesenjung" (2023) and Finnish rapper Käärijä on "Trafik!" (2024).
"Europapa" was selected to represent the in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and subsequently became Klein's first song to top both the Dutch Top 40 and Single Top 100. Having qualified from the semi-final, he was scheduled to perform fifth in the final, but was disqualified from the competition amidst allegations of misconduct. The allegations were investigated by Swedish prosecutors, who dropped the case in August 2024 after concluding that they could not prove any criminal conduct.[3]
Joost Klein was born on 10 November 1997 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands,[4] the third child of Hans and Ella Klein,[5] and grew up in the nearby village of Britsum. In 2008, he started a YouTube channel under the name EenhoornJoost . He attended the Stedelijk Gymnasium in Leeuwarden, but did not complete the curriculum at this secondary school.[4] At the age of twelve, he lost his father to cancer.[6] A year later, in 2011, his mother died of cardiac arrest.[6] Following the death of his parents, Klein was looked after by his older brother and sister.[7]
While active as a YouTuber, Klein published videos ranging from sketches to mini-documentaries.[4] In 2016, he released his debut extended play, after which he began focusing on a career in music. "Bitches" was his first music video that would reach a million views on YouTube.[8] He was briefly signed to TopNotch in 2017 and 2018, but eventually decided to set up his own record label, Albino Records.[9]
On 20 October 2017, Klein released the mixtape Scandinavian Boy, followed by the singles "" (transl. 'Seagull') and "" (transl. 'Uncle Robert') in 2018. On 3 August 2018, Klein released the studio album together with Dutch rapper Donnie. To promote the album, the duo organised a one-time concert titled Dutch; Flemish: Viraal in Carré in the Carré theatre in Amsterdam.[10]
Klein wrote a small book of poems titled Albino, which was published on 14 November 2018. Klein has mentioned that he wrote the book because of his father, who had also written a book and encouraged him to do the same.[11] To promote his studio album of the same title, Klein organised the (transl. 'It is not going too well') concert tour in 2019, during which he visited venues such as Paard,, and Paradiso.[12] He concluded the tour in Paradiso on 3 March 2019. The following summer, Klein performed at major Benelux festivals such as Pukkelpop, Pinkpop, Lowlands, and Zwarte Cross.
On 15 November 2019, Klein released the album , the title of which refers to the birth year of Klein's older brother.[13] Klein collaborated with music producers Mick Spek, Kauwboy and Tantu Beats on the album. On 24 April 2020, Klein released the album Joost Klein 7, which consists of seven songs, including a collaboration with Canadian rapper bbno$. On 7 August of the same year, he released the single "" (transl. 'I want you'), a remix of the eponymous song by the Belgian band De Kreuners.[14]
In March 2022, Klein collaborated with Russian musician, releasing "Jackass", a song in which Klein sings about his love for Russian women.[15] In February 2023, he released a song with Saint Petersburg-based group the Village Boys.[15] According to a statement released by Klein's management, "Jackass" was recorded prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the collaboration with the Village Boys was done after the group had left their homeland following the invasion, noting that "it has absolutely no bearing on what terrible things are still happening there, and is not pro-Russian".[16]
Klein released his eighth studio album on 13 September 2022, titled Western Frisian: Fryslân after his home province of Friesland. The album features the singles "Florida 2009", "Dutch; Flemish: Wachtmuziek|italic=no" and "Dutch; Flemish: Papa en mama|italic=no", and was fully produced by producer Tantu Beats. Various samples can be heard on the album, such as samples of the Dutch ska band Doe Maar and Crazy Frog. In "Florida 2009", Klein reflects on the death of his parents. He premiered the song at the 2022 edition of Pinkpop.[17]
In 2023, Klein scored his first hit in Germany with the single "Friesenjung", a collaboration with German rapper Ski Aggu and an adaptation of a song by East Frisian comedian Otto Waalkes. The song reached first place on the German Single Top 100.[18] That same year, Klein expressed his interest in representing the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden. A petition was launched by the NPO 3FM radio programme Dutch; Flemish: VoorAan of PowNed in an attempt to realise this goal.[19] On 11 December 2023, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced that Klein had been selected as the Dutch representative for the contest.[20] His entry, titled "Europapa", was released on 29 February 2024.[21]
Klein performed in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, held on 9 May, and having qualified, was scheduled to perform in position 5 in the final, on 11 May. However, Klein was barred from further rehearsals due to an "incident". On 11 May, the day of the final, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that Klein had been disqualified from the final.[22] According to AVROTROS, Klein was recorded by a female camera operator against his will immediately following his semi-final performance. AVROTROS claims that she continued to film "against clearly made agreements".[23] The camera operator alleges that Klein had reacted to the recording by making a "threatening move" towards her holding a camera.[24] The details of the altercation are unclear, but the Swedish police said it would be investigating whether criminal threats were made, not whether an assault occurred.[25] Klein denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.[26] The EBU clarified in a statement that its decision to disqualify Klein "did not involve any other performer or delegation member".[27] AVROTROS later stated that the disqualification was "very heavy and disproportionate".[28] On 12 August, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced that the case against Klein was closed because it could not be proven that he "was capable of causing serious fear or that had any such intention".[29]
In June 2024, Klein released the single "Dutch; Flemish: [[Luchtballon]]|i=no",[30] "The Bird Song",[31] and "German: Fußball|i=no (World Cup 1998)",[32] followed by a collaboration with Käärijä titled "Trafik!" on 12 July.[33] He additionally performed at various festivals across Europe between June and August 2024.[34]
| Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD [35] | BEL (FL) [36] | LTU [37] | ||||
| Dakloos |
| — | — | — | ||
| Scandinavian Boy |
| 12 | 121 | — | ||
(with Donnie) |
| 10 | 79 | — | ||
| 5 | 43 | 10 | |||
| 18 | 25 | — | |||
| Joost Klein 7 |
| — | 14 | — | ||
| Albino Sports, Vol. 1 (with Brunzyn) |
| — | 70 | — | ||
| Fryslân |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | ||
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
| Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album or EP | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD | AUT [48] | BEL (FL) | GER [49] | LAT [50] | LTU [51] | ": Web site: 2024 29-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). lt. AGATA. 19 July 2024. 19 July 2024. | SWE [52] | SWI [53] | UK [54] | WW [55] | ||||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Meeuw|i=no" (with) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Albino | ||
| "Ome Robert" | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Parmezaan & Linkerbaan|i=no" (with Donnie) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | M van Marketing | |||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Buurman|i=no" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1983 | ||
| "Midlife Crisis" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Joost Klein 2" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1983 | |||
| "Mayo, No Fries | " (with bbno$) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Joost Klein 7 | |
| "Ham?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Ik wil je|i=no" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Gewoon goed|i=no" (with Brunzyn featuring Donnie) | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Albino Sports, Vol. 1 | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Wachtmuziek|i=no" (with StuBru) | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | Fryslân | ||
| "Friesenjung" (with Ski Aggu and Otto Waalkes) | 2023 | 18 | 1 | — | 1 | 15 | 12 | 100 | 7 | — | — | Denk mal drüber nach... | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Droom groot|i=no" | 82 | — | — | — | — | 84 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Dutch; Flemish: [[Europapa]]|i=no" | 2024 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 37 | 51 | Europapa: Greatest Hits | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: [[Luchtballon]]|i=no" | 4 | — | 15 | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | rowspan="2" | |||
| "Trafik!" (with Käärijä) | 84 | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD Tip [60] | BEL (FL) [61] | LTU [62] | ||||
| "Youtube Money" (Fijne Vrienden featuring, Joost, Youngster The Don, Martin Verschoor, and Jasper Staal) | 2016 | — | — | rowspan="6" | ||
| "Boner in de Club" (featuring and Joost) | 2017 | — | — | |||
| "René Froger" (Donnie featuring Joost) | — | — | ||||
| "Relevant" (Bassistent featuring Joost) | — | — | ||||
| "Zwaailicht" (featuring Joost) | — | — | ||||
| "Vroom (Remix)" (Famke Louise featuring Donnie and Joost) | — | — | ||||
| "Neymar" (Daniel Got Hits featuring Joost and Bassistent) | 2018 | — | — | — | America's Fav Whiteboy | |
| "Dutch; Flemish: Friesland|i=no" (Rarri Jackson featuring and Joost) | — | — | — | rowspan="2" | ||
| "Snelle Planga (Remix)" (Donnie featuring Bizzey,, Lange Frans, Joost and Joel Beukers) | — | — | — | |||
| "Heritage" (Mick Spek featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Mick Spek | ||
| "Donkey Kong" (featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Porselein | ||
| "Infected" (and featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Infected | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Georgina Verbaan|i=no" (Brunzyn featuring Joost) | — | — | — | 3134 | ||
| "Absurd" (Milli on GO featuring Joost) | 2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Brunzyn en Jim|i=no" (Brunzyn featuring and Joost) | — | — | — | Brunzyn | ||
| "Klaar | " (Brunzyn featuring Joost) | — | — | — | ||
| "They Don't Know" (featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Baby met een mening | ||
| "Meine Bolide 2003" (Yung Petsi featuring Ka$per Hits and Joost) | 2021 | — | — | — | rowspan="3" | |
| "Monster Energy" (Rarri Jackson featuring Joost) | — | — | — | |||
| "" (featuring Joost and) | — | 41 | — | |||
| "Skin Care" (Rare Akuma featuring Joost) | 2022 | — | — | — | Dirtytwominus | |
| "Jackass" (featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Mudblood | ||
| "Fossiel" (featuring Yung Petsi, Donnie, Joost, and Ka$per Hits) | — | — | — | |||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Dis kak, maarit naai|i=no" (featuring Joost) | 2023 | — | — | — | Enter the Grootness | |
| "Normalje Bass" (featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Villagecation | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Heroïne|i=no" (Parsa and Vieze Asbak featuring Joost) | — | — | — | Parsalicious | ||
| "Snowboy Freestyle" (Chri$stophe featuring Joost) | — | — | — | High Off Life | ||
| "Wa dachte?" (Viccens featuring Joost and Kleine Crack) | — | — | — | rowspan="2" | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Buurman uit Berlijn|i=no" (MCR-T featuring Joost) | 2024 | 8 | — | 75 | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. " * " denotes that the chart did not exist at that time. | ||||||
| Title | Year | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| "511" | 2015 | rowspan="3" |
| "Feminist on da Block" | 2017 | |
| "Jan Peter Balkenende" | ||
| "Chubby" | 2018 | rowspan="3" |
| "Dutch; Flemish: Glaassie Water|i=no" | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Hallo Nederland|i=no" | 2020 | |
| "Albino Sports Anthem" (with Brunzyn) | 2021 | Albino Sports, Vol. 1 |
| "Dutch; Flemish: Fok de blok|i=no" | ||
| "Dutch; Flemish: Papa en Mama|i=no" | Fryslân | |
| "Florida 2009" | 2022 | |
| "Dutch; Flemish: Rookpauze|i=no 2" (with Vieze Asbak) | rowspan="5" | |
| "Bier Freestyle" | ||
| "German: Bruder + Schwester|i=no" (with Gladde Paling) | 2023 | |
| "The Bird Song" | 2024 | |
| "German: Fußball|i=no (World Cup 1998)" (with and MC Águia Pantera) |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD | BEL (FL) Tip | ||||
| "Scandinavian Boy" | 2017 | 77 | — | Scandinavian Boy | |
| "Albino" (featuring Tice) | 2019 | — | 30 | Albino | |
| "Dutch; Flemish: Bus gemist|i=no" (featuring and Daan Koens) | — | — | |||
| "Fryslân Bop" (featuring Jack Parow) | 2022 | 60 | — | Fryslân | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3voor12 Award | 2022 | Best Album | "Dutch; Flemish: Fryslân|i=no" | ||
| Friese Pop Awards | Song of the Year | "Dutch; Flemish: Fryslân Bop|i=no" | |||
| Popprijs | 2023 | Buma Cultuur Pop Award | Himself | ||
| 3FM Awards | Best Artist | ||||
| 1LIVE Krone | Best Song | "German: [[Friesenjung]]|i=no" | |||
| 3FM Awards | 2024 | Best Artist | Himself | ||
| OUTmusic Awards | Eurovision Song of the Year | "Europapa" | |||
| You're a Vision Award | Most Remarkable Outfit | Himself | |||
| Best International Song | "German: Friesenjung|i=no" |