Duncan Laurence

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Duncan Laurence is the stage name of Duncan de Moor, a Dutch singer and songwriter, born in 1994 in Spijkenisse and raised in Hellevoetsluis. As a teenager he began writing songs, partly as an escape from bullying. He studied at the Rock Academy in Tilburg and played in school bands, including his own group The Slick and Suited, formed in 2013. He then took part in the fifth season of The Voice of Holland, with Ilse DeLange as his coach. He was eliminated in the semi-final. He also co-wrote Closer, a song by the Korean duo TVXQ.

Music and breakthrough

In January 2019 he was internally selected to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. His song Arcade was released in March of that year. He was the big favourite and won, giving the Netherlands its first win since 1975. In 2020 Arcade became a hit on TikTok, and in January 2021 it was the most-streamed Eurovision song on Spotify. His first album is called Small Town Boy, from 2020, followed by Skyboy in 2023. At the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam he opened the first semi-final with Feel Something.

Influence

Laurence sings softly and sensitively, accompanied by piano and little embellishment. His song about a lost love remains simply built and only late on grows into a grand chorus. He shows that a Eurovision winner can reach a much larger audience through streaming than just the television audience of a single evening.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2020Small Town Boy
• 2023Skyboy

Mentioned in other articles

• Arcade SongOn 18 May 2019 Duncan Laurence won the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv with Arcade, the first Dutch victory since 1975.