For those who didn’t know yet: Antoon is the biggest pop star in the Netherlands. Really, that guy is whistling out the ZiggoDome, twice, and that while he has only been haunting the charts since 2020. Since he picked the title of his first hit ‘Hyperventilatie’ from difficult words.nl (true) Antoon has become an indispensable part of the Top 40. In fact, he always occupies several spots at the same time. From ‘Nice’ to ‘Hello’, from ‘Hotelschool’ to ‘Vlucht Strip’, that guy only has to gulp or it goes double platinum.
In any case, he has a mentor who teaches him the tricks of the trade: Big2 from The Opposites, who also participates in a few songs today (much to the confusion of the youngest in the room). Because of that connection it can be called hip-hop, but Antoon is really a pop artist, you know. His hit-fähige pop songs also clearly tap into the dance keg: fairly flat Vindicat tech house, made to be played by corporal balls with Schimmelpenninck coupe and Polo Ralph Lauren during a beer boat trip through the Amsterdam canals, but also with a drum ‘n bass rhythm here, a house drop there. ‘Hello’ gets another cheerful country guitar. They’re all highly effective pop songs, and the Pinkpop crowd eagerly claps them away like free bacos. Antoon brings them alternately with a DJ and band, the latter of which gives the show a bit more dynamics, and then there are confetti cannons, smoke machines, even a flamethrower. Great pop show, this, you would almost forget that Antoon is now scattering red flags in his texts as if he were playing the Instagram feed of bigplayer94 is updating. In ‘Hyperventilation’ he already has a panic attack when the word relationship is mentioned, ‘Refuge Strip’ is also such a commitment fear tanthem for the confused fuckboy, and then there is this savage line from ‘Olivia’: ‘All your girlfriends say baby forget him / but your friends they are ugly / baby forgive me.’ I don’t know about you, but if someone dropped such a red flag with me, I would spontaneously run. Oh dear.
THE MOMENT:
The Pinkpop audience is enamored with Antoon en masse. When the last notes of ‘Fun’ fade away, he grins his biggest smile. “Pinkpop, I like you!” A cameraman zooms in on a blond girl who is staring at the stage with glittering eyes. Oh dear.
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