Dion Cooper and Mia Nicolai may try to win the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the Netherlands. In Liverpool they sing Burning Daylight, a song they co-wrote with Duncan Laurence. Tonight we discover how that song sounds when they present it in Rotterdam.
A very short teaser was released yesterday Burning Daylight on social media, but the music was not yet heard in it. We don’t really get much wiser from the video: we see a hand, a falling Cooper and a laughing Nicolai. And in the background we hear mysterious sounds.
It is striking that the font used for the title and date is very similar to the font Laurence used for the promotion of his last single, I Want It All. That could say something about how the song sounds. In conversation with NU.nl, Laurence already said that he was inspired for his latest singles by artists such as Joni Mitchell and Elton John.
Lawrence wrote Burning Daylight along with his partner Jordan Garfield. They then continued to work on the song with Cooper and Nicolai. Cooper told it AD that the song is “an ode to trial and error”. “It’s about recognizing that we’re just human beings who try their best and that it’s okay to make mistakes.”
Cooper and Nicolai support each other
The group sent the song to the selection committee of the Eurovision Song Contest. That committee, consisting of Cornald Maas, Jan Smit and Carolien Borgers, among others, then opted for Burning Daylight as submission. Cooper and Nicolai now see each other almost every day, but previously hardly knew each other. “We do team building. We often go for coffee. That way we get to know each other better,” Nicolai said.
It is nice that the two have support for each other, because since the announcement in November they have already had a lot to endure. For example, it was suggested that they were favored by the committee because they are friends with Laurence. Nicolai: “I dare say that everyone has had a fair chance. I have seen how carefully the selection system works. We have been tested in several rounds of interviews. We have followed the entire procedure.”
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuwe verhalen over het Eurovisie Songfestival
Laurence accompanies the two
Laurence is closely involved in the Eurovision performance, later in May. The singer accompanies the duo, together with his partner. This is how he does what Ilse DeLange did for him in 2019: thinking about the performance and the staging. And as a former winner, Laurence knows better than anyone what else is involved in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Cooper and Nicolai are already busy practicing for their performance in May. On Tuesday the 9th, the occasional duo will take the stage in Liverpool and aim to reach the top ten. If they succeed, they are sure of a place in the final on Saturday 13 May. The two hope to eventually go home with the win. Nicolai: “Winning would be great. I’m not going to lie about that.”