Laurence during his time at the Rock Academy inTilburg in 2014.
Born inSpijkenisse, Laurence grew up inHellevoetsluis. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, as an escape from being bullied.[5] He started his musical career at the Rock Academy inTilburg, playing in a number of school bands,[2] including his own, The Slick and Suited. Formed in 2013, the band went on to perform atEurosonic Noorderslag.[6][7] In February 2020, he revealed that he hadoxygen deprivation at birth, and thus has had a motor disorder affect his right hand.[8]
2014–2018:The Voice of Holland and independent work
In January 2019, Laurence was internally selected to represent the Netherlands in theEurovision Song Contest 2019, held inTel Aviv,Israel. He was nominated by DeLange, with whom he remained in contact afterThe Voice. His song, "Arcade", was released in March 2019. Arriving as the main favourite to win, Laurence eventually went on to win the contest, having received a total of 498 points. He is the fifth Dutch entrant to win the competition, and the first sinceTeach-In won theEurovision Song Contest 1975 with the song "Ding-a-dong".[13] As a result of thefollowing year's contest being cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Laurence is the longest reigning Eurovision winner, having held the title for two consecutive years.
After his Eurovision victory, Laurence embarked on a concert tour across the Netherlands and Europe.[14] On 10 June 2019, he performed at the 50th anniversary ofPinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, the first Dutch Eurovision winner to perform at the event. He replaced the Swedish duoFirst Aid Kit who dropped out for health reasons.[15] On 23 October 2019, Laurence released his second single, "Love Don't Hate It". It was also announced that he signed a recording contract withCapitol Records.[16][17] In 2020, the artists' entrance atRotterdam Ahoy was renamed "Door Duncan" in his honour.[18] On 13 May 2020, Laurence released his firstextended play (EP),Worlds on Fire, which included the singles "Arcade", "Love Don't Hate It", and "Someone Else", along with two new tracks. His first studio album,Small Town Boy, followed on 13 November 2020. It wascertified platinum in the Netherlands three days after its release.[19] The album's release was preceded by "Feel Something", a collaboration with fellow Dutch DJArmin van Buuren.[20]
In the second half of 2020, "Arcade" went viral on video sharing serviceTikTok, resulting in the song's new chart success and rise in streams on various platforms.[21][22] In January 2021, "Arcade" became the most-streamed Eurovision song onSpotify, surpassing a record previously held by Eurovision 2019 runner-upMahmood and his entry "Soldi".[23] On 12 February 2021, "Arcade" reached theUK Singles Chart's top 40,[24] and two weeks later it peaked at number 29.[25] In March, Laurence made his US television debut performing "Arcade" onToday,[26] and later also performed the song's duet version alongsideFletcher onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.[27] Following these promotional appearances, the song broke into the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the first Eurovision song in 25 years and the firstEurovision winning song in 45 years to do so; it eventually peaked at number 30.[28][29][30]
At theEurovision Song Contest 2021 held inRotterdam, Laurence opened the first semi-final with "Feel Something". In the same event, he was awarded a Global Platinum record for one billion streams of "Arcade".[31] However, he later tested positive forCOVID-19, which prevented him from performing live in the grand final.[32] Pre-recorded footage of his performance, consisting of "Arcade" and a new single fromSmall Town Boy's deluxe edition, "Stars", was broadcast instead during the final.[33]
On 11 June 2021, thesoundtrack album for the second season of theHulu seriesLove, Victor was released. Among the artists featured on the soundtrack was Laurence with "Heaven Is a Hand to Hold", which he co-wrote withLeland, Jordan Garfield andPeter Thomas.[34] Laurence also features on American singerWrabel's single "Back to Back", which was released on 30 July off of the latter's debut albumThese Words Are All for You.[35] "Wishes Come True", a standalone Christmas single, followed on 26 November.[36]
In early 2022, Laurence served as a coach on the sixth season ofThe Voice Kids Belgium, where a member of his team, Karista, won.[37]
On 3 August 2022, Laurence released "Electric Life", which serves as the lead single of his forthcoming second studio albumSkyboy.[38][39][40] A collaborative single withRosa Linn, "WDIA (Would Do It Again)", followed on 21 October.[41] Further singles include "I Want It All" in November 2022, "Skyboy" in March 2023, and "Anything" and "Rest in Peace" in August 2023.[42] He co-wrote theDutch entry for theEurovision Song Contest 2023, "Burning Daylight", performed byMia Nicolai andDion Cooper.[43] Also in the final of that year's Eurovision, he performed a cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone" as an interval act.[44]
Skyboy was released on 22 September 2023.[45]De Volkskrant gave the album a four-star rating, saying: "'Skyboy' by Duncan Laurence, recorded in Los Angeles, is bursting with variety. The power ballad clichés are now counterbalanced by gems of melody and (vocal) harmony."[46]
Laurencecame out asbisexual in 2016, which he addressed publicly in an Instagram post in October 2018.[48] During a press conference shortly before the Eurovision final, he affirmed his sexuality: "I am more than just an artist, I am a person, I am a living being, I'm bisexual, I'm a musician, I stand for things. And I'm proud that I get the chance to show what I am, who I am."[49] He announced his marriage to American songwriter Jordan Garfield on 21 August 2023.[50]
^"Universal Music Group: Home".Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved16 May 2024.At Universal Music Group we represent artists such as ... Duncan Laurence ...
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