There is no shortage of interest in the upcoming edition of the Drèents Liedtiesfestival. The organization has received 22 entries that have a chance to compete in the final in the Atlas Theater. That is two more than last year.
According to organizer Bert Kamping, artists know that there is something to be gained from the song spectacle. “On this stage you can reach a lot of audiences in one fell swoop. The Drèents Liedtiesfestival is the best starting point for a musical career.”
An assessment committee of the Liedtiesfestival ultimately puts together a selection of ten finalists from the 22 candidates. They are assessed on quality criteria, says Kamping. “Only the title, text and accompanying recording are known.” The names of the artist and writer(s) remain anonymous.
Kamping: “It’s about the song in itself. If you can do something with the text, it runs well; that kind of thing. And it must have some added value for the Drenthe repertoire.”
The winner of the Song Festival automatically participates in two other song festivals: that of the thirteen regional broadcasters (Regio Songestival) and that of European minority languages (Suns Europe festival).).
The last time that honor was reserved for Lisa Harms from Emmer-Compascuum. She won with Until the sun pours out the Drèents Liedtiesfestival and thus also came into the spotlight outside Drenthe.
Kamping prefers a contemporary song that will be the winner this year. “Often with a minority language, such as Drenthe, people often fall back on nostalgia or melancholic music. I don’t think that’s necessary. You can also write in the present tense.”
The ten finalists of the Drèents Liedtiesfestival will be announced on Saturday, April 6. This happens in the Radio Drenthe programme ZieZoSaturday show between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The final in the Atlas Theater is on Saturday, May 9.