Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015

In August 2014, several rumours regarding the Dutch entrant for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest began circulating in the media. Alain Clark and Dotan each received coverage regarding their apparent bids to succeed The Common Linnets as the representatives for the Netherlands.[10][11] In October 2014, AVROTROS confirmed that negotiations for the contest were ongoing with several potential artists and that an announcement could be expected in November.[12][13] In early November 2014, Dutch media began reporting that Trijntje Oosterhuis was also under consideration by the broadcaster in a potential bid with her group Ladies of Soul, which also featured former Dutch Eurovision contestants Edsilia Rombley (1998, 2007) and Glennis Grace (2005).[14] However, on 7 November 2014, 2013 Dutch entrant Anouk appeared in the Dutch talkshow College Tour and revealed during her interview that Oosterhuis would represent the Netherlands with a song written by Anouk herself.[15] Together with Anouk's announcement and an anonymous tip received by the largest news agency in the Netherlands, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANP), Dutch media began reporting that Trijntje Oosterhuis had been selected to represent the nation.[16][17] On 10 November 2014, AVROTROS confirmed Oosterhuis as the Dutch artist for the 2015 contest.[18]

The Dutch entry, "Walk Along" premiered on 11 December 2014 during the NPO Radio 2 show Gouden Uren, hosted by Daniël Dekker.[19][20] The radio program also featured Trijntje Oosterhuis as a guest where she was interviewed about the song and her participation in the contest.[20] Following the radio presentation, Oosterhuis performed the song live on 12 December 2014 during a broadcast of The Voice of Holland on RTL 4, where Oosterhuis was also serving as one of the coaches for the competition.[21][22]

Trijntje Oosterhuis at a dress rehearsal for the first semi-final

Trijntje Oosterhuis took part in technical rehearsals on 11 and 15 May,[30][31] followed by dress rehearsals on 18 and 19 May. This included the jury final where professional juries of each country, responsible for 50 percent of each country's vote, watched and voted on the competing entries.[32] During the Netherlands' first technical rehearsal on 11 May, Oosterhuis revealed her stage outfit which was a black dress with a revealing opened front designed by Prince Charming (Tycho Boeker).[30] The dress received considerable media coverage in the Netherlands, sparking both positive and negative reactions from the Dutch press and public alike.[33][34] In regards to the commentaries on her dress, Oosterhuis stated: "I've heard people are talking about it, but I find it strange and don't really understand it. I'm just not used to people talking about such things. I hope they will talk about the song again".[31] Oosterhuis, dismayed with the reactions, opted to change her outfit prior to the semi-final performance.[35][36]

The stage show featured Trijntje Oosterhuis dressed in a black parachute-like pantsuit. The performance was simplistic and captured with a single camera focusing on Oosterhuis. The performance began with a zoomed-in view of Trijntje's eyes covered by a veil, with the camera pulling away at the first chorus as Trijntje tears the veil off her face. The background LED screens displayed a walking shadow figure with colours that transitioned between white, blue, green and red.[30][31] On stage, Oosterhuis was joined by four backing vocalists: Patt Riley, Michelle Oudeman, Lesley van der Aa and Jenny Lane.[37]

At the end of the show, the Netherlands failed to qualify to the final and was not announced among the top ten nations.[38] It was later revealed that the Netherlands had placed fourteenth, receiving a total of 33 points.[39]

Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the grand final.[40]

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that the Netherlands had placed fifteenth with the public televote and fifth with the jury vote in the first semi-final. In the public vote, the Netherlands scored 23 points, while with the jury vote, the Netherlands scored 70 points.[41]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the Netherlands and awarded by the Netherlands in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:[39][42][43][44]