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Spotlights shine on the 3JS

03 May 2011 at 14:09 CEST

Rehearsal - Plenty of colour to please the eyes

The 3JS arrived on stage in casual clothing, holding their costumes up for the lighting. They were not wearing them today. 

The sound check started with each of the artists, including backing artists, testing their microphones for the sound levels. It was clear that each of backing singers for the Netherlands have very powerful voices, to compliment the equally impressive voices of the 3JS. 

The guys went on to perform Never Alone for the first time with very good vocals, supported by the power of their three backing singers. 

The first camera rehearsal begins with shades of purple and yellow shining down on the band to support the somewhat soft beginning. As the song picks up the lights begin to flash and yellows and orange shades join in the background. Light rigs are also lowered bringing more light and colour to the increasingly vibrant performance. 

Each of the artists remain pretty static on the stage throughout the initial parts of the rehearsal but the guitarists start moving around the stage more as the tempo becomes more upbeat. The backing singers also dance along to the rhythm of the song throughout. 

Pictures from the first Dutch rehearsal:

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Take a look at the video of the Dutch rehearsal:

Backstage - Excited to see the stage

3JS arrived to Düsseldorf Arena with an open mind as to what to expect.

"We really have no idea. We haven't seen the stage yet, we're a bit excited to see it," the lead singer Jan Dulles tells Eurovision.tv

They were chosen by the Dutch broadcaster in mid-2010. After writing five songs, they performed in a TV show in late January. They eventually decided to translate the winning song into English.

"It had Dutch lyrics, but we felt that we had to translate it to English. We think that's better, so that we can get more points," Jan says.

Eurovision.tv followed the guys when they had a peep into the arena and saw the stage for the first time.

"Wooooow!" Jan Dulles simply exclaimed. "This is unbelievable. This is definitely the biggest stage we've performed in..."

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Press Conference

The press conference with the 3JS was relaxed and started with Never Alone being played as the band walked in. 

The band discussed their song and mentioned that they hope they can qualify to the final, "We believe that we can do that as we think we have a good song". 

One journalist asked the band about the Dutch version of the song and why it was translated to English. They said, "we want to make it to the final, and make the song more accessible to everyone in Europe". Band member Jan, also mentioned that "the Dutch version of the song is played on Dutch radio". 

The band we asked by a fan if they are frightened by the prospect of 150 million viewers watching them perform. The answer from Jan was "The 36,000 people in the arena are enough to make me nervous so if I think about the millions of people watching, I will break down". 

There also seems to be a lot of pressure on the group as when being asked by the press about being supported by other famous artists like Marco Borsato, they said "although we are very proud to represent the Netherlands, we don't need to do Eurovision as we have a big fan base at home. It is also a bit of a risk for us if we don't qualify to the final because we are already successful at home". 

One person asked about what they would do to change their performance. Jan said, "we would like to change some of the camera angles and I will be doing a lot more dancing on stage". 

The Dutch delegation are staying on a boat at the harbour in Düsseldorf where they will also have a big party where they will also hold jamming sessions with other artists and conduct interviews with the media. 

As a finishing touch to the conference, Jan, Jaap and Jaap peformed an acoustic version of Never Alone to the joy of the press in attendance. 

Below are some pictures from the Dutch press conference:

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Jan, Jaap and Jaap - Who are 3JS?

Dreamers and fools, that's what they are: Jan Dulles, Jaap Kwakman, and Jaap de Witte.

Dreamers of a better world, fools pursuing their ideals. And whether it's about love or being recognised for their music, they give it their all.

For, in their own words, they believe in life. And successfully so! 3JS can already boast several gold records and numerous party houses brought down, as well as a successful theatre tour.

What is striking every time is that the fans come from all ranks of society: young, old, men, women, poor, rich, couch potatoes or counter-culturists.

The songs, pop music to Dutch lyrics, with a nice touch of Irish folk, hit the jackpot.

Their latest CD Dromers En Dwazen is an album with multiple layers sung in Dutch, although in Düsseldorf, with Never Alone, they intend to prove that they can score big in English as well!