AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (2025)

  • Eurovision News
  • Eurovision Song Contest 2024
  • Netherlands
  • Posted on December 12, 2023March 16, 2024
  • byWilliam Lee Adams

Well that didn’t take long. Just a day after The Netherlands revealed its Eurovision 2024 singer Joost Klein, controversy is already brewing.

On Monday Twitter was alight with the news Joost had recorded the song “Jackass” with a group called Russian Village Boys. Among other things, the lyrics described his love of Russian women and his desire to marry them.

He sings: “Hello, my name is Joost Klein. I love Russia, man. I really wanna marry a Russian woman. I want a Russian lady.”

Joost Klein, representative of Netherlands at Eurovision 2024 released a song about “loving Russia”and wanting to marry a “Russian woman”released in March 2022 (1 month after full scale invasion of Ukraine). In 2023 he recorded a song with group called”Russian Village Boys”. https://t.co/s07P0DQcyT pic.twitter.com/r3JJijOTLJ

— vanya ? ?? (@eurovanya) December 11, 2023

The song was released a month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports, not everyone thinks the criticism is justified. As one user on X — the site formerly known as Twitter — said: “I love Russia. I like Russian women. That does not mean that he supports the government in any way.”

To extend that idea, liking books from Tolstoy or music from Tchaikovsky does not mean you support Putin or his war in Ukraine.

AVROTROS has responded via a spokeswoman: “Joost has never made a political statement with his songs.”

As many users on X have pointed out, the Russian Village Boys have actually spoken out against the war.

As you can see in the group’s Insta post below, they left Russia in the weeks after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We left Russia and we can talk about war,” they wrote. “This war is a terrible tragedy for Ukrainians and for many Russian people, who do not support it. We are people of art and have never associated ourselves with politics, but now is the time when it doesn’t matter.”

“This war is a business of every single person on our planet. We are going to make our planned shows and donate money from fees to the project truerussia.org, created for supporting the refugees from Ukraine. The true Russia is kindness, love and friendship. We are proud to be a true Russians!”

So what do you make of all this? Let us know down below.

Related Topics
  • Joost Klein
  • Russian Village Boys

William Lee Adams

William Lee Adams is the founder and editor-in-chief of wiwibloggs. His memoir “Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision” is available now. You can follow him on Instagram @williamleeadams and Twitter @willyleeadams.

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29 Comments

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AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (13)

yaremturkiye

9 months ago

that X account, eurovanya, is always making up drama. tragic

3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (14)

1 year ago

When this is a problem leave TikTok immediately, TikTok is Chinese, and China is one of the biggest pro-Russian countries there is.

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (15)

Jamie

1 year ago

Reply to Bettie

TikTok is absolutely flooded with ruzzian propaganda. It’s hell.

6

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (16)

BiCHOTA

1 year ago

Reply to Bettie

Not only bc of that, most of TikTok’s content is trash, that site’s the internet’s dump

5

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (17)

1 year ago

He said he never makes political statements in his songs, end of story. What’s next, Eurovision fans from Israel cancelling Slimaine because he’s a muslim? (I meant this ironically.) Can we go back to music now?

-3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (18)

Ifty

1 year ago

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (19)

Yuarith

1 year ago

Is this really a thing? I don’t even think Ukrainians hate Joost. I mean, Friesenjung was a hit there iirc

13

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (20)

Anna Karenina

1 year ago

Ukrainians, this doesn’t evoke any sympathy for your cause from anyone. In fact, obnoxious antics like this do quite the opposite and are counterproductive to whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. Stop creating fake scandals out of nothing. Do better.

-8

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (21)

Frisian esc

1 year ago

Reply to Anna Karenina

There are no Ukrainians complaining though. This drama is made out of air

20

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (22)

Anna Karenina

1 year ago

Reply to Frisian esc

Good to know this stup!d fake scandal wasn’t created by Ukrainians.

3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (23)

ggg

1 year ago

Reply to Anna Karenina

except it was made by some ultranationalist Ukrainian

-4

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (24)

M B

1 year ago

No one asked and no one cares.

5

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (25)

Frisian esc

1 year ago

Why do they even make a statement in the first place. There’s literally no controversy and nobody’s talking about it. Literally everybody I know (except for my mum) has been excited and happy with this choice.

6

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (26)

Joey

1 year ago

Reply to Frisian esc

Same here. Finally Avrotros selected somebody who’s gonna make us proud by actually and finally representing us and a big part of Dutch culture we haven’t seen at Eurovision before. I’m so ready for this!

1

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (27)

1 year ago

Reply to Frisian esc

And my sister she had to go to one of his erformances with her daughter (13) and hardly survived it?

-2

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (28)

now that i see the light

1 year ago

Why they take such a stupid comment serious , it is not even a controversy. I pay no attention to the people who have that point of view

4

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (29)

Joey

1 year ago

Don’t give them attention, please. There is no controversy, because for that you need a problem. I don’t see any from Joost’s side.

2

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (30)

Ari

1 year ago

Ridiculous non issue. I dared to enter Moscow for Eurovision 2009. Please cancel me.

9

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (31)

Jamie

1 year ago

Reply to Ari

russia attacked Georgia in 2008, so I would say it’s pretty f-ed up for you to participate in its “peace” circus that happened in 2009. I say this to everyone who attended that year – you’re pigs. No basic morals found.

-3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (32)

Jamie

1 year ago

Reply to Jamie

And people that attended 2009 are most definitely the same folks who scream about Israel right now lol

-2

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (33)

Ari

1 year ago

Reply to Jamie

Oink oink.

1

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (34)

Jamie

1 year ago

Reply to Ari

terrorist supporter spotted lmao

-1

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (35)

Ari

1 year ago

Reply to Jamie

Nope. Just no interest responding to heinous trolls. Be sure to inform Alexander Rybak and Svetlana Loboda that they’re pigs as well.

-1

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (36)

The Voice of Reason

1 year ago

Okay, this is one controversy too far…and Eurovision season hasn’t even sprung! This is SMALL POTATOES compared to the Israel thing. Joost seems like a genuinely great guy. Leave him alone! Let him cook and let him go to Eurovision and give the Netherlands a GREAT result! It’s right to love Russian people and Russian women who are being oppressed as well, that you do not hear from. As the article says, you can also like Ukrainians and support the Ukrainian people! You can have your cake and eat it!

12

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (37)

Nikita Zhukov

1 year ago

Not the first 2024 season scandal happening before 2024 even begins
People really love complaining about nothing

10

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (38)

Karl

1 year ago

Gotta love the fans’ double standards and selective outrage when it comes to Russia vis-à-vis. Israel. And the EBU’s too, for that matter.

-3

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (39)

meho

1 year ago

after the belarus – lyric disaster, i’m pretty sure the EBU is doing enough background check before announcing artists/song. so sit down and enjoy eurovision szn

22

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (40)

NoMoreEscAddicted

1 year ago

They shouldn’t react and shouldn’t give credits to these trolls.

12

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (41)

ESCBE

1 year ago

Reply to NoMoreEscAddicted

You’re correct, but it’s just unfortunate that a large Ukrainian news agency made a lazy article based on the story of that Twitter user, while leaving relevant info out (that the group is actually anti-war, and that they helped Ukraine through donations). And that the lyrics are meant to be satire, as in many of his songs. Also that the song was made before the invasion.

2

AVROTROS says Joost Klein has “never made political statements” with his music...as the “Jackass” Russian song controversy brews (2025)
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