Client: AVROTROS / Claude
Project: Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Music Video
Director: Ivan Boljat
Choreographer: Emma Evelein (Dutch Academy Award Winner)
The Challenge
How do you create a memorable music video for Europe’s biggest music competition, watched by 180+ million viewers, for an artist who isn’t a dancer? In an oversaturated landscape where every country fights for cultural relevance, mediocrity means invisibility.
Our Vision
Dance is the most universal language of self-expression. By translating Claude’s inner journey through movement, his personal story could become universally recognizable and powerful—without requiring him to be a professional dancer.
The Concept
A coming-of-age visual story where Claude confronts and comforts his younger self—inspired by his real story as a refugee who found joy and relief through singing. We chose Berlin-based director Ivan Boljat for his deep understanding of dance as cinema, paired with Dutch Academy Award winner Emma Evelein’s emotionally charged choreography.
Personal Details Woven Throughout: At 0:11, little Claude flips through TV channels and hears “Rise Like a Phoenix” followed by “The winner is…”—referencing the first Eurovision Claude watched as a child in an asylum center, which inspired him to follow his dream. The video also includes nods to Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” and his Congolese heritage, making every frame deeply personal yet universally relatable.
Cultural Impact
- Betting odds surged: From 12th place to 6th, briefly reaching 3rd—multiple news outlets credited the music video as the driving force behind this momentum shift;
- YouTube dominance: 3rd most-viewed Eurovision 2025 video globally—cutting through competition from 37 countries
- “Little Claude” (Oliviër) became the face of the Netherlands’ Eurovision entry, appearing as a hologram during live performances
- The dance went viral: Children across Europe copied the choreography, sharing it massively online
- Expanded Claude’s reach significantly in the lead-up to Eurovision
“This video is the perfect example of a 10/10. We assembled the best possible team: a director with deep-rooted love for dance, combined with choreographer Emma Evelein’s vision. Their seamless blend of narrative and artistic vision is palpable in every scene.”
— Deniz Alkaç, Executive Producer, 10/10
“Dance is a universal language everyone can connect with. In this video, the dancers embody Claude’s inner thoughts: his doubts, his affirmations, the internal dialogue we all recognize. Working with Claude was fantastic—his energy and openness to dance made the entire process a celebration.”
— Ivan Boljat, Director
In three weeks (that was all the time we had!), we transformed a non-dancer into a European symbol of expression. When the stakes are highest and the world is watching, craft becomes the only currency that matters.
Average Is Our Enemy.