Questions are being asked about the Dutch entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Festival in Liverpool after performers Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper were again heard to be singing out of tune.

The duo, who were virtually unknown as solo singers before being chosen to represent the Netherlands, performed the song Burning Daylight at the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on Saturday night but were off key in parts.

The same had happened a week ago at a song festival concert in Madrid. At the time, the poor sound was blamed on technical problems.

‘I can do nothing but confirm it was not good,’ a spokesman for broadcaster Avrotros told news website Nu.nl. ‘We are working hard with the whole team and we are really putting in the effort in the coming weeks.’

The Netherlands will take part in the first semi-final on May 9. The top 10 of 15 entries in the semi-final will move on to the weekend final on May 13.

TV pundit Aran Bade, who was at the AFAS Live show, told RTL Boulevard he had been shocked by the performance. ‘Eurovision in Concert is the first opportunity to have to hear if people really can sing,’ he said. ‘They really need extra singing lessons.’

Burning Daylight was written by the duo together with Duncan Lawrence, who won the contest in 2019 with another power ballad, Arcade.