The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Birds" written by Tore Johansson, Martin Gjerstad and Anouk Teeuwe. The song was performed by Anouk, which is the artistic name of singer Anouk Teeuwe who was internally selected by the Dutch broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) to represent the Netherlands at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Anouk's appointment as the Dutch representative was announced on 17 October 2012, while the song, "Birds", was presented to the public on 11 March 2013.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the 2012 contest with the song "Euphoria" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), the contest was held at the Malmö Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 16 May, and a final on 18 May 2013. The three live shows were presented by Swedish comedian and television presenter Petra Mede, being the first time only one host had presented the show since the 1995 contest. Former Swedish entrant Eric Saade acted as the green room host in the final.