Today, after weeks of speculation, The Netherlands finally got to know who will defend their colors in Denmark next year. In the Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum it was revealed that the popular Dutch artists Ilse DeLange and Waylon will join forces under the group The Common Linnets.
According to both artists, they did not get together especially for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Ilse DeLange and Waylon have been working on an album in Nashville, Tennessee, for some time now. A couple of months ago, during breakfast in Nashville, they got the idea to go to the Eurovision together. They will perform under the name The Common Linnets: a linnet is a small, brown songbird, commonly found in rural area’s. In Dutch, the bird is known as “kneu”, a word that can also refer to homely country folk. But we should not expect stereotypical country music from them! Their songs are influenced by pure country in the style of Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash, bluegrass, and a bit of soul. Ilse and Waylon said that they have a lot of material already. Together with a team of people from the music business, they will choose the Dutch entry themselves. The song will probably be presented in February or March. The Common Linnets will also release an album this spring.
For Waylon, a dream is coming true: he wanted to represent The Netherlands for a long time, and is very proud to finally do this. Ilse admitted that Anouk’s result this year was a dicisive factor for her to partake in Eurovision. Both artists are very excited, and want to deliver a song and performance that is close to their hearts: a song that will touch people, with strong emotions and evocative texts.
Ilse DeLange (born Ilse de Lange, 1977), is a multi-platinum selling artist. She is one of the most succesful female artists in The Netherlands, winning many national awards. Her music is influenced by country, pop and rock. She is also one of the judges in this season of the populair TV-show The Voice of Holland.
Waylon (born Willem Bijkerk, 1980), named himself after his idol, country star Waylon Jennings. He was the first Dutch artist to be contracted by the famous Motown record-label.
His repertoire includes country, soul, pop and rock. He already partook in the Dutch national final for the ESC in 2005, together with singer Rachel Kramer, as the duo Rachel & Waylon.
