Guess who… It’s Waylon that will wave the Dutch flag at Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon!
No need to speculate any more, as Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS has confirmed that artist Waylon will be the Dutch representative at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Following a mysterious video that was posted this morning, featuring a male musician, it soon became clear that Waylon was the person in question. The news was also confirmed by the Eurovision Song Contest:
The Netherlands are the fourth country to reveal their Eurovision 2018 representative and Waylon is the first male artist to be presented.
https://www.facebook.com/songfestival.avrotros/photos/a.320792597955504.87181.217470738287691/1766441740057242/?type=3
Waylon is no stranger to the Eurovision stage, as he was a part of the formation The Common Linnets, together with Ilse DeLange, who placed second at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark, with their hit song Calm after the storm.
Waylon has expressed his interest in returning to the contest several times. He will be working on his entry fo Lisbon 2018 in the coming months.
About Waylon
Waylon (born Willem Bijkerk, Apeldoorn, 1980) is a Dutch singer-songwriter, performing in the genres pop, rock, soul, jazz and country. He took his stage name from his idol, country star Waylon Jennings.
Waylon started singing at an early age, and was a member of the bands Santa Rosa and Millstreet. In 2005 he had his first introduction to Eurovision, when he participated in the Dutch selection with singer Rachel Kramer, as the duo Rachel & Waylon (Leven als een beest).
His mainstream breakthrough came in 2008 when he placed second in the first season of Holland’s Got Talent. Subsequently, Waylon became the first Dutch artist to be signed to the famous record label Motown, releasing his first album Wicked Ways.
In 2014, Waylon was invited to join the group The Common Linnets, formed by Ilse DeLange. The Commen Linnets successfully represented the Netherlands at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. With their entry Calm after the storm they won Semi-Fianl 1, and eventually honourably placed second in the Grand Final, earning 238 points, plus winning two Marcel Bezençon Awards. Calm after the storm became a huge hit across Europe.
After Eurovision 2014, Waylon decided to leave The Common Linnets due to creative differences, and to focus on his solo career.
Waylon has also released the albums After All, Heaven After Midnight and Seeds, and he is also one of the coaches of the popular TV-show The Voice Of Holland.
