Yesterday, Thursday 9 November, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS finally revealed that artist Waylon will represent the Netherlands at Eurovision 2018. Following the announcement, the singer has commented on his second participation in the contest.
The Olympic Games of music
On songfestival.avrotros.nl, the AVROTROS‘ official Eurovision platform, Waylon gives an enthusiastic reaction to his participation in Eurovision 2018, true to his confident, honest and sometimes cheeky character:
Finally the big news is out! For the second time I will represent the Netherlands, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon.
I really wanted to do this again, I have never made a secret about that. I really would like to keep on going, until I become first. So all haters can have fun with that.
To me, the Song Contest feels like the Olympic Games. You also don’t stop if you once won gold, silver or bronze. And within my branch of sport, this is the only stage where I can represent the Netherlands.
To represent your country continues to be something beautiful. We are a beautiful country, so again I’ll be shining with a smile, that will only relax after 12 May.
Now going to work hard to create the winning song!
The song
Last evening, Waylon was also a guest in the TV-show De Wereld Draait Door, in which he iterated his enthusiasm at participating in Eurovision, which he views as a great honour:
If you’re a serious musician, you want to perform on the greatest stage on Earth, and this ís the greatest stage on Earth. You know, I would sign for that every year.
About the song, Waylon is very clear: he is not participating to expand the “brand Waylon”, but to represent his country in the best way possible. That means that he will not only look at songs written by himself, but that he’s got a team assembled around him, and he’s also open to input from other lyricists and composers: it’s all about finding the right song.
Waylon also stated that he feels that musicians should re-invent themselves and bring something new to the stage, so we shouldn’t expect a copy of the song Calm after the storm, which he performed together with Ilse DeLange as The Common Linnets at Eurovision 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Although country music is dear to the artist, Waylon is a very versatile singer, his repertoire including pop, rock, soul and jazz. We shouldn’t expect a wild dance act, though. He will choose a song that feels very comfortable to him, yet he’s also aware that the song must speak to the wider European audience.
Waylon and his team will work on potential songs in the coming months, the definite Dutch Eurovision 2018 entry will probably be revealed due March 2018.
Super versatile
Broadcaster AVROTROS is very happy with Waylon’s willingness to participate once again, as a spokeswoman stated:
Now that he’s going on his own, we view that as something totally different from the previous time when he was part of the duo The Common Linnets. Waylon is super versatile. He can do very much. As for the act, we can still go in any direction with him.
Enjoy Our song from Waylon’s latest album, Seeds
