The Common Linnets, the Dutch country and bluegrass collective centred around singer Ilse DeLange, are still musically going strong throughout Europe.
The 2014 Dutch ESC-representatives have already received numerous awards, gold and platinum records, including the triple platinum status in their homecountry. Now they can add another award to their collection: the group has won the Public Choice Award at this years’ European Border Breakers Awards or EBBA‘s.
The Common Linnets received the special award yesterday, 14 January 2015, during the EBBA-awards ceremony at the Eurosonic Noorderslag music festival, in the Dutch city Groningen.
The band was already one of the winners of the EBBA-awards, awarded each year to the best newcomers in European pop- and rock-music who have gained success across European borders. But they also won an extra, prestigious award: the Public Choice Award.
The public voted for the best newcomer and album, and The Common Linets convincingly won the voting. The EBBA‘s are presented since 2004, and the Public Choice Award since 2010. Former Dutch winners of an EBBA include DJ Afrojack and singer Caro Emerald, but this is the first time a Dutch act also received the Public Choice-award.
The Common Linnets’ debut-album has been doing extremely well across Europe, and has been proclaimed Album of the Year by iTunes. The EBBA Award and EBBA Public Choice Award once again affirm The Common Linnets’ musical impact. The band is extremely proud and grateful for the publics appreciation, as Ilse DeLange stated:
During the creation of our music we already crossed borders, and to now receive recognition for actually crossing international borders is very satisfactory… This EBBA signifies to us that our album and the band are now standing on one’s own legs instead of just being that little band that came second at the Eurovision Song Contest. We are now a group who is standing on its own.
The Common Linnets represented The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with artist Waylon, Ilse DeLange and the rest of the band won the first semi-final, eventually gaining an honourable second place in the grand final, with 238 points. After the ESC, Waylon decided to leave the collective, because of artistic differences and in pursuit of his solo-career. Yet The Common Linnets became the biggest success of the ESC 2014, across European borders and even in the United States. The band is still very successful, and is currently also working on material for their new album.
