| The Netherlands - Waylon |
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Willem Bijkerk is bonr in 1980, he adopted his stage name from his idol Waylon Jennings. His career was started in 1995 when he sang the chorus of the song “Harry Stallion” in the television program Telekids. Country music was great inspiration from his childhood. He used to play drams with the band West Virginian Railroad and in 1997 he signed a contract with EMI Records and went to Nashville to record an album, but unfortunately it was never completed. In 2001 he worked in United States beside his idol Waylon Jennings, but after Jennings’s death in 2002 Waylon returned to the Netherlands. The next steps in his career was the band Santa Rosa, the band Millstreet and in 2005 he formed with Rachel Kramer the duo Rachel & Waylon and performed “Leven als een beest” in the preliminary rounds of the National Song Contest. Waylon took part in the first season of Holland's Got Talent on SBS 6 in 2008 and a year later Universal Music signed him as the first Dutchman to the Motown label. His first album had the title Wicked Way (2009) and in 2011 After All was his second studio album. For the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Waylon formed with Ilse Delange the duo The Common Linnets and sang the country/bluegrass song “Calm After the Storm”. They gained the second place with a total of 238 points behind Conchita Wurst from Austria, who scored 290 points. Later that year Waylon released his third studio album entitled Heaven After Midnight, and three year later, in 2017, he was picked up by the Dutch Broadcaster AVROTROS as the artist who will represent The Netherlands at the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. Five songs were written for this occasion, but “Outlaw In 'Em” was chosen from the public to represent The Netherlands during the first half of the Second Semi-final at 10 May. |
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