Waylon the outlaw? Dutch entry for Eurovision 2018 revealed!

AVROTROS, the Dutch public broadcaster announced in November that Waylon would fly to Lisbon next May and will represent The Netherlands at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, but now finally after much anticipation, his song for Lisbon has been announced.   

Waylon revealed during the Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door that his five songs were self-penned in Nashville, the capital of country music. Instead of the selection committee choosing the song, Waylon revealed that he chose the country-style entry himself after consultation with his team.

About Waylon

Waylon was born 1980 as Willem Bijkerk in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. From a young age he was  inspired by country music and he played the drums with the band West Virginian Railroad. His big breakthrough came in 2008 when he came second in the Dutch version of Holland's Got Talent. A year later he signed a music deal with Motown a record label division of Universal Music and released his first album Wicked Ways which reached top 10 in the charts. 

In 2014 Waylon teamed up with Dutch singer Ilse Delange to form The Common Linnets and performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen with the song Calm After The Storm. They finished second in the Grand Final, which was the best placing for the country since their last victory in 1975.   

After the Eurovision Song Contest Waylon broke away from the The Common Linnets to focus on his solo career and in 2017 he joined The Voice of Holland as a coach. Waylon says about his participation in Eurovision:

"Ultimately everyone has something he strongly believes in but not everyone dares to stand up for that all of the time. For me it's different because I can't do things any other way. It's in my genes and my blood to constantly question everything, with the only goal being to get the very best out of myself in the first instance and often, as a result of that, out of others as well. Music is my love and the place where I feel safe and confident. Music is my mother, my father, my lover and my friendships. I am going to the Eurovision Song Contest with the song which I feel particularly good about. A song that says something about myself. For me that is 'Outlaw In ‘Em'.’’  

The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest  

The Netherlands is one of the founding countries of the Eurovision Song Contest, participating in the very first competition in 1956. The country won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1957 and has won four times in total. Last year the country was represented by OG3NE who finished 11th in the Grand Final with their performance of Lights And Shadows. 

This year Waylon will perform in the Second Semi-Final on the 10th May in Lisbon.