Waylon, an alias for Willem Bijkerk and a reference to his idol Waylon Jennings, is a Dutch singer and songwriter who is strongly influenced by a mix of country, rock and soul music. After an unfruitful period at a low-key record label, Waylon decided to send one of his songs to Waylon Jennings who then invited the up-and-coming Dutchman to join him on his United States tour in 2001. When Jennings passed away not long after the tour, Waylon found himself crestfallen. He returned to his home country where he entered the televised talent competition Holland's Got Talent in 2008. Despite finishing second, Waylon garnered significant exposure during the show which led him to release his solo album Wicked Ways, in 2009. Pursuing Waylon's signature style of retro soul and rock, the album reached the top of the national charts and spawned the hit title-track. Part of the duo The Common Linnets, a collaboration with Dutch singer Ilse DeLange, Waylon represented the Netherlands at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest and placed second, the best Dutch result since 1975, with the duet "Calm After The Storm."
