Waylon

Rooted in the Dutch country-pop scene, Waylon has built a career that links American music and Dutch popular culture. Born Willem Bijkerk in Apeldoorn in 1980, he adopted the stage name Waylon in reference to country tradition after beginnings in various local bands and line-ups. The Dutch public discovered him in the late 2000s through television, which opened the way to a solo career marked by a blend of country, rock, soul and radio-friendly pop. His debut album Wicked Ways was released in 2009, followed by After All in 2011, Heaven After Midnight in 2014, Seeds in 2016, The World Can Wait in 2018 and Human in 2019, where Waylon honed a sound focused on voice, melodies and narrative songwriting inspired by Americana. Alongside his solo work, Waylon joined the duo The Common Linnets led by Ilse DeLange in 2014, representing the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest, before resuming his individual trajectory. Visible on Dutch television as a coach on music shows and active on festival and concert stages, Waylon has established himself in the modern Dutch pop and country landscape with a repertoire that is almost entirely in English, punctuated by a few Dutch-language tracks.