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http://www.eurovisionary.com/

Eurovision 2014 The Netherlands: The Common Linnets - Calm After The Storm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSw9UoiB92w
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The Common Linnets "CALM AFTER THE STORM" will represent The Netherlands at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark,

Forming The Common Linnets, Ilse DeLange and Waylon are two exceptional artists who have joined forces to work on a new album and to represent their country at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with the song Calm After The Storm. In fact, the two recently travelled to Nashville, Tennesee in order to prepare for this honour.

The Common Linnets is a Dutch dream team consisting of Ilse DeLange and Waylon. These two singer-songwriter stars have together found a new and exciting challenge in expressing their love for country music.

Ilse and Waylon have known each other since they were teenagers, when they both played the country music circuit in Holland. Right from the beginning they shared a love for country and related genres like bluegrass, folk and Americana. But most of all they shared a passion for true, stripped-down songs that convey pure emotion. That passion led to the formation of The Common Linnets.

The "common linnet" is a songbird that breeds on the heaths in the eastern part of The Netherlands. For Ilse and Waylon, who both hail from that part of the country, this unassuming little bird with its wonderful song is the perfect symbol of what they're aiming for with their songs.

When Ilse DeLange came up with the idea for 'The Common Linnets' as a side project, involving different artists each time, Waylon topped the list of musicians she wanted to work with. Both of them immediately agreed upon a rootsy approach. Their mission-statement was clear: writing real country music, stripped of all unnecessary trappings, and inspired by such greats as Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash, but also West coast stars like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and James Taylor.

The idea was to make an album .....composing and recording it together.

Writing brought Ilse and Waylon to the Belgian Ardennes and to Nashville, the epicenter of country music, where both Ilse and Waylon feel very much at home. American songwriters Rob Crosby, Matthew Crosby and Jake Etheridge soon came on board, after which Dutch singer-songwriter Daniel Lohues and Dutch producer JB Meijers rounded out the team. Ilse produced the album with JB Meijers.

Towards the end of last year the big story broke. During a press conference The Common Linnets announced they would represent The Netherlands for the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. The song they selected is Calm After The Storm, a restrained composition with a haunting melody that brings forth the question whether a relationship is still working or not. "It's all about being sincere", Ilse explained during the press conference. "Two voices, two guitars and then just pouring your heart out." "It's not about the clothes, rhinestones or dancers", elaborated Waylon.

Friday, May 9, 2014 sees the release of the eponymous The Common Linnets album in The Netherlands. It consists of thirteen emotional songs that deal with hurt and misfortune, but also with hope, comfort and love. In their purity and sincerity, expressed in heavenly harmonies by two of the best singers in The Netherlands, these songs will be sure to melt even the
coldest heart.

On Saturday the 21st of June The Common Linnets will host a new festival called Tuckerville, taking place at the stadium of Dutch soccer team FC Twente in Enschede. At Tuckerville, The Common Linnets will share the stage with several special guests, such as the popular Dutch group De Dijk.
(March 2014)

Ilse Delange
Ilse Delange has been one of the most successful Dutch artists for the last fifteen years. Her debut album, World Of Hurt, went platinum five times and many other successes followed. Recently, she released an overview of her career titled, After The Hurricane - Greatest Hits & More, containing the hit song Blue Bittersweet (also the title track of the Dutch blockbuster movie The Dinner).

Waylon
Waylon, who in 2008 got his big break on the TV-show Holland's got Talent, was the first ever Dutchman to be signed by the Motown label. His debut album Wicked Ways achieved platinum status and in 2012 he was voted Best Male Singer at the 3FM Awards. Last summer he went to the United States to work on what he calls "my first real album", which will be more personal and delving deeper into his broad musical inheritance than ever.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=31303