Rising to nationwide fame after becoming runner-up in the first season of Dutch singing competition series Idols, he has released five albums and made a career in musicals and film.

His second single, "This Love Is Real" which is a cover of the original song by CB Milton (he was also signed to Wilde Productions) was released in July 2003 where it reached the top 3.

Also in 2005, he played the voice of Hippix in the animated film Asterix and the Vikings, which went on general release in Europe and Canada in early 2006.

In the fall of 2007, Bakkum toured with his show 'Jim in Concert' through various Dutch theaters before he started the role of Nick Piazza in the musical Fame as of January 2008.

From January 2008, Bakkum played the role of Robin in the internet-only soap 2000Antwerp,[1] aired daily on the Belgian MyVideo.

In January 2011, it was announced that Bakkum would be starring as the character of Fiyero in the Dutch production of the musical Wicked, which was set to open in autumn of 2011 at the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen.

They began dating shortly after both were admitted to hospital after an accident on stage in which a prop car that they were both in fell 12 ft into the orchestra pit.