Mind Your Mind
Expo
From shy to confident
As a child, I found auditions terrifying. At Kinderen voor Kinderen, I often stood at the back; my uncle joked that he needed binoculars to spot me on TV. Over the years, my
certainty. I found my first solo, the “Boobs Song,” incredibly nerve-wracking. The song was about puberty and physical change, something I was in the midst of myself. Out of fear of reactions at school, I even turned it down at first. Eventually, I dared to do it after all, and since then, performing has felt like a place of power to me. When I sing, I feel confident.
Facing fears
I grow by looking my fears straight in the eye. Fear of heights? Then I go bungee jumping or out of a
Jumping on a plane. Fear of needles? During a medical journey, I had to go through it, but I also got piercings to experience that I can handle more than I think. Every time afterwards, I feel: I
can it.
Living in the present
For me, being mentally healthy means 'living in the now'. Experiencing happiness in the moment, sleeping well, singing without realizing it. And accepting that life consists of peaks and valleys — without valleys, there are no real highs. I stay mentally fit with therapy, meditation, (reformer) Pilates,
acupuncture and ozone therapy. But also by eating healthy and being kind to myself.
Woman in a man's world
In my work, I deal almost exclusively with men: from record executives to producers. I had to learn to set boundaries and trust my intuition. Sometimes saying 'no' meant missing out on a deal, but I stayed true to myself. I want to be seen as an artist, not as a 'puppet'.
Desire to have children
For years, I went through an intensive process with my ex-partner to have a child. In the Netherlands, my pregnancy was misjudged. In Belgium, I received the correct diagnosis: an abnormality.
to my uterus and too few eggs. After hormone injections, two miscarriages, and ultimately the end of the relationship, I also had to say goodbye to my dream of having children. The stress affected my voice — I could no longer hit my highest notes and had to take prednisone to be able to perform. With the support of doctors, acupuncture, and ozone therapy, I found recovery step by step.
Coping & perspective
The pain remains, but I focus on what is there: freedom, travel, dear friends, healthy parents, and a profession that brings me happiness. I prefer reading the news to watching it, to regulate stimuli. And above all: music gives strength — as a creator and as a listener.
Message to young people
It is okay to have an off day. Things seem big in your head, but often they aren't that bad if you just do them. Follow your intuition, seek help, and surround yourself with people you feel safe with. Nothing is what it seems on social media — everyone carries something with them.
