Yes it is a sad story. At the other hand: that story brings Emma at many places and gives her chances she otherwise probably won't have get. So: sad it is, but at the same time it is not all sadness what is happening to Emma. And she is not waiting till it comes to her on a tray: she is very active, as far her health condition is allowing that, to achieve her goals. That is what makes me having so much respect for her.
There is a clip of the sing-off where they perform Dor De Wing in the sing-off and Ali announcing her the winner of that. But at the end there is nothing more loving than when she ran to her dad and mom backstage. god I love Emma.❤️❤️
I really feel sorry for the other kids, even the bigger, older ones. They just stood no chance against Emma. It is as you said, her voice is just so much more developed. Her vibrato is completely natural, and she deploys it liberally and effortlessly. She's also hitting and sustaining high notes far better than any of her competitors. She simply outshines them all. Also, her stage presence is markedly more advanced. She exudes a charm and charisma that the others simply cannot match. Her small size may even have worked in her favor in this respect. But the important thing here is that she is utterly fearless and unintimated by the bigger kids. She just takes care of business and makes it look easy. This was the beginning of her journey, and it is clear from watching these early performances that she is destined for greatness. Thanks for reacting to this. Well done. All the best.
Just to let you know (has nothing to do with this video): And again, 16 year old Emma is braking hearts with "Dancing on the stars". One year later and again with André Rieu in Maastricht. The song is released on UA-cam and Spotify on Friday 12 July. It's written 20 years ago by Dutch Songwriter/composer Tjeerd Oosterhuis, who was in the audience. Emma wasn't born back than and and still.... the song could have been written for her: it fits her like a glove. She is the first singer who is taken this song on, so this is an orginal song. Emma was in his studio and became aware of the song and she asked André Rieu if she could perform it during the concerts in Maastricht because she liked it so much. André liked it too and he has made it "fit for the concerts" and that's the rendition you see on the video.
Unfortunately, gastroparesis is an insidious and currently incurable disease with the consequences of inhibited growth and up to 30% less life expectancy. I have been following Emma and her inspiring nature since 2023 and I wish this little angel that God may bless and protect her. Her passion and heart for singing is an inspiration.🙏
We all would like to hear something from Emma 'today' as you put it. Keep in mind that she is only just 16 years old, and still a schoolgirl. Given that, and the fact that she is touring the world with Andre Rieu and his orchestra, doesn't leave her a lot of time to be generating new material. The good news is that she has been in the studio recently, and I expect we may hear something new from her very soon. Just the other day she shared a reel of her singing a capella the lyrics of a song she had just written. It was moving to say the least; very age specific and unique to her circumstance. Frankly, it broke my heart.
Good to see you reacting to her complete Voice Kids journey. I love watching her progression in the 10 weeks, her ability but just as amazing her character. She looked like a tiny 9/10 years old girl in her first audition though she was 12 going on 13, but the voice is already evident. She started a little apprehensive in her second song singing together with other competitors, but you can tell she is competitive, she wants to win. After that, she was totally in her element. Total confidence in how she started the 4th song "Lovely Day" & already working the camera like a pro by the 6th song "Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This". Someone commented that she looked really comfortable in the last song. And she can dance. Emma definitely knows how to make sure she stands out amongst taller competitors, she got a head on her shoulders. ...Or good coaching. During the 7th group song in your react video at 16:52, she steps out & forward of the line to make sure she is seen; none of the other competitor did that. Lol, a lesson everyone who goes to a job interview needs to know. She is more than just a pretty ...voice. Well done Emma. ..... On a lighter note, I found a charming video of her being welcome back to school after winning the Voice Kids. You see her plugged into her nutrient pumps & it is easy to see why she was bullied when she was younger, ...now I guess they all want to be her bff. ua-cam.com/video/TJtUmnHyklI/v-deo.html ..... There are a few songs around the time she sang Viola 2023 that might be interesting to react to. 1)"All I want for Christmas is you". This is a fan made, but good quality, full length version; the official version is a cut down unfortunately. The sound is a little bit off, not too much, but it is a front row view with minimum panning! (just the first half of this vid) ua-cam.com/video/eTzZIsVkbXQ/v-deo.html 2) "Hallelujah" official vid with full orchestra ua-cam.com/video/9qVHQuPQud0/v-deo.html 3) "Father" at a WW2 American War Cemetery in Holland, Margraten Liberation Concert 2023 to honor fallen American soldiers. She made the sound man weepy at about 2/3rds of the way through. Love the high note at 3:27. ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.html
I really feel sorry for Emma, being so, so small for her age. BUT... she is not letting herself down and proofs time after time that body size does not matter when you sing. What a warrior she is. And so far she has met the right people on her path who are more than willing to make it possible for her to live her dream.
This was 2021, and when it started, she was 12, and her 13th birthday happened during the contest, which ran for some months, and yes, it's very evident that her growth has been impacted, and even now, she's only 1 Mtr 42 and around 50Kg, so still tiny compared to many, and that's at 16, most stage appearances recently, she's wearing big platform shoes, around 125mm. This win was the start of her rise to fame, made even stronger by winning Ministars in 2023, singing Voila, the version she'd learnt phonetically, the short video of her win is so clear at the end, she knew she'd absolutely nailed it, the smile said it all. ua-cam.com/video/rOKVK4o-vf4/v-deo.html Her first single, rather than covers of other people was released in 2022, LAAT MIJ EEN VLINDER ZIJN , let me be a butterfly. the song is in Dutch, with a translation in the notes, ua-cam.com/video/Zcxan9R5s4E/v-deo.html The theme of the song is a deep desire for change, to become the butterfly that's emerging from the chrysalis state in the cocoon, and soaring free, to become what it's meant to be, and casting off the shackles and restraints that were part of the development, to be able to fully live and see the dream. The deep segment starts around 2:02 and goes through to about 2:40, she sings 'if only for a day, or even for a count of 10, I'd just like to live as another', a deeply emotional statement of her desperate longing to be free of the limitations and restrictions of being tied to the feeding pumps for 22 hours a day, and as she sings the words, her eyes close, and she shakes her head from side to side, and then her head goes down to silence, as she contemplates her true situation, no matter how desperate her deep desire for freedom, for now, there is no release, no change that can be made for it to happen, there is no cure for gastroparesis at present, and she has to face the numbing reality that her life can't change for now, and at that point, she makes her decision clear, she is NOT going to let her disease define her, she IS going to fight her way through like the warrior she truly is, and then, she starts singing again, rises to a new high note, and makes it so clear that she will not give in to it, she is going to become the singer that she knows she can be, and that of course is exactly what happened 12 months later when she physically walked out onto Andre Rieu's huge stage in the town square in Maastricht, and performed the new version of Voila for the first time ever. Mentally, she was the butterfly of her dream, Andre had worked his showman's magic on her, he'd had 4 dresses made for her, and when they saw them, they both knew that the stunning black dress was the right one for her, and more than that, he gently helped her make that difficult transition from the good girl singer into the young woman who was ready to emerge and become the mega star that she was destined to be, any day now, the video of Voila will go over 50 million views, and that's only on UA-cam. When she walked out onto that stage, she was the new Emma, she came out on to that stage visibly and emotionally a beautiful, strong, powerful, serene, composed, competent, driven and dedicated young woman, and that first night on Andre's stage was the start of the fulfillment of her dream that she'd sung so beautifully 12 months earlier. At the end of that first ever live performance of the new version, in front of what was probably her biggest ever audience, 12,500 people, at the end, as she punched the air in triumph, that cheeky smile said it all, she knew she'd nailed the performance of her life, and Andre's reaction to her confirmed it as she turned to him and threw her arms wide as much as to say 'How was that?' Andre's eyes, the smile, the hug and embrace, the one word, 'Fantastic' and the call back to take more of the standing ovation she got, they were the confirmation that her star truly had risen, and in so many ways, that first performance was a special night, and it was followed the next day by the invitation to go with Andre to Malta, to be a part of his Christmas concert series, and to tour the world for a series of 75 concerts throughout 2024, and the ONLY reason that Emma is not an even bigger super star than she's become is because her illness prevents her from singing for as long and as freely as she'd like to, but inside that still tiny frame beats a massive heart that will not accept that having stared into the jaws of hell, she can do nothing to change her life. Despite the huge challenges she faces every hour of every day, she will achieve her goal, of becoming a singer. In truth, she's already achieved so much more than that, she puts so much emotion and feeling into her performances, they are so much better than just a good voice producing an excellent song, what we're seeing when Emma sings is her ability to get inside the words of the song, and literally LIVE the song on the stage in front of the audience, and project massive emotions, regardless of the size of that audience. During the Autumn, in September, she was 'honoured' to be invited to participate in a special commemorative annual event to remember the 8000 Americans who gave their lives to liberate Holland in WWII, and there are four videos from that event, an introduction and 3 songs, the first song 'Father', a Demi Levato cover is Emma at her finest, she starts so soft and gentle, and then goes all out into absolute belter mode, for a small young woman, I don't know where she finds the vocal power she has, but she absolutely destroyed the sound engineer behind her, he lost it several times during this deeply emotional and powerful song. The closing duet is notable for the finish, some Dutch, some English, where Emma is asked if she thinks that the stories they've been hearing should continue to be told, her reply is another deep moment, 'I will tell them, for as long as I can' liberation concert Introduction to the concert ua-cam.com/video/e5HBdHX6bew/v-deo.html Father ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.html Hero ua-cam.com/video/iYVEIXwNmT8/v-deo.html You Raise me up, duet with Nico Wouterse, notable for the closing line by Emma, 'I will tell them, for as long as I can' ua-cam.com/video/baH0JQsLo3c/v-deo.html Not talked about much, most people concentrate on the 'big ticket' events, only a couple of months before this concert, Emma lost a close friend, Angela, who also was a gastroparesis sufferer, and it was a very deep and hard time for her, she recorded a very telling song, a capella, as a memorial, and also sang her first single at the memorial event for Angela, I don't know how she found the mental strength to sing this song, especially the closing line, 'Yeah, I know, you'll tell me when I get there', it serves to emphasise that she is very much aware of her own mortality, and the uncertainty of her life expectancy with gastroparesis, I did some research on it a while back, and the number of people who have taken their own lives as a result of the mental pressures of the illness is scary, I can only trust that Emma remains as strong and determined as she clearly is, and does not suffer any declines in her health. When I Get There - @PinkVideoVault Unaccompanied short, very powerful, a song about the passing of a very close friend, given Emma's own situation, so incredibly deep and moving, just incredible. Translation of the note in Dutch, 'Last night my dear friend Angela became a star! 💗 I'm going to miss you incredibly much, but every time I look at the starry sky I know you're looking back 💗' ua-cam.com/video/0nIpN86mw6E/v-deo.html Memorial song for Angela also, Laat Mij Een Vlinder Zijn 13 May 2023 a video short, ua-cam.com/video/k-ZtoS0E1B8/v-deo.html 'Today I had the opportunity to sing at the farewell of my dear friend Angela 💘 Angela always wanted to go viral with her tiktoks, she wanted to be popiejopie! Let's make this happen, share this message as much as possible so that Angela goes viral and she can really be popie from above ♥🙏🏻' Two other songs from earlier, both of which have deep meaning for her, recorded in her own small studio at home, A Miley Cyrus cover, 'the climb', done for tube feeding week, a sublect close to her heart. ua-cam.com/video/dOhzlDEuCBg/v-deo.html A Disney film cover, from 'the Little Mermaid', the song sung by Halle Bailey 'Part Of Your World' ua-cam.com/video/itxs-aNyRJY/v-deo.html Ariel is desperate to change the circumstances and place of her life, her existence, to move from living in water to living on land, no longer a mermaid, to experience a completely new existence, which is very close to Emma's aspirations, and she does a beautiful and powerful performance I close with my normal signature sign off when talking about Emma, and hope that people will respond to it. Emma's foundation can be found at gastrostars.nl If at all possible, please join me in making a (regular) contribution to Emma's foundation, they are a small but dedicated group of people working on research on this awful disease, with a view to providing additional support to patients like Emma and hopefully finding new treatments or even better, a cure for the disease. One of the key people in the team is a surgeon with significant experience of treating gastroparesis patients, but as a result of a worsening of her condition, as she too suffers from this same disease, she has been forced to leave her position as a surgeon, so her focus now is on the work of the foundation, and achieving some new results to help provide answers or treatments. It would be more than wonderful to hear that a result of the work of the foundation is a treatment or cure that will enable Emma to realise her other dream, and be free of the feeding tube regime, and able to perform more as the incredible singer that she is, and it may be the help of people in this community that makes this a reality.
Hello again sir. Emma performed her new single with Andre Rieu this past weekend. Dancing On The Stars. It was written for her by the gentlemen who wrote her other singles. Thought you might want to react to it. What is out there today are phone recordings. They will be releasing a professional recording soon. She has performed several covers, You Raise Me Up, When You Believe.
Alleen het winnende liedje , uit de finale, zat er niet bij Die was geweldig, This is me. oh wat fijn dat je het liedje hebt toegevoegd, Bedankt daarvoor.
She is 13, but years beyond even the oldest one. She is in a musical family and she wants to live a normal life so she has the drive and heart to fight for her dream.
Far before the Voice Kids, Emma had a beautiful performance during the Covid lockdown to support other artists. Had no voice lessons yet, I guess, but she just sounds beautiful. The pretty little warrior covers "opportunities" and at the end of the song, she makes a promise, and now we know she kept her promise❤ ua-cam.com/video/oMyqCs6zZP4/v-deo.htmlsi=BIPCoDMYTRLYOM8-
She is great, along with the other singers. But she is just the best. I believe she was twelve when she was on this show. She sometimes brings tears to me. They keep showing her family, they are so proud of her.
D, here are a couple short videos that show Emma’s personality: Voice Kids winner video: ua-cam.com/video/-MnQOCVTwgY/v-deo.htmlsi=cdhj9Ycpb3f2P_Qp Emma Kok interview about bullying and gastroparesis: ua-cam.com/video/Wq9R2W3Kqtw/v-deo.htmlsi=0HgcNvSZoKxAXpnp
Here's Emma doing a short interview talking about her disease and why she started her foundation, then she performs her original song STRIJDER (Fighter) which is about her battle with her disease and her determination to find peace. For English subtitles choose SETTINGS - SUBTITLES - AUTO TRANSLATE - ENGLISH ua-cam.com/video/xyCnZWtgNpo/v-deo.html
The Dutch song that was sung "Door de wind" Through the storm is an original by Stef Bos, the jury member, the blonde woman also sung it at De Beste Zangers 2020, this is definitely recommended to listen to. Miss Montreal - Through the Wind | Best Singers 2020 ua-cam.com/video/sMrRobr1rDE/v-deo.html This is the translation in English: I see you in front of me with my eyes closed Can feel you with my heart locked I hear you talking, but you're not there No, you're not there And I feel lost if I have to lose you And you can't die yet, because I can't miss you I can't miss you Through the wind, through the rain Through everything Through the storm, even if everything's against me Because of you, I'm never alone I feel you beside me when I want to forget on the street at night What's written in my eyes If you only knew And I want to lose myself in the euphoria of a winner And I would like to scream, but I can only sing I can only sing Through the wind, through the rain Through everything Through the storm, even if everything's against me Because of you, I'm never alone Through a sea of distance Through a wall of emptiness Through a land of silence Through my whole life Through the wind, through the rain Through everything Through the storm, even if everything's against me With you, I'm never alone Greetzzz Delinda
Check out an Enzo Kok video. Emma shows up as a family spectator in some of these. She looks tiny and extremely frail in these. She really made substantial progress before doing Voila at age 15! I understand Emma started this competition at age 12, and finished at age 13.
Emma was born in 2008, she is now only 16 years old. Songs from full grown adult will takes some years to come. The Last video ist from december 2023 "Helene Fischer x Emma Kok - Voilà (Live von der Helene Fischer Show, 2023)"
Interested in another great voice from the Netherlands? The blonde judge on the left is called Ilse de Lange. Look up some of her video's on UA-cam. Especially interesting? Seven Bridges Road with the New Amsterdam Orchestra. Emma is currently touring with Andre Rieu around the world. Hope she will do some colabs with Ilse in the future.
I love her voice. So pure and natural. And such a lovely girl to look at. The fun she has in performing shows do well. Have you already seen her performance on MAX christmas concert where she sings the most beautiful cover of Hallelujah? To see how deep she can go, you could have a look at Emma's one time performance on the Dutch yearly Memorial Day for the fallen WO II soldiers. She performs there a cover of "Father". You can see the emotions on her face, and the soundman breaks at the end. Not the sound quality of Voila, but still Emma outperformes on this occasion again. Hallelujah ua-cam.com/video/EWXf7QHaDCg/v-deo.htmlsi=m-jSRg_fPCZqRbOa Father ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.htmlsi=Dpgv0u0BTHyGTLX7
She is old-12 or young-13 in these recordings (her birthday, in March, occurred partway through the contest).
Emma cannot do many of the things kids normally do - but she can SING!! She puts the last atom of her heart into her singing - and it shows!!
Yes it is a sad story. At the other hand: that story brings Emma at many places and gives her chances she otherwise probably won't have get. So: sad it is, but at the same time it is not all sadness what is happening to Emma. And she is not waiting till it comes to her on a tray: she is very active, as far her health condition is allowing that, to achieve her goals. That is what makes me having so much respect for her.
There is a clip of the sing-off where they perform Dor De Wing in the sing-off and Ali announcing her the winner of that. But at the end there is nothing more loving than when she ran to her dad and mom backstage. god I love Emma.❤️❤️
Here we are looking at a mega super talent that is only born once in a while
I really feel sorry for the other kids, even the bigger, older ones. They just stood no chance against Emma. It is as you said, her voice is just so much more developed. Her vibrato is completely natural, and she deploys it liberally and effortlessly. She's also hitting and sustaining high notes far better than any of her competitors. She simply outshines them all.
Also, her stage presence is markedly more advanced. She exudes a charm and charisma that the others simply cannot match. Her small size may even have worked in her favor in this respect. But the important thing here is that she is utterly fearless and unintimated by the bigger kids. She just takes care of business and makes it look easy.
This was the beginning of her journey, and it is clear from watching these early performances that she is destined for greatness.
Thanks for reacting to this. Well done. All the best.
Weer gekeken , prachtig.
Just to let you know (has nothing to do with this video): And again, 16 year old Emma is braking hearts with "Dancing on the stars". One year later and again with André Rieu in Maastricht. The song is released on UA-cam and Spotify on Friday 12 July. It's written 20 years ago by Dutch Songwriter/composer Tjeerd Oosterhuis, who was in the audience. Emma wasn't born back than and and still.... the song could have been written for her: it fits her like a glove. She is the first singer who is taken this song on, so this is an orginal song. Emma was in his studio and became aware of the song and she asked André Rieu if she could perform it during the concerts in Maastricht because she liked it so much. André liked it too and he has made it "fit for the concerts" and that's the rendition you see on the video.
They are all kids. But one of them is special kid. Very special. Love you Emma!
Unfortunately, gastroparesis is an insidious and currently incurable disease with the consequences of inhibited growth and up to 30% less life expectancy. I have been following Emma and her inspiring nature since 2023 and I wish this little angel that God may bless and protect her. Her passion and heart for singing is an inspiration.🙏
We all would like to hear something from Emma 'today' as you put it. Keep in mind that she is only just 16 years old, and still a schoolgirl.
Given that, and the fact that she is touring the world with Andre Rieu and his orchestra, doesn't leave her a lot of time to be generating new material.
The good news is that she has been in the studio recently, and I expect we may hear something new from her very soon.
Just the other day she shared a reel of her singing a capella the lyrics of a song she had just written. It was moving to say the least; very age specific and unique to her circumstance. Frankly, it broke my heart.
Zij zong ook Halleluja zo mooi.
Good to see you reacting to her complete Voice Kids journey. I love watching her progression in the 10 weeks, her ability but just as amazing her character.
She looked like a tiny 9/10 years old girl in her first audition though she was 12 going on 13, but the voice is already evident. She started a little apprehensive in her second song singing together with other competitors, but you can tell she is competitive, she wants to win. After that, she was totally in her element. Total confidence in how she started the 4th song "Lovely Day" & already working the camera like a pro by the 6th song "Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This". Someone commented that she looked really comfortable in the last song. And she can dance.
Emma definitely knows how to make sure she stands out amongst taller competitors, she got a head on her shoulders. ...Or good coaching.
During the 7th group song in your react video at 16:52, she steps out & forward of the line to make sure she is seen; none of the other competitor did that. Lol, a lesson everyone who goes to a job interview needs to know. She is more than just a pretty ...voice. Well done Emma.
.....
On a lighter note, I found a charming video of her being welcome back to school after winning the Voice Kids. You see her plugged into her nutrient pumps & it is easy to see why she was bullied when she was younger, ...now I guess they all want to be her bff.
ua-cam.com/video/TJtUmnHyklI/v-deo.html
.....
There are a few songs around the time she sang Viola 2023 that might be interesting to react to.
1)"All I want for Christmas is you". This is a fan made, but good quality, full length version; the official version is a cut down unfortunately. The sound is a little bit off, not too much, but it is a front row view with minimum panning! (just the first half of this vid) ua-cam.com/video/eTzZIsVkbXQ/v-deo.html
2) "Hallelujah" official vid with full orchestra ua-cam.com/video/9qVHQuPQud0/v-deo.html
3) "Father" at a WW2 American War Cemetery in Holland, Margraten Liberation Concert 2023 to honor fallen American soldiers. She made the sound man weepy at about 2/3rds of the way through. Love the high note at 3:27. ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.html
My apologies. You Raise Me Up she performed 10 days ago. Beautifully done.
I really feel sorry for Emma, being so, so small for her age. BUT... she is not letting herself down and proofs time after time that body size does not matter when you sing. What a warrior she is. And so far she has met the right people on her path who are more than willing to make it possible for her to live her dream.
Great to see this video one more time, and i deed amazing
This was 2021, and when it started, she was 12, and her 13th birthday happened during the contest, which ran for some months, and yes, it's very evident that her growth has been impacted, and even now, she's only 1 Mtr 42 and around 50Kg, so still tiny compared to many, and that's at 16, most stage appearances recently, she's wearing big platform shoes, around 125mm.
This win was the start of her rise to fame, made even stronger by winning Ministars in 2023, singing Voila, the version she'd learnt phonetically, the short video of her win is so clear at the end, she knew she'd absolutely nailed it, the smile said it all. ua-cam.com/video/rOKVK4o-vf4/v-deo.html
Her first single, rather than covers of other people was released in 2022, LAAT MIJ EEN VLINDER ZIJN , let me be a butterfly. the song is in Dutch, with a translation in the notes,
ua-cam.com/video/Zcxan9R5s4E/v-deo.html
The theme of the song is a deep desire for change, to become the butterfly that's emerging from the chrysalis state in the cocoon, and soaring free, to become what it's meant to be, and casting off the shackles and restraints that were part of the development, to be able to fully live and see the dream. The deep segment starts around 2:02 and goes through to about 2:40, she sings 'if only for a day, or even for a count of 10, I'd just like to live as another', a deeply emotional statement of her desperate longing to be free of the limitations and restrictions of being tied to the feeding pumps for 22 hours a day, and as she sings the words, her eyes close, and she shakes her head from side to side, and then her head goes down to silence, as she contemplates her true situation, no matter how desperate her deep desire for freedom, for now, there is no release, no change that can be made for it to happen, there is no cure for gastroparesis at present, and she has to face the numbing reality that her life can't change for now, and at that point, she makes her decision clear, she is NOT going to let her disease define her, she IS going to fight her way through like the warrior she truly is, and then, she starts singing again, rises to a new high note, and makes it so clear that she will not give in to it, she is going to become the singer that she knows she can be, and that of course is exactly what happened 12 months later when she physically walked out onto Andre Rieu's huge stage in the town square in Maastricht, and performed the new version of Voila for the first time ever.
Mentally, she was the butterfly of her dream, Andre had worked his showman's magic on her, he'd had 4 dresses made for her, and when they saw them, they both knew that the stunning black dress was the right one for her, and more than that, he gently helped her make that difficult transition from the good girl singer into the young woman who was ready to emerge and become the mega star that she was destined to be, any day now, the video of Voila will go over 50 million views, and that's only on UA-cam.
When she walked out onto that stage, she was the new Emma, she came out on to that stage visibly and emotionally a beautiful, strong, powerful, serene, composed, competent, driven and dedicated young woman, and that first night on Andre's stage was the start of the fulfillment of her dream that she'd sung so beautifully 12 months earlier. At the end of that first ever live performance of the new version, in front of what was probably her biggest ever audience, 12,500 people, at the end, as she punched the air in triumph, that cheeky smile said it all, she knew she'd nailed the performance of her life, and Andre's reaction to her confirmed it as she turned to him and threw her arms wide as much as to say 'How was that?'
Andre's eyes, the smile, the hug and embrace, the one word, 'Fantastic' and the call back to take more of the standing ovation she got, they were the confirmation that her star truly had risen, and in so many ways, that first performance was a special night, and it was followed the next day by the invitation to go with Andre to Malta, to be a part of his Christmas concert series, and to tour the world for a series of 75 concerts throughout 2024, and the ONLY reason that Emma is not an even bigger super star than she's become is because her illness prevents her from singing for as long and as freely as she'd like to, but inside that still tiny frame beats a massive heart that will not accept that having stared into the jaws of hell, she can do nothing to change her life.
Despite the huge challenges she faces every hour of every day, she will achieve her goal, of becoming a singer. In truth, she's already achieved so much more than that, she puts so much emotion and feeling into her performances, they are so much better than just a good voice producing an excellent song, what we're seeing when Emma sings is her ability to get inside the words of the song, and literally LIVE the song on the stage in front of the audience, and project massive emotions, regardless of the size of that audience.
During the Autumn, in September, she was 'honoured' to be invited to participate in a special commemorative annual event to remember the 8000 Americans who gave their lives to liberate Holland in WWII, and there are four videos from that event, an introduction and 3 songs, the first song 'Father', a Demi Levato cover is Emma at her finest, she starts so soft and gentle, and then goes all out into absolute belter mode, for a small young woman, I don't know where she finds the vocal power she has, but she absolutely destroyed the sound engineer behind her, he lost it several times during this deeply emotional and powerful song.
The closing duet is notable for the finish, some Dutch, some English, where Emma is asked if she thinks that the stories they've been hearing should continue to be told, her reply is another deep moment, 'I will tell them, for as long as I can'
liberation concert
Introduction to the concert
ua-cam.com/video/e5HBdHX6bew/v-deo.html
Father
ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.html
Hero
ua-cam.com/video/iYVEIXwNmT8/v-deo.html
You Raise me up, duet with Nico Wouterse, notable for the closing line by Emma, 'I will tell them, for as long as I can'
ua-cam.com/video/baH0JQsLo3c/v-deo.html
Not talked about much, most people concentrate on the 'big ticket' events, only a couple of months before this concert, Emma lost a close friend, Angela, who also was a gastroparesis sufferer, and it was a very deep and hard time for her, she recorded a very telling song, a capella, as a memorial, and also sang her first single at the memorial event for Angela, I don't know how she found the mental strength to sing this song, especially the closing line, 'Yeah, I know, you'll tell me when I get there', it serves to emphasise that she is very much aware of her own mortality, and the uncertainty of her life expectancy with gastroparesis, I did some research on it a while back, and the number of people who have taken their own lives as a result of the mental pressures of the illness is scary, I can only trust that Emma remains as strong and determined as she clearly is, and does not suffer any declines in her health.
When I Get There - @PinkVideoVault Unaccompanied short, very powerful, a song about the passing of a very close friend, given Emma's own situation, so incredibly deep and moving, just incredible.
Translation of the note in Dutch,
'Last night my dear friend Angela became a star! 💗
I'm going to miss you incredibly much, but every time I look at the starry sky I know you're looking back 💗'
ua-cam.com/video/0nIpN86mw6E/v-deo.html
Memorial song for Angela also, Laat Mij Een Vlinder Zijn 13 May 2023 a video short,
ua-cam.com/video/k-ZtoS0E1B8/v-deo.html
'Today I had the opportunity to sing at the farewell of my dear friend Angela 💘
Angela always wanted to go viral with her tiktoks, she wanted to be popiejopie! Let's make this happen, share this message as much as possible so that Angela goes viral and she can really be popie from above ♥🙏🏻'
Two other songs from earlier, both of which have deep meaning for her, recorded in her own small studio at home,
A Miley Cyrus cover, 'the climb', done for tube feeding week, a sublect close to her heart.
ua-cam.com/video/dOhzlDEuCBg/v-deo.html
A Disney film cover, from 'the Little Mermaid', the song sung by Halle Bailey 'Part Of Your World'
ua-cam.com/video/itxs-aNyRJY/v-deo.html
Ariel is desperate to change the circumstances and place of her life, her existence, to move from living in water to living on land, no longer a mermaid, to experience a completely new existence, which is very close to Emma's aspirations, and she does a beautiful and powerful performance
I close with my normal signature sign off when talking about Emma, and hope that people will respond to it.
Emma's foundation can be found at gastrostars.nl
If at all possible, please join me in making a (regular) contribution to Emma's foundation, they are a small but dedicated group of people working on research on this awful disease, with a view to providing additional support to patients like Emma and hopefully finding new treatments or even better, a cure for the disease.
One of the key people in the team is a surgeon with significant experience of treating gastroparesis patients, but as a result of a worsening of her condition, as she too suffers from this same disease, she has been forced to leave her position as a surgeon, so her focus now is on the work of the foundation, and achieving some new results to help provide answers or treatments.
It would be more than wonderful to hear that a result of the work of the foundation is a treatment or cure that will enable Emma to realise her other dream, and be free of the feeding tube regime, and able to perform more as the incredible singer that she is, and it may be the help of people in this community that makes this a reality.
Hello again sir. Emma performed her new single with Andre Rieu this past weekend. Dancing On The Stars. It was written for her by the gentlemen who wrote her other singles. Thought you might want to react to it. What is out there today are phone recordings. They will be releasing a professional recording soon. She has performed several covers, You Raise Me Up, When You Believe.
Wat fijn dat je de voice kids ronde hebt laten zien, zij was prachtig.
Alleen het winnende liedje , uit de finale, zat er niet bij Die was geweldig, This is me. oh wat fijn dat je het liedje hebt toegevoegd, Bedankt daarvoor.
She is 13, but years beyond even the oldest one. She is in a musical family and she wants to live a normal life so she has the drive and heart to fight for her dream.
Far before the Voice Kids, Emma had a beautiful performance during the Covid lockdown to support other artists. Had no voice lessons yet, I guess, but she just sounds beautiful. The pretty little warrior covers "opportunities" and at the end of the song, she makes a promise, and now we know she kept her promise❤
ua-cam.com/video/oMyqCs6zZP4/v-deo.htmlsi=BIPCoDMYTRLYOM8-
She is great, along with the other singers. But she is just the best. I believe she was twelve when she was on this show. She sometimes brings tears to me. They keep showing her family, they are so proud of her.
It might be a little while before we get to hear something new from Emma as she is currently on a world tour with Andre Rieu and his orchestra.
D, here are a couple short videos that show Emma’s personality:
Voice Kids winner video:
ua-cam.com/video/-MnQOCVTwgY/v-deo.htmlsi=cdhj9Ycpb3f2P_Qp
Emma Kok interview about bullying and gastroparesis: ua-cam.com/video/Wq9R2W3Kqtw/v-deo.htmlsi=0HgcNvSZoKxAXpnp
Here's Emma doing a short interview talking about her disease and why she started her foundation, then she performs her original song STRIJDER (Fighter) which is about her battle with her disease and her determination to find peace.
For English subtitles choose SETTINGS - SUBTITLES - AUTO TRANSLATE - ENGLISH ua-cam.com/video/xyCnZWtgNpo/v-deo.html
The Dutch song that was sung "Door de wind" Through the storm is an original by Stef Bos, the jury member, the blonde woman also sung it at De Beste Zangers 2020, this is definitely recommended to listen to.
Miss Montreal - Through the Wind | Best Singers 2020
ua-cam.com/video/sMrRobr1rDE/v-deo.html
This is the translation in English:
I see you in front of me with my eyes closed
Can feel you with my heart locked
I hear you talking, but you're not there
No, you're not there
And I feel lost if I have to lose you
And you can't die yet, because I can't miss you
I can't miss you
Through the wind, through the rain
Through everything
Through the storm, even if everything's against me
Because of you, I'm never alone
I feel you beside me when I want to forget on the street at night
What's written in my eyes
If you only knew
And I want to lose myself in the euphoria of a winner
And I would like to scream, but I can only sing
I can only sing
Through the wind, through the rain
Through everything
Through the storm, even if everything's against me
Because of you, I'm never alone
Through a sea of distance
Through a wall of emptiness
Through a land of silence
Through my whole life
Through the wind, through the rain
Through everything
Through the storm, even if everything's against me
With you, I'm never alone
Greetzzz Delinda
Emma‘s birthday is March 2008 she is 12-13 for
She is 12 here
Check out an Enzo Kok video. Emma shows up as a family spectator in some of these. She looks tiny and extremely frail in these. She really made substantial progress before doing Voila at age 15! I understand Emma started this competition at age 12, and finished at age 13.
@RogerClutton Thanks!
You Raise me up she did three days ago. Watch it!
She was 12 at the start of the competition.
Listen to Emma Kok singing Voila with an orchestra! She is amazing!🎤
its in the playlist at the end of the video
Look here song halelujah
Emma Kok-"Voila" ❤❤❤
Emma was twelve when she won Voice Kids.
You need to hear shallow met with Phill Be by Emma Kok
Emma was born in 2008, she is now only 16 years old. Songs from full grown adult will takes some years to come.
The Last video ist from december 2023 "Helene Fischer x Emma Kok - Voilà (Live von der Helene Fischer Show, 2023)"
Emma turned 16 in March 2024 - I think she was 14 when this was done.
Apparently she was 12!!!
Interested in another great voice from the Netherlands? The blonde judge on the left is called Ilse de Lange. Look up some of her video's on UA-cam. Especially interesting? Seven Bridges Road with the New Amsterdam Orchestra. Emma is currently touring with Andre Rieu around the world. Hope she will do some colabs with Ilse in the future.
I love her voice. So pure and natural. And such a lovely girl to look at. The fun she has in performing shows do well. Have you already seen her performance on MAX christmas concert where she sings the most beautiful cover of Hallelujah?
To see how deep she can go, you could have a look at Emma's one time performance on the Dutch yearly Memorial Day for the fallen WO II soldiers. She performs there a cover of "Father". You can see the emotions on her face, and the soundman breaks at the end. Not the sound quality of Voila, but still Emma outperformes on this occasion again.
Hallelujah
ua-cam.com/video/EWXf7QHaDCg/v-deo.htmlsi=m-jSRg_fPCZqRbOa
Father
ua-cam.com/video/y554GsqMHj8/v-deo.htmlsi=Dpgv0u0BTHyGTLX7
There she is 13 years old
She’s 12
Emma was 12 when this started. How old she was on that song you’re talking about, I don’t know. This is stretched out over several months time.
The voice kid France "je suis malade" Emma ❤❤❤
ua-cam.com/video/B6GiqxvgV1E/v-deo.html&feature=shared
Another Dutch video.
Get your copyright crap off the screem
😂😂😂😂😂💩💩💩💩💩💩