Article from De Limburger, October 25, 2024. Photo: ARP.
Singer Emma Kok will be followed by cameras from Omroep MAX in the coming
period. The Dutch broadcaster is going to make a documentary about her life.
It was announced on Friday, October 25.
The 16-year-old Kok became nationally known after winning "The Voice Kids" in 2021. She is now also
making her mark outside the Netherlands thanks to André Rieu with whom she went on a world tour. The
Limburg native will be joining the violinist again next year.
The documentary, whose title has not yet been announced, will not be broadcast until the winter of 2025-
2026.
Article from “Parool”, October 25, 2024
By Leon van Wijk
Singer Emma Kok (16) sells out show in Concertgebouw
within a few hours
Singer Emma Kok (16) has sold out her announced show in the famous Amsterdam
Concertgebouw within a few hours. Only a few last tickets are still available, as can be
seen on the website. The young star will be solo on the world-famous stage next year,
surrounded by a symphony orchestra.
Kok won the TV talent shows The Voice Kids (2021) and Ministars (2023) and became internationally
known when her rendition of Voilà with André Rieu went viral on the internet. The counter is at 72 million
views on YouTube. The 16-year-old singer has since performed often with Rieu at home and abroad, but in
the Concertgebouw she stands on her own two feet.
Kok announced the concert on Friday afternoon with a video showing her visiting the venue. She is not yet
tall enough to reach the peepholes in the theatre doors, she shows as a joke. "This has always been a
dream of mine and it is coming true", she writes. Kok is looking forward to getting through the doors of the
venue, descending the famous stairs and waving to her fans.
The concert will be a mix of Kok's favorite music styles, the Concertgebouw reports. She will sing her own
songs, but also songs by others who mean a lot to her. Guest artists will also be announced later.
Why in a wheelchair?
In the video that Emma Kok shared on Facebook and Instagram, you can see that she is sitting in a
wheelchair. Last summer, she also shared a photo of herself in a wheelchair with her 1.7 million followers
on Instagram. Emma has been showing on that platform for some time now how her chronic condition –
gastroparesis, or chronic stomach paralysis – affects her life.
Due to the condition, Kok needs two pumps to provide her nutrition. She also underwent many surgeries,
suffered from stunted growth and was often bullied because of her backpack with the pumps. Every five
months, Kok has to go to the hospital to have part of her tube replaced.
Kok has talked about her condition on Dutch TV before, but she is reaching a new audience with her
English-language Instagram posts. She does this with humor. For example, she shared her "girl dinner",
referring to a TikTok trend that the typical influencer would participate in. Kok's "girl dinner" has looked the
same her entire life: tube feeding.
Always positive
She doesn't mince her words. "Every day is a struggle for me," she wrote earlier on Instagram. "I have
never been able to eat. Gastroparesis is a rare disease and there is currently no cure."
Sometimes the young singer is forced to use a wheelchair. "With this condition, you don't have much
energy", she explains. That's why she has to think carefully about how to distribute her energy. "That's a big
struggle, because I want to have as much energy as other people. It's annoying."
But with every sentence about pain, Kok also writes a sentence of positivity. "Without my voice, I wouldn't
be where I am today," says Kok. "My voice is my therapy and the best medicine I could wish for."
L1 News, October 9, 2024.
EMMA KOK (16) is going on another year-long world tour with André Rieu “It
has become a second home…!” The two announced this jointly on social
media.
What else do you do besides the tour?
"I'm also going to do a lot of fun things besides the tour, like working on my own music. I can do whatever I
want and that makes me happy. André also thinks it's very important that I perform at other locations every
now and then and do fun things. And mom and dad have come along more often, and will come along
more often in the future. My brother and sister are always allowed to come along too; they like to go to
special places."
Article from Telegraaf/Privé, October 25, 2024
By Harrie Nijen Twilhaar
Translation by Ineke, edited by Diana D.Le
Singer Emma Kok (16) on her own in the Concertgebouw:
'André Rieu is super proud of me!'
She is still too young to get a driver's license or to vote, but in the meantime Emma Kok
sings her heart out and flies all over the world with André Rieu and his famous
orchestra. And she has big plans of her own. On October 21 next year, the singer from
Limburg will be in the spotlights of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with Emma
Kok in Concert for an entire evening solo. "I am so happy that it worked out, it is going
to be a fantastic year!"
It was a great wish for Emma Kok (16) to one day give her own concert in the Royal Concertgebouw in
Amsterdam. And that dream is now coming true faster than she probably ever thought. On October 21 next
year, the Limburg singer and protégé of André Rieu, will be seen solo in the immense concert hall.
“It’s the most beautiful hall, with the best acoustics in the world,” says Emma, who follows in the footsteps
of big international names such as Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, and Jessye Norman. She will be leaving
for Lisbon this weekend with another world star, André Rieu. In the Portuguese capital, the two will share
the stage for a series of concerts with the Johann Strauss Orchestra.
“It feels so cool to be able to do Emma Kok in Concert next year,” she beams. “I’ve been to the
Concertgebouw a few times, and every time I think: I want to be there myself one day.”
In addition to the world tour with Rieu, which she is currently in the middle of, Emma performed with
German superstar Helene Fischer at the Gelredome at the end of last year, she was allowed to close the
Liberation Festival Concert on the Amstel and last summer she sang at the wedding of Britt Dekker and her
husband Max.
Before the teenager from Kerkrade – who suffers from gastroparesis, a chronic stomach condition that
makes her completely dependent on tube feeding – gives her solo concert in Amsterdam, she will first sing
her heart out accompanied by the violinist and his orchestra.
In December, the famous Christmas concerts await in MECC Maastricht, after which the European tour will
start again a few weeks later. And of course Emma, just like the last two editions, will shine again for three
weeks on the Vrijthof next summer.
It was the singer herself who came up with the idea for the upcoming performance in Amsterdam. "I took
the plunge and made an appointment with the people at the Concertgebouw together with my parents. I'm
so happy that it worked out, it's going to be a fantastic year!"
Weren't they surprised at the Concertgebouw?
"They thought the initiative I took was really cool and awesome. We clicked right away. Of course, it will
take almost a year, but I'm already starting to prepare the concert program. It has to be a fantastic evening
with a number of guest performances by famous artists. I'm not going to reveal who they are yet, haha. The
script has to be perfect down to the last detail."
It must have been quite a challenge to find a free spot in your schedule.
"It was a bit of a puzzle, yes. But in the end it worked out. And of course, I told André about my concert in
detail. He responded enthusiastically and wishes me all the luck in the world. He is very proud that I am
going to do this. And of course, he is invited to be one of my guests of honor that evening."
How does it feel that the tables have been turned for once?
"Well, that evening may be all about me, but without André I would never have been able to take this step
and I would never have been there. I hope he will be there. Then, he can enjoy a musical evening for once,
without having to play himself."
You said it yourself, you owe him a lot.
“André has changed my life completely, he means so much to me. I thank him every time for everything he
does and has done. What he gives me is really very special. That is priceless. He was the one who asked
me in 2023 if I wanted to be a guest at the Vrijthof concerts. I will never forget that opportunity. Not only has
André always believed in me, he is very caring, because he knows that I am chronically ill. But also thanks
to my family I can make this incredibly beautiful dream come true. They are always there for me and my
parents travel all over the world with me when I go on tour with André. Life has changed drastically for them
too. A lot is coming our way.”
Who will you share the stage of the Concertgebouw with?
"I will be accompanied by a large symphonic orchestra. Discussions will follow about the composition and
musicians, everything has to take shape in the coming period. For example, I am already thinking about the
songs I will sing there, a mix of new songs and covers. And of course, Voilà and Dancing On The Stars will
not be missing."
Emma received a diamond record from Rieu last summer for Voilà – the original is by French singer
Barbara Pravi, who sang the song at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. The song has been listened to
more than fifty million times worldwide on all streaming platforms, and on YouTube the live version in
Maastricht has already been clicked on more than seventy million times.
A lot of the songs you sing seem to be about your personal life.
“That’s right. Because of my illness, I have of course already experienced a lot. A large part of the songs
that I will sing in the Concertgebouw relate to the things that concern me, but also to life with a stomach
disorder that means I am dependent on tube feeding 22 hours a day. I also want to offer strength and hope
to other people who suffer from a chronic illness. My life is not always a party, but through the music and
singing I get a lot of energy and I still try to make it a party.”
Your brother Enzo (22) is a violinist, will he also be part of the orchestra?
"Definitely! He has played in André's Johann Strauss Orchestra before. He graduated from the
Conservatory in Amsterdam last year and is currently doing a master's degree at the Hochschule Hanns
Eisler in Berlin. It's great that in a year's time we will be on that big stage together as brother and sister. I'm
also very proud of him."
It's still a long way off, but what about the tensions?
"I'm actually nervous before every performance. Whether I'm on stage with ten thousand people in front of
me, or there are fifty people in the audience; it's always super exciting. On the other hand, I feel the
adrenaline flowing through my body and I have butterflies in my stomach from excitement. Then I'm at my
best and all the tension is gone."
How are you going to cope physically, considering your condition?
"The program lasts two times forty minutes and in between there is a long break. In that time, I can regain
my strength and recharge, because it is both physically and mentally an effort. But I have done it before, my
own concert. That was a gift from the Parkstad Limburg Theater after I won The Voice Kids. And later I also
performed in the open-air theater of Valkenburg. But this concert in Amsterdam will be special!"
Will there be more performances at the Concertgebouw in your opinion?
"I certainly hope so, I really enjoy singing and performing. So who knows, maybe I'll be back in the
Concertgebouw in 2026."
photos by Raoul Limpens.
Britt Dekker sold a foal and donated a significant amount of money to
Emma’s foundation Gastrostars. On her turn Emma sang at Britt’s
wedding day in september 2024.
To read more about
Emma Kok, page 1,
click HERE
Emma has customized her jewelry to her latest song composed by Tjeerd
Oosterhuis: Dancing on the stars.
Foundation Gastrostars https://gastrostars.nl/en/
Gastrostars is the first patients organization for everyone with a stomach paralysis and other additional
physical conditions such as a paralyzed or slow working intestines. Down below you can read more about
the foundation created by Emma Kok!
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of children and adults with gastroparesis and other intestinal
motility disorders. We want to raise awareness of this rare disease.
Gastrostars was founded by Emma Kok. Emma is supported by a passionate board. The main goal of our
patient organization is to increase the understanding of others for our situation. With this, we want to make
life a little easier and more bearable for all fellow sufferers. On this website we will publish stories, advice
and news items in the near future, which we can share with others in our area, so that they will hopefully
understand it better. By understanding it better, the environment can hopefully help you better, or maybe
stop doing or saying some things. We also hope that these stories and advice will help you and make you
stronger.
Donate via Rabobank:
NL70 RABO 0347527000
KVK: 89505778
RSIN: 865002976
ANBI registered
October 28, 2024.
André Rieu and Emma Kok appear in Trump promotional video by Elon Musk without permission
L1 news: Emma Kok and André Rieu distance themselves from
Trump campaign video.
Short summary of Pierre Rieu's response.
From L1 news: (by Sterre Schlicher)
Distancing
Pierre Rieu emphasizes that he and his father do not
support the use of their video for the campaign film.
Why the image of his father was used for this specific
video is a big question mark for the Maastricht
resident. Emma Kok also states in a statement on
Instagram that she distances herself from the video
and the message it spreads. In her case, too, the
fragment was used and spread without her knowledge
and without permission.
Let it blow over
However, they will not take any further steps towards X
or Musk. The less attention is given to it, the faster it
will pass, is Rieu's message.
"Fortunately, Musk makes frequent use of his own
social media platform. So the film has already dropped
considerably in his timeline. We have therefore
received few reactions to it, only from media that have
picked it up. Apart from that, we will simply let it blow
over, if there has already been a commotion about it."
Emma on Instagram
October 28, 2024.
Radio interview with Emma Kok, by Daniel Dekker, for NPO Radio 5.
It is in Dutch.
About: touring again with André Rieu, her own concert in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw next year,
The Disney performance in the Ziggo Dome in January 2025, the MAX documentary, her puppy
Ollie, and the illegal 3 seconds in the Trump promotional video.
Chapeau Magazine, July 3rd 2025, by Jo Cortenraedt
Translated by Ineke and Diana D. Le
Photos by Guy Houben
An interview in two parts, that is, given her physical condition, to keep up for Emma Kok. Both
times she has the two plastic baby carriers with her tube feeding, which goes 22 hours a day. The
Church Council singer, despite her condition, stomach paralysis, is quite busy. Her career is a leap
forward, the only way out of physical misery.
The girl we spoke to two years ago on the stage of André Rieu at the Vrijthof, has now become a young
woman. In her doings, and in her appearance. She doesn’t talk like a patient, rather like a tough girl who
wants to show what she has in her march. She can express that mainly because of her singing career, but
also outside she has her own ideas, where she does not wipe her own words. If we meet at her home for
the second part, she just returned from the gym. Five times a week, she tries to do that with the focus on
the abdominal muscles.
Travel trips
On tour, that rhythm cannot be sustained, but if the opportunity arises, she will exercise for a while. In
recent months, she has been in Bahrain with the Johann Strauss Orchestra and almost all of Europe:
Germany, Ireland, France, Greece, Bulgaria, England, Poland, Czech Republic, and Scandinavia. Where is
it not? “They are not vacation trips. - This is work. For the whole orchestra. People often do not understand
that. Traveling is beautiful, but also tiring, for sure. We have a lot of luxury on the road, but still. In France,
for example, the entire orchestra was broken, but the musicians still have to be there. I can’t relax on a
plane, so that’s pretty tough. It’s pretty good where you go everywhere, but you have to be able to keep it
up. André and the orchestra do that every time, for so many years. I have a lot of respect for that.”
“My mother always comes with me because I can use help. We always try to see something of the city, but
sometimes there is too little time for it. I like to see interesting places. Not museums inside. Just into a
church, light candle. Viewing buildings from the outside. No, André is going to do some good exercise and
sleep. He is 75 years old and wants to be in top shape for the performance. It's top sport, that touring.
André is running smoothly, so he's holding on. It's a nice group, very nice. With one you are more
concerned than with the other. I'm a kick-starter, so not a permanent member of the orchestra. And I'm
usually on before the break. I often do not experience the second half of the concert, because then, I have
to get my tubes again and I am tired too. We usually go to the hotel early. So I usually don't experience the
drink afterwards. I hear from my illness and don't. That is the case.”
Fixed rituals
Traveling with the orchestra of André Rieu, which also means that almost every night, the same songs have
to be sung by her. She doesn't find that objectionable. “You have to perform as if it were the first time. I try
to do something different every night. You build your condition with your voice, the number grows with you. I
try to vary, so it doesn’t get boring. I want to keep it exciting for myself that way. No, I'm certainly not good
in French, but the song "Voilà" is me, so I can sing it with passion. I always have nerves, but I don't have
any stage fright. At some point the focus comes. Dress on, hair well. I'll sit down. No one should bother me.
I need that concentration, no one has to tell me a story. I do everything according to certain rituals. I put
some things in the same place. My jewelry in a certain way. Not just a bunch of heaps. Shoes should
always be straight. All very small things. I do for my own superstition.”
Emma Kok does not consider herself a classical singer. “No, I’m not, people can hear that. It's more
symphonic what I do. For example, I can’t sing opera, I am not trained for that and I am not going to do
that. With André, the music is very varied, from light classical to modern. You can have a great night, even if
you are not a fan of his music. That's because of the great atmosphere. There is always something that
touches you at those concerts. Almost everyone has a good evening.”
Solo
What Emma finds so special about André Rieu are his emotions. "André is André, he is all honesty. He
won't say he likes something if he doesn't. At my first audition, I learned a lot in five minutes. It was almost
intimidating, I was tested. He has no shame in that respect. I think that's fine."
Whether she will do anything with André Rieu after this year is not yet known. "I'm not ruling anything out,
but as far as the future is concerned, I have to focus on my own career, on standing on my own two feet. I'll
be with the orchestra until Christmas. After that, a lot is still open. I'm working on some great plans. One of
them is already a dream come true, my own concert night in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. That's a great
honor. And apparently people are looking forward to it, because it was sold out very quickly. I already have
the entire program worked out, together with conductor Maurice Luttikhuis who will accompany me with his
orchestra New Symphonics. Two times three quarters of an hour with a long break, then I can refuel,
literally. That evening, I have to do it. I am really looking forward to it, I like talking between the numbers. I
am a chatterbox. I hope that people will get to know me better that evening. Not only Emma Kok, but Emma
as well."
Musicals
One of the guest artists that evening is Milan van Waardenburg. This musical star appeals to her
enormously. "He is simply very good and I love musicals. I hope to be able to participate in a musical one
day. In itself, I think I can do it, but then my condition is an issue. Because a producer wants someone who
can be on stage night after night and then for longer than half an hour. But who knows, I might get a chance
one day in combination with understudies who can replace me on certain nights."
She likes her participation in the television program “Stars on Stage”. "There, I have a different role than on
stage with André Rieu. I really like that variation. I actually like a lot of things and I also take on a lot,
because I don't want to fall into a black hole later. I am already busy with 2026 and 2027 to see what is
possible then. Perhaps also solo performances, with or without an orchestra. That has to do with budgets,
among other things. Another dream of mine is to be able to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest on
behalf of the Netherlands, I would really love that." Her parents are in fact also her management team and
if necessary, she can always go to André Rieu and his son Pierre with questions. "I learned a lot there, both
artistically and business-wise. Standing on a big stage in front of 12,000 people, for example. You have to
do that even when you're having a bad day mentally. There are days when I don't feel well. You learn that
you have to flip that switch, without falling into a routine."
With real fans, and there are more and more of them, she has no problems. "If they ask me to take a
picture with them, I usually do. I also think it's fine if they talk to me. But they shouldn't touch me, I don't like
that. Yes, there are people who really start touching you, I find that weird. Or they keep staring at you, that's
something. Just say something to me, that's much more normal."
Future as a patient
Her almost non-functioning stomach imposes the necessary limitations on her, which she has to deal with,
not only physically, but also mentally. Her General Practitioner is also her trusted doctor in this. "I have a
difficult relationship with my specialist in the hospital, to be honest. Those specialists do not yet fully
understand the condition, because so little is known about it. If I say that I have pain when eating, they tell
me to continue anyway. Well, eating is the tube feeding. They do not feel what I feel. The patients often
know more about it than the doctor. Other people with the same condition also have the same experience.
In London, you can have a pacemaker in your stomach, but it doesn't actually solve the disease. You can
get help against the complaints. What I don't understand is that nowadays, they can transplant a heart,
liver, you name it. But not the stomach. The craziest things are possible, but making a stomach work still is
impossible. It is of course frustrating. I wonder: is the stomach really the most difficult organ? As a patient
you want still a perspective, that is very normal. But there is no point on the horizon yet. I try to collect as
much money as possible with my foundation for research. Hopefully, there will be a proper research one
day. You always have to keep hope. I try to move forward."
Bullying
One of the pleasures of life she misses out on is good food. “When people say something to me about
food, well, I can handle that. People don’t always think about the fact that I can’t eat normally. As a family
we often go out to eat, I bring a cracker with me. Sometimes I get a menu. It’s no use to me. I’m used to it,
but still... In a year, when I’m eighteen, I can see if I can drink wine, for example. Who knows, I might like a
few sips, see how that goes. It would be great if I could just sit on a terrace with a girlfriend and order a
glass of wine. In any case, I hope to get my driver’s license soon, then I’ll be less dependent. Then I can go
out with a girlfriend, for example. I have girlfriends, outside of music. I don’t see them very often. I’ve
always had trouble with that because of my bullying at school. It’s always been a scar. It takes longer to
trust people. In high school, it took me three years before I could say that I really had girlfriends. Before
that, I couldn’t believe it after all those bullying, that I have experienced. Because of that bullying, I have
little self-confidence and trust in others. That scar will always remain. Are they jealous? Why are they
jealous of a girl who is sick? Why do we have to hurt each other? What do they gain from it? Adults also
bully each other. What does Putin do for example? He also bullies, it amounts to the same thing. I never
see those bullies again. I never see them in Kerkrade again. I secretly hope they come to my concert. But
then, they don't have to take a picture with me. Oh well, I wake up positive every day. I sometimes dream
about those pumps, that I have thrown them over the balcony. Suppose I ever get better, then I have to
learn to eat as a baby."
Movies and books
Emma tries to follow everything that happens in the world to some extent. "I do follow the news now and
then. Not like my father, who watches two news programs in a row. While I think, that's the same, one is
enough. I find some things interesting, others not. And when you're on tour, it doesn't get through as well.
But I do realize that there are wars going on a few hours away. I think that's bad."
She seeks distraction in films and series, among other things. She does not often watch them with tears in
her eyes. "No, I actually do not cry that much, that's not too bad. With some Disney films I do, but otherwise
not so much. Less than for example, André and Pierre Rieu. They are the most emotional people I know.
When I sing a song at the piano with Frank Steijns and André gets tears in his eyes, then I know it gets
through."