From the start

When I was a little girl I dreamed about being a star. Now you would say: 'which little girl didn't?' and think it was a childish dream. I believe I could say that almost everyone have been dancing in front of a mirror with an improvised microphone in their hand at least once in their lifetime. I could also tell you that I did that a lot.
When I was around the age of 6 or 7 the Spice Girls were the big thing. If you weren't pretending to be Baby Spice (who lived the dream with a never-ending supply of lollipops), you wanted to be Sporty Spice (who could kick really high) and otherwise you were doomed to be one of the other three (Ginger -who was a little bit funny-, Posh -who was downright boring- or Scary -who was, well, very scary and weird). Every now and then we created our own band and stopped the traffic (in our suburban village, which meant that every 15 minutes -if we were lucky- we could stop a car) singing Stop (Right Now, Thank You Very Much).
I never have gotten over the fact my mum never got me one of those lollipop headsets. If I ever see one I'll buy it!

The oh-so-wanted lollipop microphone headset!

After the Spice Girls broke up I went into a new fan-phase: Britney Spears. Britney, who had perfect teeth and cool hair! I entered playback shows with Oops I Did It Again (Not knowing what it was about. Much, much later I realised what the lyrics actually said...) wearing red pants and a red shirt with hideous shoes, which were -according to my mum- 'fashion' at the time. I have pictures of my little sister dressed up as a space man, like the guy in the video clip.
During that time I still dreamed about becoming a Super Star like Britney was, but these dreams were constantly crushed by our oh-so-famous Dutch Morality. Some people were born for that, but it wouldn't be someone you knew and certainly not you.
I performed in amateur musicals, but never got a part for years and when I did it felt like a dream and I let it all happen. I learned a lot that year, but not as much as when I got my second part. For the first time I decided to act upon my dreams and -because of plain luck and sudden acquaintances - I was brave enough to take singing classes.
That year I did not only rise above myself, I surprised everyone with the fact that I was more than just a girl who happened to like to sing: I had a voice and I was not afraid to use it.
After years of fighting mostly myself, my hopes and dreams and fears about becoming a performer, I finally found some peace in me. I do not need to be a Britney Spears, I do not need to be a Lady Gaga. It would be fun, but it is a dream, not a possibility. At least, not now. Who knows, right?
All I want is to establish myself as me, as Elysabeth Hyde, the other side of me, the Empress of the Stage, the Empress of Europe (which is a secret joke I usually make. Really, I do not plan on conquering Europe in the near future) and hopefully I will leave a mark behind so you will look back on me and smile...