During her childhood, Van der Veer sang on several Kinderen voor Kinderen (a children's choir) albums. Van der Veer stated her teenage years were "the most difficult phase of her life". She was often mistaken for a girl and frequently had to face ridicule because of this. She saw an escape from her plight in gaining prominence as a media personality and therefore participated in "De Travestiet Show" (English: The Transvestite Show) in 1997, entering as the youngest contestant at time. She underwent sex reassignment surgery at age 19.