“Jade De Rijke, the 14-year-old singer, wowed the judges on The Voice Kids Belgium before winning the entire 2018 competition. It was an impressive win for both De Rijke and her coach Gers Pardoel. 2018 was Pardoel’s first year as a coach. Relying on De Rijke and his other singers, Pardoel bypassed several more experienced coaches and sent his protégé to stardom.

After the victory, De Rijke released her first single in April 2019. The single was called Straw House and was about a close relationship. Straw House was unique because it was De Riquet’s first original song. She is used to doing covers of songs. She may have written original songs before, but this was her first recording. What many viewers may not know is that 2018 was not De Rijke’s first appearance on The Voice of the Children. She auditioned in 2017 and failed the blind auditions.

De Rijke later said that she lost her nerve and that she was disappointed that her audition didn’t even make it to television. But De Rijke didn’t let the experience bring her down, instead returning to her training and making another attempt that exceeded her wildest hopes. Sometimes failure is just what it takes for a performer or any other person to put in the hard work needed to succeed in whatever endeavor they choose.