Jett Rebel

At the start of the festival season there was a new phenomenon. An explosive music animal on stage with songs that could take you back in time. It was one of the most surprising and best new artist of 2014 in the Netherlands. He goes by the name of Jett Rebel!

Jett Rebel is also known as Jelte Tuinstra and was born in The Hague. Jelte describes himself as a shy boy, but always had the drive to become an entertainer. This topic also returns in his documentary: Who the Fack is Jett Rebel that aired a few months ago on television. For a lot of people the documentary was really confronational and surprising.

Jelte Tuinstra grew up as a normal boy who wanted to be left alone. Jelte understood that he wasn’t sparkling. After this realisation he decided to create an alter ego, Jett Rebel was born. Jett Rebel was the opposite of Jelte. Jett Rebel is explosive, who loves attention and a rough life. His appearance is also remarkably different. The entertainer doesn’t only wear male clothes, but also wears female clothes and sometimes even put lipstick and nail polish on. Drugs, alcohol, attention and music is what thrives him.

But what happens when your alter ego is the opposite of what you really are? The documentary shows what happens when Jelte goes off stage. The rough Jett Rebel dissapears and the emotional and shy Jelte is back in his real life. He wonders: ‘’ How can I like all the attention on stage, while off stage I just want to be alone?’’. However, he understands how his life works: ‘’Sometimes it’s hard and I don’t know if I can handle this life for a long time, but I also love it!’’.

Jelte Tuinstra is the perfect example of shifting identities. His identity, and thus his appearance, shift between male and female. He lives in two different worlds that constantly and that is what makes it sometimes quite difficult.

Sources:

-http://www.jettrebel.nl