Louisa Janssen is a Dutch singer, YouTuber and television personality, transgender and of gypsy descent. She is best known for the reality TV series Onze transgender Liefde on TLC Nederland.
| Birth name | Lowieke Janssen |
|---|---|
| Birthdate | 20 February 1985 |
| Birthplace | Venlo |
| Nationality | The Netherlands |
| Active years | 2003-today |
| Profession | singer |
| Website | https://louisajanssenofficial.wordpress.com/ |
Louisa Janssen’s Youth
Louisa Janssen was born in 1985 as a male. Her name is Lowieke, she is the eldest son of her family. At the age of 12 or thirteen, she was living in a caravan camp. After seeing a transgender woman’s testimony on television and while she was in hospital following a suicide attempt, she announced to her family that she wanted to live as a girl and that she was attracted to men.
This announcement was not well received by her relatives, for whom this subject was taboo. She was kicked out and spent nearly three years on the street, leading a wandering life. From this period of her life, she evokes loneliness, episodes of bullying at school marked by violence, numerous assaults and nights sleeping “under a bridge, under a tree or with people who are afraid”. At the age of fifteen, in 2000, she met her partner Rowan van de Bovenkamp (then named Rosanna), a young trans man. This difficult adolescence and this encounter form the backdrop of the video for her song, Born to be me. The couple married in 2015 and had a son, Mikai, in December 2017.
Television debut
In 2003, Janssen first appeared on television during the Idol auditions under her first name Lowieke, but she was not selected. Her desire to become a celebrity was mentioned in January 2006 in a short report on the TV show Man Bijt Hond. She launched her own YouTube channel in 2007, where she posts videos about her daily life, her songs and her transition. As of November 2020, the channel has over 29,000 subscribers.
In 2010, she appeared on another talent discovery show, My Name Is, where she played singer Cher. That year, she was again the subject of a report, Van Lowieke naar Louisa, for the programme Man Bijt Hond. It was broadcast in November 2010 on NPO2 on the occasion of the Trans Day of Remembrance. In 2013, an interview was dedicated to her on the VPRO channel.
Transition of Louisa Janssen
In parallel with these activities, she undertook her transition to medical care at the age of 20, was followed in Amsterdam and began hormone replacement therapy. She underwent a sex reassignment operation in October 2011, which she documented on her YouTube channel. She subsequently had several cosmetic surgery operations, also documented on her YouTube channel.
Reality
Onze Transgender Liefde
In 2015, Louisa Janssen and Rosanna van de Bovenkamp got married. The event is the subject of a documentary, Onze transgender bruiloft, which aired on TLC. The documentary is followed by the reality TV series Onze Transgender Liefde, which follows the couple’s lives. The programme is broadcast in the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Italy.
First season
Broadcast in July 2015, on the occasion of TLC’s Gay Week, the network aired the first season of a reality series about the life of the transgender couple Onze transgender liefde (Our Transgender Love). Louisa and Rosanna try to get back to a normal life after their marriage, then go to England to live in a caravan, to find out how the gypsies used to live.
Second season
Released in October 2016. The season focuses on the couple’s desire to have a child, their search for a suitable sperm donor, and their differences about the child’s future education.
Venlo Carnival Incident
In February 2017, Louisa Janssen was publicly humiliated at the opening of the Venlo Carnival, which was broadcast on television. On the podium, in front of several hundred people, a contestant, Ruud Stikkelbroek, sang a transphobic song in which he ridiculed her, explaining that “From now on Lowieke wants a little child, but Louisa is not a real Elle” and that “it’s easy to be pregnant: put it in yourself yourself”. Janssen expressed her dismay on Facebook and in a video posted on her YouTube channel. The case provoked the reaction of the Dutch YouTuber Jessie Maya, from the Limbouge branch of the COC Nederland and attracted the attention of the media. Stikkelbroek, who received numerous threats, decided not to participate in the carnival and apologized. The author of the text, Bert Pollux, also expressed his regrets.
Recht op Geluk
A few weeks later, in April 2017, after the high-profile attack on a homosexual couple in Arnhem, Janssen dedicated a song to them, Recht op Geluk (The Right to Happiness) with accents of personal demand, and published the video on her YouTube channel.
Third season
Broadcast August 2017 – In June 2017, the couple announced that they were expecting a child. During this season, they set off in search of each other’s roots and gypsy culture across Europe, against the backdrop of Rosanna’s pregnancy.
Louisa as Rosanna Baby Special
Rosanna gave birth to a boy, Mikai, on December 29, 2017. On January 18, 2018, TLC aired a documentary Louisa en Rosanna Baby Special, centered around Rosanna’s pregnancy, which had mixed feelings about it, having delayed the start of her transition to be able to carry the child. We witness the couple’s preparations around the birth of the baby and the delivery.
Fourth season
Released in July 2018. The focus is on the preparations for Mikai’s baptism and Rosanna as she begins her transition to live out her identity as a man. Louisa, on the other hand, is thinking of starting a business.
Fifth Season
Released in July 2019. Rosanna continues her transition and is now officially called Rowan. He still needs to lose weight in preparation for his surgeries. Louisa wants to continue her singing career and compete in Eurovision. Mikai is now one year old and we have to put baby locks in the house.
Louisa en Rowan: Eerste Hulp bij Poetsen
Released in July 2020. Louisa and Rowan travel around the Netherlands in a pink car with a mission: to clean up the homes of private individuals who, for one reason or another, have stopped cleaning their homes.
Other appearances
- 2013: Liefde lust of laten lopen.Makeover show.
- 2019: De slechtste Chauffeur van Nederland. Show featuring bad drivers.
Discography of Louisa Janssen
- 2015: Leef je eigen leven
- 2016: Voel me heet
- 2016: Fiesta
- 2017: Recht op geluk
- 2018: De grootste lellebel
- 2019: Born to be me
- 2020: Soppen
References (sources)
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