Yesterday at 7:30 PM • Edited yesterday at 8:20 PM
After a double mastectomy in January, singer Dominique de Bont from Waalwijk is again busy with music. Together with her friend and musician Daan Zwierink, she released the new song Step by Step on Friday. The song is a look back at that intense period, but also a look at the future. “There are peaks and valleys. But in the end the sun will shine again,” says Dominique.
For the singer and former participant of the Regional Song Festival, her latest song Step by Step feels like a milestone. A moment to pause for a moment. Because although she says things are “a lot better than in January”, her recovery is still ongoing. “When you look back, you see that it has gotten a little better every day.”
That message is at the heart of her new song. The song is about feeling stuck, while actually moving forward. “Sometimes it seems like you’re standing still,” she explains. “But every small step is one step forward. Especially if you can lean on someone. Together it makes everything lighter.”
That realization took on extra meaning for Dominique during the radical medical process. She had a double mastectomy in January after being diagnosed with a BRCA1 gene mutation years ago. This means an additional risk, between 60 and 80 percent, of breast cancer. “I’ve known it for a number of years, but you still put it off. It feels like the sword of Damocles hanging over your head.”
The choice for surgery was difficult and did not happen overnight. “I struggled with it for at least five years. Until you get to a point where you think: I actually have no choice. The other option is to live in uncertainty for the checks every year. That consumes energy.” After the first operation, another reconstruction will follow in the summer.
Recovery is not only physically, but also mentally challenging. “Your femininity plays a role, and you have to accept that your body is changing. Fortunately, the medical world has reached the point where they can make it very beautiful.” Yet the biggest struggle lay elsewhere. “I’m someone who is always busy with music and work. The feeling that you can’t do anything is very frustrating.”
The song was created precisely during that period. At first the energy was lacking, but as she started feeling better, the creative drive grew. “Daan and I sang a lot at home, and eventually we went back into the studio. This song is really about this period: what it feels like to stand still and still move forward.”
“Suddenly an informal caregiver 24 hours a day.”
Her friend Daan, a member of boy band Mainstreet, experienced the process up close. “Suddenly you are a caregiver for someone you love 24 hours a day,” he says. “To see her so dependent, it does something to you.” At the same time it brought them closer together. “We have only been together for two years, but in such a situation you get to know each other inside and out. That is intense, but also very beautiful.”
For Dominique the song is more than just music. “It’s become kind of a mantra for myself,” she says. “A reminder that it’s okay if things don’t get better every day. There are highs and lows. But in the end the sun will shine again.”
The first reactions to the song are overwhelming for her. “So many sweet messages, also from people who have experienced the same thing. That gives support.” The singer is now looking ahead again. The couple has performances scheduled and new music is in the works. “I want to get going again,” she laughs.
The song Step by Step will be the Tipplaat on Omroep Brabant radio next week.
