Armin van Buuren Performs in Drag on Dutch TV Show

Daisy Bell Takes the Stage

Armin van Buuren surprised viewers of the Dutch television show Make Up Your Mind when he was revealed as the mystery drag queen Daisy Bell. The RTL 4 program transforms well-known Dutch personalities into drag queens while a panel attempts to guess their identities. When host Carlo Boszhard announced van Buuren's name during the latest episode, the panel and audience gave him a standing ovation.

Panel members Fred van Leer, Nikkie de Jager, and Francis van Broekhuizen all reacted with surprise. Van Leer was particularly taken aback that an internationally established DJ had agreed to participate. De Jager praised van Buuren's transformation after he stepped out of character.

Five Hours in Makeup and Heels

Preparing to become Daisy Bell required around five hours in makeup. Performing in heels also gave van Buuren an entirely new challenge. After the reveal, he joked that he was happy to still be standing and described the experience as fantastic. Speaking about drag itself, he said, "It's simply art."

Connecting Television to Event Culture

Van Buuren explained that he does not normally agree quickly to television appearances, but the message behind Make Up Your Mind convinced him to make an exception. He connected his decision to the events he organizes and the people who attend them. "I organize events myself and I want everyone at my events to be able to be themselves, because unfortunately that is not possible everywhere," he said following the reveal.

His participation connected the message of Make Up Your Mind directly to what he wants people to experience at his electronic dance music events. The show regularly promotes acceptance and freedom of self-expression, a principle van Buuren wants attendees to feel at his shows without pressure to hide who they are.