A Warm Hug Wrapped in Sound: Magda Unveils her new EP "Pflaster"
This week marked the beginning of fall, slowly creeping into Berlin.
The smell of crisp air in the morning, the sun fighting its last warm glimmers before it sets, and the last outskirts of summer slide into fall, complementing each other and creating an evening that presents itself with a vibrantly blue sky; a perfect, melancholic setting.
With nature setting the perfect mood, it felt like a private concert for a hand-picked crowd. Austrian newcomer Magda took the stage to present her brand-new EP "Pflaster", which was released that very same day, September 12.
The concert took place at the KulturBrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin. A historic setting, combining urban and historical flair. The historical Brauerei features 6 inner courtyards and 20 buildings, all built in the classic north-eastern red brick and stone style of the 19th century. Once, it was the biggest beer production facility in Germany. Nowadays, it has been restored and is home to bars, clubs, and a movie theater.
Fitting for the evening, in one of the more hidden and private courtyards, is the House der Poesie – setting of Magda's private concert for her hand-picked audience.
The room has an intimate size with the charm of a 19th-century building and the urban flair of our current one. A little bar provides the fans with free drinks and offers Magda's newest merch.
The stage is lowered, producing an atmosphere in which Magda and her audience are almost eye to eye. Pink flowers set the stage, which has a green screen with Magda's name written in glittery cursive letters. However, the most special accessory on stage is the little stars made from fabric, arranged like a frame around the artist. As Magda later explained, they were hand-made by her and her fans before the show. Given the setup, it was a promise of intimacy between the artist and her audience that is hard to achieve in any other concert setting. It conveyed the sense that we had all gathered to watch a friend present her newest project, and we were her cheerleaders and supporters.
When Magda takes the stage, she invites her audience closer. She explains that this is the smallest audience she has ever had since she started singing in front of people. So far, her smallest audience has been 2,000 people. Making this evening not only memorable for her audience but also for her.
According to Magda, her first EP, Pflaster, was written in her childhood bedroom, without the awareness that anyone, except her friends, would listen to her music. It tells the story of being rejected, filled with pain, and the uncertainties that come along with being young.
Without any earpieces, Magda and her companion on the piano delivered a quiet, yet powerful performance that captured a feeling between hopefulness, melancholy, and the sense of letting go. Songs that go to the core of being young, delivered by Magda in an angelic voice that is full of feeling and connected to the emotions, are transmitted in her songs.
Within her songs, all the strengths of the German language and its ability to poetry unfold - word puns, rhymes, creative connection of nouns to transmit the conflicting feelings of heartbreak and love. Most impressive is her use of the violin that she plays with astonishing perfection, which is seemingly woven into her songs as an introduction or interlude that not only leaves one in awe at the perfection of her playing but also carries one away emotionally.
Magda has the ability to stand out: she combines absolute musical talent with the ability to write poetic lyrics that nevertheless have a catchy chorus, while already having its very own sound.
Her ability to capture her audience's attention is also present throughout the night, with the engagement of her audience, whether it be singing along to the catchy choruses of songs about being lost and trying once more, or songs about heartbreak and getting rejected. Through it all, the audience is visibly caught emotionally, following the way that Magda leads with her music.
Swept away may be the only word to describe it – all eyes are on her. People who came with a friend lie in each other's arms while singing along. People who came alone sing silently to themselves, smiling at the stage as if they are proud of a close friend, or as if only the two of them share a secret with one another.
She ends her little, intimate session with Wandrisse, a fan favorite that swept the audience once more.
Magda leaves her audience with the feeling of a safe space, the sense of having witnessed something intimate, a mutual feeling of understanding – a warm hug by a friend in the chilly air of fall that began to creep in after the doors opened. The audience was brought back to reality.
Listen to Magda's EP here:
WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY
Annabelle
As long as I can remember, I have been absolutely obsessed with literature and cinema - for me, both have been a way to not only explore different lives and experiences, but what moves contemporary society. Therefore, I love to explore how literature and cinema connects to societal developments and the green light it can offer to understand ourselves and our surrounding.
