Catching a Breath with FRISO

Hamburg-based artist FRISO doesn’t just write songs; he creates sonic snapshots of a feeling, a thought spiral, or a moment that lingers longer than it should, with roots in the collective Tooloudfortheroom, where feelings-driven rap-forward production and raw expression reign, FRISO's solo sound feels like a quieter, more contemplative counterpart: melancholic but smooth, full of poetic precision, and layered with emotional nuance. His latest EP, Luft zum Atmen, got released last Friday, May 30th. Across just a handful of tracks, FRISO explores the weight of overthinking, the warmth and tension in friendships, and the strange in-between spaces that define your early twenties. It shows just how comfortable he’s become in his own musical lane. He is also known for being the former live DJ for German singer Paula Hartmann. They decided to part ways last year. 

We had the chance to talk with FRISO about the process behind his new EP, how he navigates his dual identity as a solo artist and collective member, and why he’s glad he made the switch from English to German lyrics. He also lets us in on the memes that get him through times when he’s overthinking, the surprising detail about his reality-TV past, and the songs he’s currently got on repeat. 

Frederike: Okay, I’ll spare everyone the singing but “I’m looking around the room” (“ich schau in den Raum” - lyrics from his most streamed song “Serpentinen”). What do you see right now? Let’s get a little scenic, haha. 

FRISO: Uhmmm… big windows, several people in the room, Berlin in the background, water, and a white conference table.

Frederike: Where do you feel the most like yourself: on stage, in the studio, at home, or on the road?

FRISO: Most like myself? Probably at home. Although... yeah, no, definitely at home or with people very close to me. 

Frederike: When did you realize that music was more than just a hobby for you? That you wanted to do it professionally?

FRISO: It’s always just been a part of me. It’s been with me since I was really young. So it was never something I considered giving up, even when I stopped taking music lessons. I always knew I’d keep making music. But it shifted from a hobby to something more when I was about 18 years old. That’s when I produced something for the first time and tried to figure out how to create something from scratch.

Frederike: Do you remember making your first actual song? How did that come about?

FRISO: Yeah, it was in the basement of my parents’ house. I set up a little studio there. There wasn’t much; just two speakers and a table, which I had to wire up in a super complicated way. But at some point, I just sat down, arranged some things, and made a whole song from start to finish. It wasn’t super well produced or anything, but it felt amazing to have done it all on my own. Before that, I’d always made music with people who knew what they were doing. That was a real achievement, and I was proud, so I sent it to a few friends.

Frederike: And how did they react?

FRISO: Surprisingly well! I sent it to people I knew would understand, and it wasn’t super polished. But they all said, “Great vibe,” or “Reminds me of this and that.” So yeah, the reaction was actually pretty good.

Frederike: Which artists or sounds would you say shaped how you developed your own sound?

FRISO: When I started producing music, I was listening to a lot of LANY, Lorde, and The Blaze. Also, a lot of Cro at the time. But I also grew up with Michael Jackson and Peter Fox. I think all of that influenced me in some way. I was also exposed to a lot of classical music through school and music lessons.

Frederike: What kind of music lessons did you take?

FRISO: I had piano lessons as a kid, and I was in the orchestra class in school. I played clarinet. And I sang in the school choir.

Frederike: You just mentioned Lorde. How excited are you for the "Lorde Summer"? You once wrote, “I’d postpone my own summer for a Lorde summer.” On a scale from 1 to 10, how hyped are you? 

FRISO: Pretty hyped! I love that she’s releasing again and in this steady four-year rhythm. That’s kind of cool. And what we’ve heard so far really feels like classic Lorde, which I’m excited about. That kind of sound hits me the hardest. I’m a little sad, though, because she’s playing a tour while I’m on my own tour, so I won’t be able to go.

Frederike: What kind of music do you listen to privately? Who’s in your current rotation?

FRISO: A lot from my friend group, the people from Tooloudfortheroom. There’s always a broad mix of genres. It depends on the mood, but it is usually more chill in the morning. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dominic Fike. Also, Billie Eilish's latest album really struck me. Then Mac Miller, always on and off. Lorde, too, but I need to take breaks so it stays fresh. And Frank Ocean, of course.

Frederike: Imagine you’re at a house party, and no one knows you’re controlling the aux. What guilty pleasure song would you sneak into the queue?

FRISO: Oh wow, good question. There are so many good ones. I want to give a really good answer. I’m feeling the pressure, laughs. Maybe something from Juli or Wir sind Helden. "Perfekte Welle" is a crazy song. My mom used to listen to it. She had a 2000s hits CD. So yeah, I’d lock in "Perfekte Welle" as my guilty pleasure song. 

Frederike: Is there a song you sometimes wish you had written yourself?

FRISO: Yeah, definitely. Although “wish” is hard because it might’ve turned out completely different. I often wish I’d had specific ideas like how someone distorted vocals or used a particular instrument. As far as songwriting goes, some people are just exceptionally talented. I recently talked to friends about “Schwarz zu blau” by Peter Fox. In the song, Kotti (Kottbusser Tor) in Berlin feels like this massive 2-3 km area - but in reality, it’s such a tiny place. The writing is so strong, you really see it. That kind of lyrical skill…I’m super envious of that. Also, elements like beat switches. Like in “Nikes” by Frank Ocean. Sometimes I think, “Well, that’s already been done, so if I do it now, it’s nothing new.

Frederike: Speaking of songwriting, I noticed that the word Serpentinen appears quite a bit in your songs. Once as a track title - by the way, congrats on hitting 2 million streams on Spotify! - but also in your latest track “Swimming Circles.” What’s the story behind the word?

FRISO: For Serpentinen (engl. serpentines), I just thought it was a beautiful word, and it really captured the feeling of curving away from someone. And in Swimming Circles, it just fit the theme. The whole song is about things going in circles, and I thought, hey, it might be nice to throw in a little nod to something older by referring to my single Serpentinen to close the loop. Visually, it fits too, especially with the line “Ich fahr nicht, sondern ich treib” (“I don’t drive, I float”), which fits with Swimming Circles. It was like a little “Aha!” moment. A bit before the hook also nods to my song “Schon Ok”—so it’s not Serpentinen 2.0, but something that ties together.

Frederike: Correct me if I’m wrong, but I went to Melt Festival last year and saw Paula Hartmann. And if I remember correctly, she said on stage that it was your dream to perform at Melt Festival. And then you actually got to perform Serpentinen there. Since the festival is no longer happening, what’s your next dream stage?

FRISO: Uhhh, good question. Right now, I’m really into club stages. Like, “That’s a cool club. We played there with Paula, and I’d love to do that again.” In terms of festivals, I used to go to Hurricane a lot as a guest. So performing there would be sick. We played there last year with Paula, and it was great. I’d say that one. You know your friends are probably there, maybe you arrive a day early and hang out at the campsite. That’d be dope. The only thing that might top it would be Waldbühne in Berlin. We (Paula Hartmann & FRISO as her DJ) opened for Peter Fox there. That was insane; just a giant wall of people. If I ever get to headline that with my own stuff, that would be it. I’d retire after that because how could it get any better?

Frederike: Speaking of stages, you just finished your first mini tour, which stopped in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne. How did it feel playing for an audience that was there just for you?

FRISO: It was hard to process. At first, it still felt like I was opening for someone else. Like, I wasn’t the headliner. Especially since you don’t hear much with in-ears or realize the crowd is singing along. You’re super focused. But it really hit me in Berlin and even more so at the following two shows. I realized it was my show, designed by me and a team, and we could do whatever we wanted with it.

Frederike: What’s your biggest takeaway for the album tour in November/December?

FRISO: To be more in the moment. That’s hard for me, because I want everything to run smoothly. But when you improvise a little, raise your voice, and bring in more energy, it might sound a little off, but that’s okay. You don’t think about that at first. I want to be more confident about those moments and lift the room's overall mood so people have even more fun.

Frederike: What can we expect music-wise?

FRISO: Much more intimate lyrics. More honest. Musically, a return to the OG sound I started with. More playful again, less traditional structures. We stopped working on songs only once they felt fully told, even if it meant one more second of sound.

Frederike: How long did you work on it?

FRISO: About four months. A lot existed before in sketch form. We didn’t start from zero in January. There were unused lyrics and early instrumental drafts. But in January, we really kicked into gear and worked through to mid-March.

Frederike: In your song Luft zum Atmen verloren, you say “die Projekte sind weg” (“The projects are gone”). What happened?

FRISO: My laptop crashed out of nowhere, and all the music projects were gone. Even the backup. That was the problem. The good thing was that we weren’t too far along. It actually happened during 10qm too, back then, the laptop was stolen. This time it just crashed. It added pressure in the process, but maybe that was a good thing.

Frederike: You mentioned Tooloudfortheroom earlier,  Hamburg Altona, and Harburg joining forces. How did that happen?

FRISO: laughs We built the Tooloud base in Harburg from different friend groups. My brother once shot something for Sant. He knew him because I had shown him a track back in 2017 that was going around school. Then we started making music in a container in Harburg. I met Soma (producer), ELEF, and Moé at a kitchen session. We vibed, and a week later, Soma and I were making music again. We wanted to merge our worlds. They had the same humor as us. They made music, we made music, and they had more resources. So we fused everything. Now Tooloudfortheroom exists. Everyone shares resources and helps each other. We throw events to get ourselves on stage.

Frederike: And what’s a Tooloudfortheroom session like? How do you manage to make songs together that everyone’s happy with?

FRISO: The great thing is—it’s all very intentional. When we made the album, we said from the start: let’s go there and create something new—not just rework old ideas. We even made a fun little game where we randomly paired producers with artists. Always two artists and one producer per team. That’s how the songs came about. Then we discussed who would make good features. Every night we’d have a listening session in the house we stayed in. Then we’d get back to work the next day. And that’s how the “Tooloudfortheroom” songs come about. It all either happens very organically or is super planned out.

Frederike: Your sound with Tooloudfortheroom is quite different from your solo work. Was that a conscious decision, or did it just happen for other reasons?

FRISO: Hmmm... it was kind of conscious. I think I still bring my influences into Tooloudfortheroom like with “Gute Miene, böses Spiel,” which honestly could feel like one of my solo tracks featuring Lenzy. On one hand, it’s because different people are producing, and it’s a different context, so I’m not the one deciding where the song is going; I adapt to the vibe. And on the other hand… now I lost my train of thought... haha.

Frederike: Haha, the question was whether it was a conscious choice that your sound is different in Tooloudfortheroom.

FRISO: Oh, right, yeah, it’s also because Tooloudfortheroom focuses more on rap. I grew up with rap, too, but I wouldn’t say it’s my primary focus. Still, it’s something I enjoy exploring.

Frederike: And you started out with English songs and then switched to German ones. Why did you make that decision?

FRISO: That also happened organically. I was at home, bored, and just listening to some beats. And the first thing that came out while freestyling was in German.
So I thought, okay, I’ll write that down. Then other people also said it might work better in German. But the main reason was really just that I started to enjoy it myself. And in my whole Tooloudfortheroom circle, everyone makes music in German, and I just wanted to be able to make music with them easily without creating a language barrier. That was part of it, too. I’m thrilled that the switch happened.

Frederike: In your songs, you often say that you overthink things. Do you have any tips for that?

FRISO: Hahaha, nope, not at all!

Frederike: Is there anything specific you do when it gets too much?

FRISO: That’s precisely the problem, I don’t have a tip because I struggle with it myself. But sometimes those memes help, you know, the ones where it zooms out and in the end, you see the Earth from space with a caption like “it’s not that deep.” That helps me realize that the little things I stress over aren’t a big deal.

Frederike: Which newcomer artist should people have on their radar?

FRISO: Internationally, I’d say Bennett Coast. And in Germany, I’d say Fyne.

Frederike: We have an artist recommendation playlist. Which songs would you want to add to it?

FRISO: Hmm... “Wings” by Mac Miller, “Who is It?” by Michael Jackson, and “Trendsetter” by ELEF. Those are the three.

Frederike: Anything else you wanna say to our readers?

FRISO: Listen to my new album, and I hope to see you all on tour this winter!

Frederike: Thank you so much for talking to us! It’s been great getting to know you more and talking about your music!

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