In Conversation with Malou Lovis!

We had the lovely opportunity to sit down and have a chat with Malou Lovis, an up-and-coming artist from Germany. She won Voice of Germnay 2023, opened for Tokio Hotel in 2025, participated in the very first round of this year's ESC and already has two headline tours behind her!

Who is Malou Lovis in three words? How would you describe your sound?

Malou Lovis: I would say warm, close and real.

Does this also represent the music you personally listen to or do you listen to heavier music?

Malou Lovis: No, it is definitely similar to what I personally listen to; what I listen to is maybe a bit more souly and R'n'B. I listen to many UK artists and lots music in English.

You're currently on tour and have already played over half the shows. How has it been so far?

Malou Lovis: It has been so much fun, every show gets cooler. My highlight so far was Munich, I did not expect that the people would be so up for it like they were. They all sang and danced along! I'm already sad it's only three more shows to go; we already joked about adding more.

The tour is named after your "soft season" EP which got released Friday, September 25th. Congrats on that! How was the process of creating the EP? What were your favourite moments?

Malou Lovis: It started with me wanting to find my sound even more after my last album. Because of that I experienced different things. I wrote about different topics and worked with some people I knew, but also with many new ones! Through the whole process of creating the EP, I found out how I can get better at saying no and how I can stand up for myself more often, which definitely influenced the lyrics!

Fun fact, Olivia Dean was a big inspiration for the EP and many songs got written in an ESC songwriting camp in France. Which, I think, the latter inspired this warm-souly sound.

This sounds beautiful! Are you also planing to work with new people for upcoming projects again or have you found your team by now?

Malou Lovis: I think I have already found my team! It's good to work with new people, but overall I love the team I'm working with; one of them lives in Sydney, though.

You're part of the LGBTQIA2+ community and are very open about it. Why is important to you to stand up for causes important to you?

Malou Lovis: I just think that whether I'm standing on a small or big stage, it's important to speak on what's important to me. If there's one person who's in the process of outing themselves right now whom I can help, then that's more than worth it. I also study social work and sometimes wonder if I'm doing enough as a musician, so I also think what I can do for my work to have more importance; because obviously there are not enough social workers but lots of musicians. I love and often engage with queerness, so it makes sense for me to talk about it.

It makes a difference when you say something and don't hide!

Speaking of you playing live: In 2023, you won Voice of Germany, where you were in Bill and Tom Kaulitz' team, and then you got to support them on their tour in 2025.

How was this experience?

Malou Lovis: The Voice was crazy, of course I didn't apply thinking I'd win, that wasn't my expectation. I was thinking maybe someone will notice me at the blind auditions and if that was it, it was already worth it. And in the end, I won the show, which is super cool and it was a great time, yet it was a lot. You're standing there and they're saying, "The winner of The Voice of Germany 2023 is Malou Lovis!" and I was thinking oh my god. I quit my jobs, paused my studies, and have focused on music ever since.

And the Tokio Hotel tour – it was my first time standing on stage with a band, and in front of 4000–5000 people, it was incredible! Tokio Hotel themselves and the whole crew included me so kindly. The whole crew supported me and I don't think I could've had a better first experience than with Tokio Hotel. Every show was a 10/10.

Do you think that this experience prepared you for this year's ESC preliminary decision, as they are both big stages?

Malou Lovis: The Voice prepared me more for this rather than the Tokio Hotel tour. I didn't really know what was going on and thinking back I would say it didn't fit who I am. I did learn a lot, however. If I hadn't participated, I wouldn't have written the songs for my EP, as they all got created during the ESC songwriting camp. I wouldn't have wished for it to be different, it is an experience, but I wouldn't apply again.

Again, regarding your live performances; what is one thing you want to try in the future that you're not doing now?

Malou Lovis: With singing songs on stage I'm rather confident, I can count on my voice, I use no auto-tune, it's live and it feels real. I'm confident, I'm capable and I wouldn't expect it to be perfect, it's still live music. I think it's a bit sad if this gets lost with backing tracks and auto-tune. However, I do hope that I will get better at speaking in between songs!

Maybe you have stage elements you would want to add?

Malou Lovis: No, I think it's cool the way it is now. With every tour you're improving and come up with new plans; this one is already a huge upgrade from the last one, though, so I feel pretty content right now.

On Instagram, you mentioned that you like speaking to fans after shows and that you're planning a community event for the beginning of october. Generally speaking, what is your favourite thing about your fanbase?

Malou Lovis: I love all of them, they're super kind and I can count on them. When I sing a wrong note or if something is difficult, they're giving me the feeling that all is well. I have a different support act with me every night and I know they will listen. Everything is super respectful and beautiful, it's nice to play a tour and get to know people.

I try to be on eye level with them, I might have a different job than them, but we're all humans.

Do you want to keep staying at the merch stand after shows or would you consider doing meet and greets once you're playing bigger venues?

Malou Lovis: I can't imagine how it will be, when I'll play bigger venues. Of course I'm hoping to play bigger venues, but I'm already amazed with what I'm doing right now. The shows aren't sold out, but I'm looking at people and think, "Wow, you're all here because of me."

An ongoing conversation in the music industry is that touring can be a lot on one's mental health. What are you doing before, during or after a tour to try and counteract this?

Malou Lovis: Such a tour is not easy at all for your mind, not necessarily being on it – of course it's a lot physically, but it's lots of fun – the preparation before, however, is rather heavy for your mind. The latter especially because I do a lot myself; the whole business behind me are my family and friends. I wanted to have a few free days to myself before the tour, but I didn't manage to do one thing I planned, because everything was indeed a lot. So I did start feeling stressed going into the tour, but with the first show it went away. It's lots of fun!

After this tour, I will be in Cologne, where I used to live, meeting up with my friends and then I'm going hiking with my girlfriend. For at least a week I want to do barely anything – not nothing at all, though, because I don't want to fall into a hole. I will release a new song soon, so I will work on its release again after the time off.

It sounds great that you have so much support from your family, friends and girlfriend!

Malou Lovis: What helps me massively is that my mom handles merch, my dad drives the van, my partner is on stage with me, we're all friends. If you surround yourself with humans like that, with a team you 100% feel safe with and with a great audience, then nothing can happen.

Your music is in English and not in German. Was listening to English music growing up a big influence or how did you make this decision?

Malou Lovis: I have always listened more to English than German music. Before The Voice, I wrote many German songs as well as English ones. It gradually evolved and I noticed that I love to sing in English. Of course, people understand English and can translate what I sing, but it still feels like a small safe space. In English, I can express what I want to say more clearly.

Sometimes, people say you have a different personality when you speak another language and in one way, maybe, but I don't fully agree. I just feel safe with it.

If you were to recommend a few songs from your own music, which ones would it be?

Malou Lovis: I would for sure recommend my EP! If I have to name two songs to describe the mood of it best, it would be "little things" and "safe".

INTERVIEW BY

Nora

Concert & Editorial Photographer

Throughout 2022 and the beginning of 2023 I started to photograph with my phone at shows I went to, in April of 2023 I got to photograph with my camera at a show for the first time and have been doing it since. I love that it´s possible to combine (live) music and photography!

Excited to see what the future will bring!

PHOTO BY

September Klakow

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