Paoline Magnus: From Belgium to Berlin, Germany

The Belgian singer and producer Paoline Magnus began learning guitar at the age of 7, and her guitar teacher introduced her to GarageBand at just 9 years old. With that, she also started singing at a young age! In Belgium, she became the lead singer in a band and then moved to Berlin to pursue her career as a solo artist. Earlier this year, in June, she released her debut EP, titled Flowers in the Machine.

We talked about her journey as a small artist from Belgium to Berlin, her spark for mechanical beats, and her upcoming plans.

HERE'S THE FULL INTERVIEW:

Nora: Hi, excited to meet you! Thank you for your time and for doing the interview! To start, who is Paoline Magnus in three words?

Paoline Magnus: I would say passionate, experimenting, and free.

Nora: Oh, that's amazing. It's great to enjoy your job and have a passion for music.

Paoline: Passion always, everything comes out of that.

Nora: 100%.

Nora: So the second question would be, what city would you say would describe your music?

Paoline: I would say Tokyo, because even though it's a beautiful city, it seems like organised chaos in a way. It's somewhat chaotic, but there’s still some structure and beauty in that chaos.

Nora: I would love to go to Tokyo one day. I haven't been.

Paoline: Yeah, me too.

Nora: Your currently released songs are all in English. Is there a reason you decided to go for that language rather than Flemish or French, which are both spoken in Belgium?

Paoline: I never really thought about that twice. I think it turned out to be in English because of the songs I listen to, which are also all in English, and I might've been a little prejudiced about Flemish singers because it reminds me of Schlager music, you know, those songs.

Nora: Yeah.

Paoline: Although I've been listening to more good Flemish pop lately and realized that my judgments were wrong, I've also come to realize that there are a lot of artists who mix French into their songs, which sounds really cool. Honestly, I should consider doing it, but I just never thought about it.

 Nora: Makes sense, let's move on to your EP. Congratulations on releasing your first-ever EP in June!

Paoline: Thank you so much.

Nora: Don't mention it. During the process of creating the EP, what were the unexpected challenges you faced, or what was something that went surprisingly well?

Paoline: I guess the biggest challenge was realising I was alone, I felt like I was at the bottom of my career with no connections. The music industry is pretty harsh, I realised, you have to be super bold to get yourself out there. Making music is what I love and do every day, and that was actually the easier part, in a way. However, I then had to make the connections; I had to create a video, and subsequently find someone to promote it, so I did some unconventional things, to be honest. I sent several emails to labels and talent managers, as well as PR agents, but that didn't really work out because I was still a relatively small artist at the time. However, I eventually took the matter into my own hands. For example, I visited the BIM Institute and other schools in Berlin, where I posted flyers seeking music students who could assist me, as well as music business students, to help with the business aspect of things. I then worked with a bunch of students, which was great. Other than that, I attended several networking events, which is not something I'm accustomed to, trying to meet people; it was really hard, but ironically enough, I found a person who wanted to create music videos at one of these events. It was great to transition from being alone to finding the right people who actually want to work with you. However, it's nice because I now have a community of students I can reach out to. Most of the work I've done, including the photos and videos, as well as the help I've received, has come from students or people in a similar situation to mine.

Nora: I mean, obviously, you need to be outgoing in the music industry, or rather, you need to put yourself out there, so definitely very important points. I'm glad you found people to make it work, for sure.

Paoline: Yeah, exactly, and one of the people I found at the music school, the music business student, particularly, is still helping and working with me; she got this interview for me, and I appreciate her a lot.

Nora: That's awesome! I can 100% relate to that. I do music photography, and photographers are constantly competing with one another. People forget it's so much more important to have a community and connections rather than always going against each other, or at least that's what I think.

Paoline: Yes, definitely.

 Nora: So my next question would be, what's one more specific memory that stuck with you doing the EP, one fun moment where you went, "I'll remember this for the rest of my life"?

Paoline: I guess the whole making of the EP was a very peaceful time, because I went to the Funkhaus in Berlin every day with my school being there, and I would go to the studios there, so I would just go from the beginning until the end of the day being in the studio, I would go outside and drink coffee by the river. I didn't even go partying or go out generally, even though I was and still am in Berlin. I was so focused on my music and work that it felt a bit enlightening, I would say. So I think it's just the peace I felt in between the studio breaks at the Funkhaus.

Nora: Yeah, that sounds amazing. I'm also someone who enjoys sitting by the river, well, not right now in November, but rather in the warmer summer months.

Paoline: Yeah. (laughs) 

Nora: What's your favorite song from your EP Flowers in the Machine?

Paoline: Right now, I cannot listen to any of them anymore, but I think I have the most special connection with "Lavender Child", because I found the artist that I sampled super randomly, and I saw the visuals, and then it kind of inspired the whole EP. It was super dreamy, and it really got me.

Nora: I'm glad. You definitely also have that dreamy vibe, which makes it easy to get into your music and be present.

Nora: I can totally see myself walking through a city at night and just enjoying listening to your EP. Did you always enjoy making these kinds of beats, and how did you evolve over time, or did you start with something else first?

Paoline: I guess it came pretty naturally. First, I was more focused on my vocals and playing with the synthesiser. Since I also play piano, I'm very into harmony and making everything sound harmonic. However, when I arrived in Berlin and attended the Catalyst Institute, I was impressed by the extensive equipment, including numerous drum machines, and the presence of many talented individuals creating techno and other innovative works. They introduced me to many awesome electronic artists. I got into the sound design of these mechanical beats, which you could say is akin to the drum machine, or more specifically, sound design for drums, and I love the sound so much. I just have to put it in the songs, and it also creates the ambiance that I put a lot more power into, with the drums. I think it's because I came to Berlin that I started having a passion for heavy drums.

Nora: Did you always want to be a singer? Before being in the band you mentioned, did you first develop a passion for producing?

Paoline: Great question. Everything started when I was 7 or 8. I had to learn the guitar from my mom, and I also had a guitar teacher. One day, he showed me his home studio. I didn't sing at that point; I was just playing guitar. When he showed me his home studio, I recall seeing a deck full of buttons, which I now know was a mixer, but at the time, I had no idea. He had all his guitars, and then his computer, with Logic Pro or GarageBand on it. I was like, "What the f*ck is this?" He explained it to me and said something along the lines of, "Oh, you know, you can use GarageBand on your iPad too, you have an iPad, right?"

I had an iPad that I shared with my three siblings back then, and I thought, 'No way.' When I was 9 or 10, I downloaded GarageBand and started making songs. Naturally, I started singing along to it, which I hadn't really thought about before. So, production and singing literally came at the same time. After that, I took singing lessons, followed by production lessons.

Nora: Who or what are your inspirations? Where do you get your daily inspiration from? Perhaps a specific artist, a producer, or your surroundings...

Paoline: At the moment, I am very inspired by Autechre, Andy Stott, Crystal Castles, Aphex Twin, but this changes a lot over time. Arca is also a current favorite of mine. When I was making the EP, my influences were quite different because I was listening to a lot of electro alternative pop at the time. I listened to artists like Grimes, Marina and the Diamonds, and FKA Twigs, personally. I also started liking breakbeat artists, such as Omni Trio. My daily inspiration, although mainly comes from school, which sounds weird, but I really like my school; it comes from the people who are there, the city, and all my music friends, basically. I don't have any friends who don't make music, so everyone is constantly talking about music. It's like 24/7; all the time, we're talking about it. Or when I go to school, and I'm not feeling inspired, or I have a studio session, but it's just not going well, I'll go to the studio, and my friend will be there.

Nora: Aww.

Paoline: Yeah, really, I sing for people all the time, or play synths together with my friend, or my boyfriend, I constantly feel inspired.

Nora: So, you mentioned some inspirations, like Grimes or FKA Twigs. Do you have an artist you would want to collaborate with one day?

Paoline: If I had to choose, I would say Andy Stott, because I've been listening to how he produces vocals, how he chops them, and does crazy things with them. I would love to hear them with my voice; I would love to sing for him.

Nora: So my next question would be, is there something special you would love to have accomplished in five years? Just any milestone, doesn't matter what it is.

Paoline: I would love to have this crazy concept album I have in my head, and I feel like I will have made one other album by the time, but there's this one album that I don't know. I hope that in five years, I will have successfully brought that idea to life and truly be proud of it, because now I'm releasing music, of course, and I'm involved in the music industry, but it still feels like an experiment. I really want to find my sound and create an album based on that, essentially, and have a concept behind it.

Nora: Also, you said you can't explain the idea for that album yet, but do you maybe want to share something about your other upcoming projects, something you're really excited for your fans to hear?

Paoline: I have a single coming out in a month, beginning of December. We're currently making a music video for it. It's quite different from the EP, as I think my sound is evolving significantly every month. I have new favorite artists all the time. I’m really excited, but I feel pretty good about this. It's largely because, after the EP, I started listening to a lot of other stuff and doing a lot more sound design myself, so it's a reflection of that. I'm really excited about it.

Nora: You said that your sound changes so often. Do you think it is that way because it's a conscious decision or because the music industry puts so much more pressure on female artists?

Paoline: Oh, I never thought about it like that, but I think I'm just naturally always looking for something new, or I'm always trying to find new artists to listen to, and because I'm making an immense amount of music, I think I cannot be stuck in the same genre for longer than a certain period of time. I'm also at an age where I still don't know if I'll stick with a genre forever; I might in a year, or I might do something totally different. I think it's because I'm still discovering a lot.

Nora: So my next question would be, even though you're still very early in your career, do you have any advice for individuals who want to be both a singer and a producer?

Paoline: My answer would be that I'm even though I'm still an aspiring musician myself, I guess if there's one thing that I learned, especially this year, it's that you just have to be bold, and it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, and no one cares, either. I was scared of posting on social media, and I still kind of am, but honestly, you just have to be bold. There's really no space for shame, and that sounds a bit weird, but you really have to throw it all to the side. At some point, that's also going to be the least of your problems.

Nora: Yeah, it's essential not to let fear stop you from pursuing your dreams. Unfortunately, there will always be people looking at you negatively, but you must learn to set that aside and just be yourself.

Nora: THE UNSEEN has an artist recommendation playlist on Spotify, where we always add current or all-time favorites by an artist. Would you like to add two or three songs?

Paoline: I would love to add "Faith in Strangers" by Andy Stott. Maybe something by Autechre. Wait, let me go into my favourite songs. Oh, maybe "Flutter" by Autechre, yes.

Nora: Great! Thank you, Paoline, for taking the time to talk to us today!

LISTEN TO PAOLINE MAGNUS' EP HERE:

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