Anxhela - Interview

ANXHELA Plays
*The Room Follows

written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Anxhela moves with steady momentum. Her sessions open when the day allows for it, tracks surface with the kind of weight that feels tied to place and time, and each one holds its shape without needing to explain how it formed.

She releases music in a way that suggests she’s already past the part where it needs to be explained — each piece arrives formed, quiet, intact, without scaffolding or commentary, and then lives where it lands. The tone across her output remains steady, and the surrounding space—both physical and digital—feels maintained with the same attention, creating a rhythm where every release holds its own position, shaped by a sense of timing that reflects the internal pace of her process, with no visible urgency or external structure, and everything aligned with a working method that keeps expression at the centre and lets the material speak without interference.

The same applies to how she dresses. There’s alignment without overthinking, detail without decoration. Each look feels connected to the environment she enters, whether that’s a small club, an outdoor stage, or a studio session in progress, and the alignment between sound, space, and image settles without commentary. Nothing leans toward performance and everything in view appears selected with quiet precision, creating an overall impression that builds naturally as part of the experience she’s creating, rather than functioning as a separate layer around it.

total look JUUN.J

Kosovo sits in recent memory — the kind of night that works in layers, with a familiar crowd positioned close to the stage, a set that held its shape across its full length, and a kind of energy that remained steady from beginning to end. Family watched. Energy held. Nothing overstated. Just the kind of connection that registers in the body and stays there for a while. Right now the work is happening in parts. Studio sessions, fragments, outlines, days where something clicks and the rest falls into place. The process stays active, shaped by the environment and the rhythm of her own attention, with new material appearing as part of that motion, guided by feeling and sustained by structure.

Playing live remains essential. The volume in the room, the faces, the architecture of the room and the way bodies move inside it. Each set builds on instinct, adjusted in real time, shaped by the way the crowd responds without language. She approaches the set as a whole structure, one that forms through presence and holds together through instinct, with every element placed deliberately and nothing overstated. The direction stays inward, the delivery stays exact, and the result maintains a kind of clarity that travels well beyond the night itself. That balance works. It’s already working.

total look DIESEL
jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

Alban E. Smajli
Please, define your sound without limitations. What does it evoke, where does it live, and who does it belong to?

Anxhela
Yes,my sound is an emotional journey and it reflects what I feel, what I imagine, and what I want others to experience. I stay true to what moves me, but I also think of the listener because I’ve been on that side too, waiting to be transported by music.
Every track I play or create carries a piece of my mood, joy, sadness, energy, nostalgia. It’s a mix of instinct, emotion, and connection. My sound lives between my inner world and the dancefloor, and it belongs to anyone willing to feel something real.

Fashion and music—does one dictate the other for you, or do they move in tandem as part of the same vision?

For me, fashion and music move in harmony, they’re both expressions of the same inner world. Just like sound, what I wear reflects how I feel, what I want to say, and the atmosphere I want to create.
Sometimes a look can amplify the energy of a set, or help tell the same story the music is telling. I don’t see them as separate, they evolve together and complete each other as part of my artistic identity.

Albums seem like a relic, streaming is a battlefield. Where do you stand in this war for attention?

Streaming is important, it’s where people discover you, connect with your music, and follow your journey. But I don’t create just to grab attention. I create to express something real and to connect with the listener. Whether it’s one track or ten, the emotion behind it is what matters most to me. I released singles so far, because I like focusing on each track as its own story. Every release is a moment, a feeling, something I want to share without waiting for a full project.

At the same time, I really admire the idea of building something bigger, like an EP or album. I haven’t done that yet, but it’s definitely something I think about for the future. I don’t follow a fixed strategy or release constantly, I create when it feels right. But at the same time, I know how important it is to stay visible, especially today. So I try to find a balance: I want to stay true to my sound, but also be smart about how and when I share my work. I’m learning to combine both sides: the passion and the planning, without losing myself in the process.

total look JUUN.J Archive

“Every track I play or create carries a piece of my mood, joy, sadness, energy, nostalgia. It’s a mix of instinct, emotion, and connection.”

Anxhela speaks with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Digital SS25

Are clubs sacred spaces, or are we witnessing the birth of something new?

I think clubs will always have a special place. There’s a certain and real energy you can feel there,but at the same time everything is evolving. Music evolves, and we see new collectives, new concepts and new ways to connect. I think we’re already in the middle of this change.
I love playing in clubs, but I’m also excited to explore other spaces and see how electronic music keeps evolving.

Festivals—have they lost their cultural significance, or are they evolving into something new in the live music experience?

I don’t think festivals have lost their meaning,I think they’re just changing, like everything else in music.
Today, festivals bring people together in a big way. It’s not just about the music anymore, it’s about the full experience, the community, the energy, the visuals, the feeling of being part of something. I think they’re evolving into something new, and that’s not a bad thing. As long as the music stays at the center, festivals can still be powerful and emotional moments, just in a different way than before.

Your music is a world of its own—what stories echo through it, and what emotions form its foundation?

My music is built on emotions. Every time I create or play, it depends on how I feel.
Sometimes I’m happy, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes sad, I try to express that through sound. I don’t follow one story, but I want the listener to feel something to connect with the mood. For me, music is a way to speak without words. It’s like sharing a part of myself, and at the same time imagining what the people on the dancefloor might need in that moment. I don’t follow one fixed story, it’s more like a journey through feelings.

If you could construct the perfect performance from the ground up—what does it look like, sound like, feel like?

My perfect performance would be in a special place, maybe outdoors, in nature, or somewhere unexpected. I’d want the music to be emotional, and full of energy. A sound that makes people feel something and takes them on a journey.

The lights, the space, the people, everything would come together. But the most important thing is the connection. I’d want everyone to feel free and present, just enjoying the moment with the music.

Kosovo—Europe’s youngest pulse. How did this performance come to life, and what was it like to play in a place so charged with energy and change? What’s next for you? A whisper, a roar, a new world?

Playing in Kosovo was a really emotional experience for me. I’m Albanian, and having my family there, people I love made it even more special.The energy was powerful, I could feel the crowd connecting with every sound, and I felt so free to express myself. It wasn’t just a performance, it felt like home.

What’s next?

I think it’s a mix of all three: a whisper, a roar, and maybe even a new world. I’m in a phase where I’m discovering myself more through music, step by step. I don’t always know where it’s going, but that’s the beauty of it. I just follow the emotion, stay true to what I feel, and let the sound lead the way. Whatever comes next, I hope it surprises even me.

dress HADERLUMP ATELIER
shoes DR. MARTENS
jewellery ARCHIVED PROTOTYPES

talent ANXHELA
photographer PASCAL SCHONLAU
production + styling BASAK SAYGIN
makeup & hair GIOVANNI ZUMMO
production assistant ANETA TARASEVICIUTE

Deto Black - Interview

DETO BLACK
*Saves The Day

written + interview Hannah Rose Prendergast

In Deto Black’s educated opinion, sexy is a superpower. Outfitted in silver latex with an undergrad in social anthropology and a master's in global governance, she is a shining example of what it means to be multifarious.

headpiece ALIZEE QUITMAN
top ISSY BRIGHTMORE
thong POSTER GIRL
stockings ATSUKO KUDO
shoes CAROLIN HOLZHUBER

Sonically, her fate was sealed in 2020 with a hypnotic verse on Odunsi (The Engine)’s ‘Body Count. ’ In case you missed it, that number doesn’t matter to the chartered accountant. Aptly titled ‘Yung Everything, ’ Deto dropped her first EP the following year. Fashion-forward in all spheres, the “ass on his mind, foot on your neck” attitude will not quit. As a proud Naija Babe, setting us free from the evils of slut-shaming is incredibly close to her heart. Under the name Sex, Deto Black operates with her besties to make the world a wetter place.

“Sexy is a superpower.”

Deto Black speaks with Hannah Rose Prendergast
for LE MILE Magazine, Nr. 37, AGE OF CHANGE / 02/2024 Edition

ear cuff GREGORY KARA

Hannah Rose Prendergast
As a woman with two degrees, you have the peace of mind that there are no answers in life. Do you still have doubts about this? How do you maintain that wisdom?

Deto Black
I often overanalyze things, but knowing that fact gives me a bit of comfort. One of my favorite quotes is, “The man that knows something knows that he knows nothing at all,” by Erykah Badu.

Born in Delaware, your family home in Lagos, Nigeria, and living in London, you’ve formed your own culture. How has each place imprinted upon that?

Lagos will always be home in my heart. I grew up there, and it helped me develop self-confidence and thick skin. It was nice growing up around people who looked like me; that gave me a strong sense of self. Living in London opened my mind beyond Nigerian culture. I was able to experience other things, which also impacted my creativity. Summers and Christmas’s spent in the US inspired me to do things on a larger scale and taught me that the sky is the limit.

In Yoruba, your name Adetoun means “crown of my own” or “Princess. ” How do you think having that name helped you grow into it?

I never really knew the meaning of my name until I got older, but I definitely think names are manifestations. I can be a bit of a princess, but not the type that lives in a tower and gets saved. I’m more like the one who can defend herself and inspire people.

Not one to get stuck on labels, what made you embrace the term Nollypop?

It was one of my supporters on X. I posted a snippet of my song ‘Naija Babes’ and asked, what genre is this? There were a few responses, but Nollypop was the most fitting. I’ve always been really inspired by the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood. Back in the day, before I started music, I creatively directed a couple of my shoots with that aesthetic.

The video for Chi’s ‘Lizard People, ’ featuring you and Mowalola, dropped in spring. What makes this project so iconic, other than the obvious?

I love my girls. We create such iconic things together. The ‘Lizard People’ video definitely gives Death Proof vibes, which I love, and it really made an impact on the culture. Seeing three black girls depicted in that way is rare and just powerful. Chi, Mowa, and I have a band called Sex.
We wanted to create a girl group that supports women in the creative industry because we feel there aren’t enough of them. We make music, films, clothes, host parties, pretty much everything. It’s just a way to show that women can come together and create iconic things.

As an authority on female sexual empowerment, who do you think is missing from the conversation?

I think Nigerian women are missing from the conversation; very few of us speak on the subject or even want to associate with it. I find it ridiculous because Nigeria has the highest population in Africa, so let’s not kid ourselves.

Everyone’s fucking. Growing up in Lagos, sex was always such a secretive and demonized topic. I wish we had a safer space to discuss it. I think opening up that conversation will only make things better and, most importantly, safer for everyone.

Your mum has always been one of your biggest inspirations, a lawyer with a penchant for Louis Vuitton and Chanel who taught you that you could be anything and everything. How do you feel you’ve inspired her?

Aww, yes, I love my mom! She always tells me how proud of me she is. I feel like I inspire her to be even bolder and not care about the opinions of strangers. She has a completely different career, so it’s a bit different, but we are definitely very similar – my Aries Queen.

Fashion is your first love. What qualities (aesthetic and non) do you look for in clothing?

I think my taste changes over time, but I look for quality and uniqueness in everything. I want to look good but different and sexy, always sexy.

If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

People always compare me and my friends to The Powerpuff Girls. Growing up, I felt like I was Bubbles, but now I’m a bit of Buttercup and Blossom because I’m the responsible but feisty one, allegedly.

I know you like to live in the present; what does the future hold?

I’m about to drop my second EP , which I am so excited about because I haven’t dropped one since 2021, so I’m really looking forward to it.

What was the last thing your gut told you?

Everything is working out in your favor.

sandals YING OU

“I can be a bit of a princess, but not the type that lives in a xtower and gets saved. I’m more like the one who can defend herself and inspire people.”

Deto Black speaks with Hannah Rose Prendergast
for LE MILE Magazine, Nr. 37, AGE OF CHANGE / 02/2024 Edition

production credits

talent DETO BLACK
creative + seen BRYAN TORRES
styled JADZIA SCOTT
producer ISABEL MARTÍNEZ-ZURITA
art direction PO TSUN LIN

make up CHELSEA UCHENNA
hair TAKUMI HORIWAKI
digital JEMMA HANSEN
light artists RENNATTO OLIVEIRA + ALEX JOSE
retoucher GUILLE SOTELO
nail artist CHAY
stylist assistants MARILENA ANGELIDES + YASMYN NTEGE
production assistant SOPHIE CHERRY

Thanks to TOO YOUNG TOO SIMPLE + GAS HIRE

Bullyache - Interview

.aesthetic talk
BULLYACHE
*Grit and Glamour

written + interview ALBAN E. SMAJLI

BULLYACHE crafts a visceral blend of working-class grit and queer defiance, a raw reflection of the world’s chaotic pulse.

Emerging from the intensity of sobriety and the tight-knit bond of collaboration, their art fuses mythology with the stark realities of contemporary life. Each performance is a live confrontation with anxiety, absurdity, and the relentless push to create meaning in a fractured world. Disrupting traditional spaces and narratives, BULLYACHE redefines what it means to connect through art, turning instinct into a powerful force that challenges and captivates.

Bullyache
seen by Will Hazel at Abbey Road Studios

“We make performance works in a world on fire, which feels a little absurd, but maybe that reflects a general dissociation and anxiety that's going on.”

Bullyache speak with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Issue N3. 37 - AGE OF CHANGE

(c) Will Hazel

(c) Will Hazel

Alban E. Smajli
BULLYACHE has been described as a pop-culture collision of working-class and queer expression. How does your art reflect the changing dynamics of society, particularly in terms of class and identity?

Bullyache
It reflects it in that we have elevator pitches like this that generalize who we are and make massive claims about what we do. Which isn’t all bad, it's a double-edged sword. There's more of an immediate relationship with someone who hears about the work but at the cost of subtlety and complexity.
We reflect a tiny subcategory of people, but we’re at least trying to do that in a way that feels good for us and the people we work with. If we’re good at that, then maybe it can reach out to wider groups of people. We make performance works in a world on fire, which feels a little absurd, but maybe that reflects a general dissociation and anxiety that's going on. Our end goal is that the work has a relationship to the viewer that blurs boundaries of feeling and definition. It's probably that act of blurring and anxiety that's most reflective.

Your work merges mythology with contemporary socio-political themes. In today's era of rapid change, how do you balance the preservation of cultural narratives with the need to innovate and disrupt?

We don't really care about any sort of preservation. I don't think it’s in our head to disrupt either. We’re trying to get at a feeling we have personally and we use what comes to us to get at that. Mythology can be tragic or kitsch or camp. It’s however the audience feels about it. Most disruption comes from failure.

BULLYACHE started during the pandemic as a manifestation of your friendship and sobriety. Can you share how these personal experiences influenced the birth of your artistic vision?

We couldn't do anything, then we got sober and filled the void with work, co-dependence with each other, and narrowing the vision we have. We spend every day together so we never really have to talk about what the vision is; it's a felt thing.

Your style has been likened to 'Pina Bausch cosplaying as Dua Lipa in Cradle of Filth makeup.' Can you tell us how these diverse influences shape your creative process and stage aesthetics?

We steal, take, reuse, resample, remake, reform until it becomes ours. We take inspiration from everything and nothing. It’s how to interpret our lives with the resources we have available, and ultimately everything just becomes a really practical decision. It's a gut instinct in response to what’s around us.

Congrats on being the first act to bring dance to Abbey Road since Kate Bush. How did it feel to perform in such an iconic space?

It’s a great space and a great team. They were fantastic and the skill level and resource was wild, but we don’t really put too much weight on legacy institutions. It’s incredible, all the people who have been there before, and it’s amazing to join that roster of artists so early on.

We got some homophobic comments on socials from that shoot which we didn’t expect, which was fun. Inviting all our collaborators to the space was super special.

Bullyache ́s performances are noted for their gazelle-like choreography and intense theatrics. How do you use movement and dance to enhance the storytelling aspect?

Movement and dance are the storytelling. You can communicate so much with a body by doing so little with it. If you create a narrative device for it, people will project their own images onto what they see.

Everyone can watch the same piece and have completely different takeaways, that's what we hope for. If there was an A to B thing we were getting at, we could put our energy into being on Twitter [now X].

How do you ensure that the stories of working-class and queer experiences are authentically represented and resonate with a broad audience?

We don’t know if they resonate or not. They should because they are ultimately about the attempts at success and failure that comes with being in the world. Hopefully, everyone can take something away from it.

If it doesn’t resonate, then that's fine. We’re also excited if people hate it. We know it’s not for them, and we’re doing something right. We’d rather concentrate on developing the channel of communication for who it does speak to.

Looking ahead, are there new themes or concepts you're ready to explore in the future?

Suicide and femcels, Luke Belmar, English cuckoldry.

---

also read
.aesthetic talk BASTIEN DAUSSE *Choreographing New Realities

(c) Will Hazel

“We steal, take, reuse, resample, remake, reform until it becomes ours.”

Bullyache speak with Alban E. Smajli
for LE MILE Issue N3. 37 - AGE OF CHANGE

Astrit Ismaili - Interview

.aesthetic talk
Astrit Ismaili
Bloom Unapologetically

written Monica de Luna

Astrit Ismaili, a trailblazer in the realms of performance art and experimental pop, crafts a sonic world where transformation is a lived reality. "The First Flower" project emerges as a vibrant testament to Ismaili's ingenious fusion of sound, narrative, and a profound exploration of identity.

Through an album that transcends conventional music boundaries, Ismaili plunges into the heart of queer experiences, challenging societal norms with every note. This interview unveils the layers of Ismaili's artistic vision, where the act of blooming becomes a bold statement against the backdrop of a world grappling with beauty standards, gender dysphoria, and the quest for queer visibility. With "The First Flower," Ismaili narrates the tale of transformation and at the same time embodies it, inviting listeners to witness the power of metamorphosis and the beauty of becoming.

Astrit Ismaili
art Ville Vidoe
styled GH
hair + make up Elvi
prosthetist + assistant Simon Marsiglia
garments Tra My Nguyen

“Music, especially the singing voice, has transformational properties. It transcends words, becoming universal. My goal is for the music to be catchy, leaving the public with a piece in their head and heart.”

Astrit Ismaili speaks with Monica de Luna
LE MILE Magazine TRANCE, Nr. 36

Monica de Luna
Your work as a performance artist delves into the transformational potential of bodies and spaces. How do you approach the fusion of experimental pop music and performance to explore this concept?
Astrit Ismaili
I believe that music, and especially the singing voice, has transformational properties. The voice, produced from within, and the melodies can often be transcendental. Words that are sung add an emotionality that somehow makes it surpass the meaning of the actual words, therefore it becomes more universal. For me, it is important that the music I make is catchy so that the public leaves the performance with a piece of music in their head and heart!

"The First Flower" project is derived from your previous performance work titled 'MISS.' Could you tell us how the transition from performance to an experimental pop music album took place and what themes you carried over from 'MISS'?
I compose music for all my performances, including ‘MISS’. However, this is the first time that the music of the performance has become an album with the intention to connect with the public outside the realm of live performance. The album deals with many different subjects but is mainly about the courage to transform and ‘bloom’ in hostile environments, and by doing so, not only changing themselves but also the surroundings around them, just like the first flower on earth, which is the totem of the album.

In "The First Flower," you explore the perspective of the world's first flower undergoing physical and spiritual transitions. How did you use this unique perspective to address issues such as beauty standards, gender dysphoria, and queer realities within the context of your album?
The transformation of a plant into the first flower on earth, which is believed to have happened hundreds of thousands of years ago, has indeed revolutionized the entire ecosystem. Knowing that a lot of organisms on earth depend on flowering plants and exist thanks to them. On the other hand, this change came with a big price. The commodification of nature and the extraction of natural resources has brought us to a climate emergency. The songs speak about the industrialization of flowers and climate change but also about queer phenomena that, within the botanical world, happen naturally and undisturbed. The story of the first flower is used as a metaphor to talk about my experience as a queer person navigating environments that work against queerness. Some songs are also quite political and personal and speak about the struggle of identities that are fighting for their political existence in society.

You mentioned using the first flower as a metaphor for queer experience and transformation. Could you dive deeper into how you developed this metaphor throughout the album? Were there any personal experiences or historical events that influenced its integration?
In the song 'Queer Garden,' among other things, the lyrics talk about the sexual fluidity of plants. For example, Avocado trees seamlessly transition between male and female reproductive phases within a span of 36 hours. During the day, they unfurl pollen-producing flowers, while by night, they bloom with pollen- receiving buds. Similar examples exist in nature, and over hundreds and thousands of years, while in our societies, anything that doesn't fit the patriarchal system is oppressed. I, like most queer people, have to navigate in societies that cater to heteronormativity, and metaphorically speaking, "blooming" unapologetically in these environments feels like an image of a flower growing out of concrete.

The album showcases a stylistic hybridity of performance art pop, hyper, gabber, and glam, along with contemporary sound design. How did you decide on these stylistic elements, and how do they contribute to the album's narrative?
The album represents an eclectic selection of genres that somehow influenced me, consciously and unconsciously, in my upbringing. In general, the melodies are quite pop and catchy, but the structures of the songs are actually fighting the traditional structure of a pop song. The songs in the album are rather way longer than the usual songs, and the lyrics are definitely not the basic love songs that one can hear on the radio nowadays. I guess, coming from performance, my approach to writing lyrics is a way to tell non-linear stories, as well as to fabulate, speculate, and be playful. The narrative and the unconventional way of how I compose the melodies for this album asked for a more unique music production approach. The decision to work with different producers for each song and sometimes even a few producers in one song allowed for different references and ideas to come together, and voila, this is what came out!


Your work often involves alter egos, body extensions, and wearable musical instruments. How do these elements help you embody different possibilities for becoming, and what role do they play in your creative process?
Through alter-egos, body extensions, and wearable musical instruments, I try to expand the human body beyond its norms. I question distinctions between natural and artificial, real and fiction, body and machine. By doing so, I want to understand where our bodies start and end and how this extension relates to current socio-political contexts in relation to gender and identity.

“Femininity, like flowers, is seen as delicate but is actually resilient and intelligent. I believe masculinity and femininity exist in nature beyond gender, and I showcase oppressed notions as empowering.”

Astrit Ismaili speaks with Monica de Luna
LE MILE Magazine TRANCE, Nr. 36

Astrit Ismaili

You've touched on reinterpreting femininity within your work. Could you expand on how this exploration has evolved over your career? Are there other aspects of identity politics you're interested in exploring through your future work?
The use of wearable musical instruments, body extensions, and fiction in my work are tools to somehow move further from the bodies and identity questions that we are dealing with today. To be honest, identity politics bore the hell out of me; I wish we did not have to deal with it at all. However, the environment is pressing us to deal with urgent concrete matters because they really affect my life and then also my work. So I find myself in between telling stories that seem urgent and using my voice politically, but more importantly, contemplating future bodies, new bodies, and other possibilities of becoming, referencing material from academia, biology, science fiction, etc.

You've been active in the Kosovo children's music scene since the early 2000s. How has your background in music composition and singing influenced your approach to performance art and experimental music?
Well, I've realised there's a power in being able to do it on your own. So, of course, you never do anything really alone, which is also an illusion, but this thing of working intuitively with the process and not splitting it too much up into parts is something I learned a lot. I think has been working for me and makes it interesting for me to go back to it as kind of my own technique of making music.

And then in terms of next projects, you said you're working on new music, right?
From a very young age, I've been surrounded by women musicians, and singing as a child with my sister surely left a mark on my artistic journey. My grandmother had a great voice and was always singing and telling stories around the house. My mother, Selvete Krasniqi, is a music composer, and she introduced us to music and art. As a teenager, I worked at a radio station and had the chance to listen to and select new music for my show. While doing so, I loved guessing who would be a star. I was right a few times; for example, I guessed that Gaga, Amy Winehouse, and Adele would be big stars when they just came out, and they were. I loved playing that game! Later, but still quite young, I directed a music video for 'E dehun' by Era Istrefi, one of the biggest pop stars in Kosovo. Naturally, pop music became my main field of research, always seeking new sounds, aesthetics, and live pop performances interested in the use of fashion, art, and social questions by pop stars.

However, my obsession with pop music took a different approach and direction in my practice. At first, I was fascinated by the impact of pop music on society. I adopted pop music songwriting and pop performativity in my practice, but my approach was more spatial, experimental with a goal to explore the transformational potential of bodies and spaces. The performance art scene allowed me to take a more conceptual approach and also freed me from the weight of being an entertainer, which is something I am not so interested in my practice. Making this album now has made it very clear that I will continue recording my music in the future. Reaching the public through recorded music is another outlet that creates more accessibility in my work, and I am definitely interested in that!

Can you share how your collaboration with artists like Mykki Blanco and Colin Self shaped the sound and narrative of "The First Flower"?
This project is indeed a dream project. Having the opportunity to work with Mykki Blanco, someone I looked up to for many years who has inspired me and an entire generation with their courageous presence and their cutting-edge work. It's been a total honor to work with Mykki, and their contribution in ‘Miss Kosovo’ has definitely elevated the song artistically and politically, making the song, I believe, an anthem for the underrepresented identities who are fighting to be recognized and acknowledged.

Colin Self produced ‘Voices’, a very personal song to me which actually speaks about my experience of the Kosovo war. Me and Colin are also friends, and they produced a song that is indeed one of my favorites in the album. Working with them has been so inspiring and safe; it's always beautiful working with queer peers and supporting each other. I love our beautiful connection and friendship and appreciate Colin's work as an artist, and I am blessed to have a song with this great artist and friend.

In your artistic practice, femininity is seen through a queer lens as a transformational force. How does your exploration of femininity intersect with your examination of pop culture and identity politics through music and performance?
Flowers seem to be considered feminine and delicate, fragile which usually in society have a connotation to weakness and naivety. But in reality, their story is one of intelligence, sophistication, beauty, and resilience. I feel the same about femininity; I believe both masculinity and femininity exist in nature in different shapes and qualities outside sex and gender. Our bodies are made of both and more. I am always interested in working with notions that are oppressed and showcasing them as empowering.

follow artist @astritismaili_

all images (c) Astrit Ismaili

Agnes Obel - Interview

.aesthetic talk
Agnes Obel
The Power and Poise

written Chidozie Obasi

Denmark-born, Berlin-hailed multi-hyphenate artist Agnes Obel has an ability to walk a fine line creating records that are both emotive and raw. But the beauty of her work is that her entrancing, soul-laden voice also has the prowess to leap from alt-pop to indie, connecting the dots with emotional power.

“As a songwriter, I think the stuff I aim towards journey across a conscious level, turning into a quite subconscious state,” she details, with no signs of peacocking braggadocio on display. “So when I’m writing,” she explains, “I can see a pattern that isn’t planned: It’s sort of happens with a natural frequency, which ignites the longing of the most intimate emotions that run through my music.”

The singer’s impressive depth shines through the polarity of her practice—fear, love and grief are all in the picture, a canvas she meticulously curates by writing, recording and producing on her own terms—but it’s always by the sheer soulfulness and powerful ingenuity of the music, and the way Obel sings even the darkest lyrics with rhythmic and melodic daring. “I really like how language, when working metaphorically, can make the mind jump to different places,” she says, adding how “sometimes people wonder if my lyrics are truly about anything, but it's just how my imagination works.” Pure, gloomy and impactful, her vocals sit in the passenger seat of our consciousness, wrapping us in a comforting blanket of melodic thrills and poignant lyricism.

Agnes Obel
seen by Christopher Puttins

blazer MARKE
dress AVENIR

total look WILLIAM FAN

“I think the stuff I aim towards when making music journey on an unconscious level, quite subconscious dare I say. So when writing, I can see a pattern, but not a planned one: It’s sort of what is happening on a naturally-driven flow, which makes longing the biggest emotion that runs through my music, and again it’s not done on purpose.”

Agnes Obel speaks with Chidozie Obasi
LE MILE Magazine TRANCE, Nr. 36

seen CHRISTOPHER PUTTINS
styled CHIDOZIE OBASI
hair + make up KATJA MAASSEN
coordination DENNIS CAPPABIANCA
photo assistant MORITZ HILKER
talent AGNES OBEL

special thanks to Chateau Royal Berlin
LE MILE shot Agnes Obel in the Apartment of Chateau Royal Berlin

Chidozie Obasi
I'd love to begin by taking a trip down memory lane. What's your earliest memory of music?
Agnes Obel
Well, you know what? I truly can't recall a particular memory or moment that made me fall in love with music, but I guess there’s a few. I don't even know what my first memory is [Laughs]. I started playing piano really early, and my piano teacher was a cellist, who also played the instrument. She quickly discovered that I loved a particular repertoire, and the one I was really into was that of Impressionist pianists. I was 10 at the time, and I bought a compact disc with a DVD that played Debussy’s Clair de Lune: I don’t exactly remember the version, but I still have the CD somewhere at home and every time I listen to it, it provides me this out-of-body musical experience. I somewhat realised this piece was the start of a journey.

Could you agree that growing up in Denmark has impacted your sound in a way?
Undoubtedly so. We are all a product of where we grew up, and I feel like my parents truly influenced me in many ways. Also, the media I was exposed to rendered my experience of music and the repertoire I liked as a kid. But I guess a lot of the music my parents played back in Denmark was a of a simple kind. If they played classical music, it was more instrumental, but when they played jazz, it was more of an upbeat kind. I feel like I got my candour and simplicity from them.

A large fraction of your repertoire sounds lyrically cathartic and poignant, with a somewhat mystic layer that punches right into the soul. What exactly are the emotions that you wish to express in your music?
I think the stuff I aim towards when making music journey on an unconscious level, quite subconscious dare I say. So when writing, I can see a pattern, but not a planned one: It’s sort of what is happening on a naturally-driven flow, which makes longing the biggest emotion that runs through my music, and again it’s not done on purpose.

Do you think that, aside from longing, loss is another component of your repertoire? Because there’s a blend of love and melancholy in Riverside, for example, which stretches to Familiar, and I trust there’s someone or something subconsciously hidden you’re referring to.
It’s fun to personify things that echo on in your mind, and I really like how language, when working metaphorically, can make the mind jump to different places. Here in Germany, there's a strong tradition for one-to-one lyrics. And that's when I made Familiar: I was working in a studio next to German pop songwriters, and I realised that everything I wrote was a metaphor. I'm completely aware it doesn't always work, and sometimes people wonder if my lyrics are truly about anything. But it's just how my imagination works.

Starting from the soft and honest lyricism of Philharmonics (your 2011 album), and then walking through the highways of the Aventine (your 2013 album), you round up with Myopia, creating an extraordinary sonic journey that blends emotion and execution. How do you keep feeding your sound?
I think all humans process the world through storytelling, and when stuff happens to us, we make stories about them in different ways. I’ve found my way of making stories. I try as hard as I can because I write on my own, and I develop avenues I have maybe traveled to or I try to avoid. So here's so many things I can do and try to repeat. In my studio, I have settings for each single song. On technical terms, I have a setting for various voices. So I can, of course, go down the same sound route if I want to. Sometimes I try, as I use literature a lot, to feed my mind with words and ideas by finding a way of expressing what I feel. For example, now I have kids I feel like being pregnant was really crazy. It's like you have this cycle of biology happening inside of you and you have no control. I thought it was very inspiring and also a little scary. And now this feeling I have from becoming a parent I believe is one that relates to universalism, where you kind of feel love for everything except yourself. I never really had anything like that before. It's a very strange thing, a weird phenomenon that happens to your brain. I tried to become familiar with that through literature.


What does the familiar mean to you? There’s so many ambiences in your songs, like the river, the curse, the Aventine. There’s also a wealth of emotional and physical places that are very familiar to you, which are recurrent in your pieces.
I feel like I can only sort of make music from a very calm place. There's an element of irritation. I think that in Familiar, there was some irritation, but it was a sort of fear. I was annoyed at that sort of this fearfulness of the transformation and of what that could be. In this case, it was love. It's like the idea of a love or a thing that could exist, but there's this fear of what the outside world would think.

“We are all a product of where we grew up, and I feel like my parents truly influenced me in many ways. Also, the media I was exposed to rendered my experience of music and the repertoire I liked as a kid. But I guess a lot of the music my parents played back in Denmark was of a simple kind. If they played classical music, it was more instrumental, but when they played jazz, it was more of an upbeat kind. I feel like I got my candour and simplicity from them.”

Agnes Obel speaks with Chidozie Obasi
LE MILE Magazine TRANCE, Nr. 36

total look BOBKOVA

And was there a particular moment that you found lost in your music and went through a state of myopia that made you refrain from writing?
Absolutely. When I made Myopia, that's the only time I really had a hard time making an album. And I can also tell now when I listen to it: My father died in 2014, and I'm not able to process it yet. However, I said to myself that I’d just keep going and continue whatever I'm doing. And then I think grief and sorrow really hit me when I made Myopia. I was making music alone sitting in a little box by myself, and when you’re zoned out in your loneliness it hits you very hard, particularly when it’s someone so close that you’ll never going to see again. Even though this loss made the whole writing process difficult, it was also inspiring: I was trying to work by pitching down my voice again, like I've done with Familiar, to represent this feeling of an undercurrent of voices, people, spirits and characters who are part of our lives, but fade at some point. You can feel their presence in a way, and I was trying to represent that sound-wise and lyrically, endlessly experimenting with both.

What have you learned about your music over the years?
Well, I've realised there's a power in being able to do it on your own. So, of course, you never do anything really alone, which is also an illusion, but this thing of working intuitively with the process and not splitting it too much up into parts is something I learned a lot. I think has been working for me and makes it interesting for me to go back to it as kind of my own technique of making music.

And then in terms of next projects, you said you're working on new music, right?
Yes, I’m working on a new album and it’s feeling incredibly cathartic, yet again. And I’ll tell you: there’s something about the brain that believes that you've finished the process, but there’s a punchy beat that keeps pulsating inside, so now I'm like [pauses momentarily…] well, maybe I shouldn't give away too much.

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all images (c) Christopher Puttins