Im Interview: NINA

After two interviews for the De/Vision fan club, we now had the opportunity to do an in-depth interview with Nina for her own fan club. We are very proud of it.

 
Hello Nina, I am very happy that we have the opportunity to do an interview for your first own fanclub magazine this time. A whole magazine just about you and your music, how does that feel for you?
I'm very happy for the support and I'm already curious what I'll read there. :)

You released your debut album "Sleepwalking" in March. I know you put a lot of heart and energy into this album. How was it for you to finally finish the album after all the hard work?
I was incredibly happy when it was finally finished and most of all I am happy that my fans can finally listen to my debut album.

You recorded the album with three producers (from the USA, Great Britain and Sweden). How can you imagine the working method?
Usually the producer sends us a beat. Laura (my drummer and band partner) and I then write the lyrics and melody. This goes back and forth via emails and Skype. It works well, even though we all live so far apart.
It's also important to me to have full control over the production of my songs.

Your fans miss the songs "My Mistake" and "We Are The Wild Ones" on the album. Is it because both are a bit older and didn't fit into the current album concept?
Yes, exactly. Those were our first songs. 'We Are The Wild Ones' is 5 years old now, but we still play both songs live.
We also have a new team since 'Beyond Memory' so we wanted to focus on the newer songs.

We also released a vinyl version of the album in April. I also thought it was great that you followed the wishes of many fans to release the album on vinyl and in pink. In times when vinyl is booming again, it's a real collector's item. Is it very time-consuming to have an album released in this format? As far as I know, it always takes a little longer because the pressing plants can hardly keep up due to the high demand.
And why is the track list on the vinyl in a different order?

Yes, it can actually take a few months longer than a CD or cassette. But the request was so big and so we knew it was really worth it. It's also always been my dream to release my own music on vinyl, but it's definitely not an easy process to make vinyl and make it sound really good.

You also put together a wonderful compilation "Pure Synthwave Vol. 1" for Aztec Records. How did that come about?
Aztec Records had been toying with the idea of releasing a synthwave compilation for a while and when I heard about it I was keen to get involved.

In an earlier interview you recommended listening to this compilation at night when driving through a city or down the motorway at dawn. And yes, you were absolutely right. So thank you for this wonderful selection, which was certainly not easy?
I'm glad you like it. I had about 40 favourites and then unfortunately had to part with some, but I'm very happy with the 20 songs that are now on the compilation. The songs are very different and I wanted the listeners to feel like they are being taken on a journey.

You saw Depeche Mode live in London for the first time last year, what was that experience like for you?
The absolute hammer. It was a dream come true. I can't believe that I had never seen Depeche Mode live before.

Depeche Mode also played "Heroes" by David Bowie on their tour, I think this was a very emotional moment for you too...
VERY emotional. "Heroes" is my favourite David Bowie song and Dave Gahan did a really great job of bringing it across. A magical moment

If you were to cover one song by Depeche Mode. you would cover one song, which one would it be...
"A Question Of Lust" or "Enjoy The Silence".

. and from another artist?
Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams"

Would you also be interested in projects like the one Sia is doing? As a guest singer, for example?
Yes, a good song is a good song. I could also imagine recording a song in German. But at the moment I'm super happy in the 'Retrowave' scene.

Can you imagine doing something musically completely different than 80s music?
Absolutely! I love to collaborate with other artists/producers. Sia is a world class singer. M83, Daft Punk, Chromatics or Empire Of The Sun would be my spontaneous favourites.

After the release of your debut album, you have announced that you will be going on tour soon. When can we see you live on our stages again?
I don't think until 2019, because we're planning a US tour at the moment. I hope that we can perform in several cities in Germany then. I love being on stage in my home country.

Speaking of concerts. Will your live line-up stay the same or will there be additions like a live guitarist, a "real" drum kit? As a support for live music, especially artists of the electronic genre like to use LED screens, etc. to visually accompany their songs - is something like that also conceivable for you?
That would be great, but for now it will stay with Laura and me. It's easier to tour, but in the future I would definitely like to have a big LED screen with visual effects, lasers and maybe 3 synth players with me on stage 😉

What are your plans for the future?
At the moment we are focusing on my second album and then my new music video is coming out in July.