After establishing herself with a wealth of rich and mesmerising delights these last few years, Berlin-based artist Darlin returns once again to offer up her shimmering new single 'Booze Hound'.
Lifted from her newly unveiled debut EP 'Burnt Cake', which is available to stream now, 'Booze Hound' makes for an incredibly bright and vibrant listen. With its rich and immersive textures, sweeping atmosphere, and her own compelling voice at the helm, she is continuing her ascent as one of the more captivating names doing the rounds right now.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has been inspiring her most lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Absolutely the violin. When I was like four years old I was begging my mom for violin lessons until she finally let me start when I was six. I took lessons for almost ten years, but then I focused on singing and actually never touched a violin again.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I’ve been obsessed with Queen and Freddie Mercury probably since I was 7. It’s my dad’s favorite band too, so he’s always been showing me a lot of their music. I recently even got a Freddie Mercury tattoo. When I was a teenager I fell in love with all those big punk rock bands like Green Day, Billy Talent, Sum41 and I still love listening to all of them every now and then.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I think the first album I ever bought myself was American Idiot by Green Day. Still one of the best albums ever if you ask me!
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Probably Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish. I think it’s kinda similar to my songwriting style and apart from that it’s a great song. I love the build-up and the powerful ending!
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I usually start with recording voice memos of some nice melodies or lyric lines that come to my mind spontaneously in my car or in the shower. Then weeks later I skip through them and build chords around them. This usually happens at night in my room with pink LED lights and a glass of wine.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I’ve lately become a big indie fan, so the Backseat Lovers and JAWNY are currently all over my playlists. But I also love UPSAHL, she is probably one of my most listened to artists at the moment.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
At the moment, absolutely Olivia Rodrigo. She’s really blowing up with her new album and is going on a big world tour next year, so opening for a few of those concerts would be incredible.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Honestly, looking at my own songs on Spotify, Youtube, etc. on release days. It feels like „hey this is real now, I did this!“. I always take a second by myself to smile at it at midnight when it comes out. I think it’s very important to celebrate yourself for what you did.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I guess it’s the process of restarting after the minimal outcome of a release as a small independent artist. You work for so many months on a song and a music video for a few clicks from your friends and family and then you’re supposed to do it all over again. That’s why I think it’s important to celebrate yourself enough. Throw a release party, get yourself some merch, write autograph cards for your friends, it doesn’t matter if nobody asked for it. Just stop caring about numbers for a while and take some time to get your energy back before you start again.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
When I was younger I was part of a small acapella group. We were all like 17 or 18 and before every gig we all had a lot of stage fright. I don’t know who came up with this but at some point we started to tell each other that we’re not scared at all and began acting like it for fun. This actually worked so well that I continued doing it throughout my studies. I pretended to be super relaxed before a concert and started to calm other people down, which calmed myself down automatically. Trick your brain, guys, I definitely recommend it!
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Darlin's new single 'Booze Hound' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.