Hi Olivia, how’s it going? Are you currently in Berlin?

Yes, I am. I´m a little stuck in my Berlin-apartment (insert maniacal laugh — here).

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, you’ve delayed the release of your album, ‘Digital Dissidents’ by two weeks, why did you make this decision?

Well, to be honest, these times are the craziest timing for release – and I happen to be the one „blessed“ with it (more maniacal laughs). I might have even postponed it to fall if I had known what was coming. But the radical changes happened so quickly: Spectacular had already dropped in late February, the video premiered when the first borders in Europe closed. I was terrified when it premiered – watching my Ponies (my fans) react to it while watching the news at the same time. It was surreal. However, my fans were already excited. They´ve waited for over 4 years and would have been heartbroken if I had made them wait till fall. After all, music is supposed to provide comfort in tough times and I didn´t want to let them down.

Dropping the album in March was too much madness, so I decided to give us all a little more time to focus on important things and postponed to mid-April. Now, most people are working in their homes (provided they´re healthy). They want to listen to an album that´s not about viruses but does relate to what we´re going through. After all, Digital Dissidents is about community and determination in turbulent times. Wave in Rage, Reconciliation or Solaris is about extreme situations reminding us of the preciousness of life – and what truly matters. We´ve grown so socially divided – this situation reminds us of how important it is for a society to care and stick together. That´s what Digital Dissidents really is about.

Do you think you’re going to do a live stream gig to celebrate the release of the album?

Yes, I´m planning something. It´s probably going to be reduced (very voice´n´bass-dominated), but I´m still trying to give people something that comes close to a Livki-concert experience. Most shows are done in living rooms and sweatpants at the moment and even though it´s fun to watch, it also makes viewers feel like things are out of order. I want them to disappear into a different world and get a bit of that good old´ DIY-„living room-glamour“.