Joplyn: anything can be a source of inspiration for me

Radio Intense is happy to welcome our new guest, Joplyn!

Berlin artist Joplyn has gained serious traction of late, as a result of her dramatic live and hybrid shows. At the end of last year, she was invited to speak at the Berlin Dance Music Event and spoke at an Ableton masterclass soon after, followed by Pete Tong listing her in his 'Future Stars of 2022'.

We spoke with Joplyn to find out more about her latest release, enjoy!
— Hi Joplyn, it's great to have you with us today! Whereabouts are you chatting to us from right now?
— Hey! First of all thank You for having me! On a plane back home to Berlin from a crazy weekend in Italy right now. No sleep. I know I'm about to pass out right after finishing this.
— Your latest release, 'We Will Forgive Ourselves' has just landed on the world-renowned Crosstown Rebels, congrats on this release! What can you tell us about this one?
— It's my Crosstown Rebels Debut! Which is super special and means so much. I wrote it in a time I was fed up and frustrated by how so often excess and hedonism come at the cost of integrity and empathy with one another in this world. Our chosen ignorance towards topics that go beyond our own little bubble and the consequent polarization of society. "One day, the snow in our hearts will melt. […] Teach us, and we will forgive ourselves." - Still, with "We Will Forgive Ourselves" I ultimately wanted to send a message of hope, and call for a future of healing and accepting, and eventually forgiving the faults of the past.

It was an emotional day, I think we all have them from time to time. This was my way of processing it and putting it into a song.
— How did the track come to find its home on Crosstown Rebels?
— I met Damian (Lazarus) and his crew not too long ago when I played at their Rebel Rave at Watergate in Berlin. I've always been a fan and looked to them for pushing the envelope sonically. A few weeks after that night Damian hit me up asking me if I wanted to do something on Crosstown Rebels. I immediately ran into the studio and picked up this idea I had lying around for a while which is now "We Will Forgive Ourselves." At that point it was just parts of the chorus and the lyric hook line. Damian has definitely been involved in shaping the track into its final product, giving the feedback I needed and keeping the conversation going at all times, which I'm very grateful for.

Soon to come, 'We Will Forgive Ourselves' will be followed by two special remixes. One from the Crosstown-head himself Damian Lazarus, and the other from house icon MK. What were your reactions like when you first heard their remixes?

Upon hearing the remixes I was really transported into two completely different worlds. Damian's: a party inside a hidden pyramid right in the middle of the jungle. MK's: a dirty, sweaty London basement filled with house music. I think they almost couldn't be more opposite. That's why I'm so in love with both of them; I think they both really are a unique interpretation of the song, highlighting two very individual approaches and feelings. It still feels unreal to have not one, but two legends remixing the song.
— This year, you have a packed schedule of live performances from Europe to the US. What are the main motivations and inspirations behind your live performances and what can those attending expect?
— My number one goal live is to create a journey for the crowd to lose themselves in. Take you into new sonic landscapes, and take turns together that maybe you wouldn't have expected to take. Most importantly though, it's about having a good time. Celebrating the music/each other and transcending time and place. I hope my live show can be a gateway for that. It's about those magic moments, at the risk of sounding cheesy, hands in the air, cheering, impact of energy, euphoria. When I play live I build up my songs from 0 to 100, really taking the crowd on the paths I took making them in the studio. I bring my synth, vocoder, trigger pad, the Pioneer DJ mixer and its FX, and voice FX pedals. But my main "instrument" is still my voice. It's a set full of ups and downs, stripped down moments and raves. The music never stops, it's one continuous flow. I can't really describe it.
— We would love to hear about your early influences, which styles or artists first inspired you to follow your path in music?
— I've always been hyper-fixated on other strong women, going their own way and forging their own worlds. Growing up the five I always name were (and still are) Björk, Kate Bush, Sade, Robyn, Aaliyah. I don't like to think in "genres", truly anything can be a source of inspiration for me. And it changes from moment to moment. But what really got me to believe in myself enough and muster up the courage to go out there with my own art was seeing those five do it and change the world through it. I owe so much to them.
— What was the first piece of equipment to become part of your live set-up?
— The first thing I added after the basic trigger pad + keyboard was the vocoder. I'm a vocoder girl. It's still my favorite equipment to use live. I think that's because it combines the two joys of singing + playing the keys into one. If I were an "instrument", that would be it. Of course Imogen Heap was a huge inspiration for that, but also others. I write special vocoder parts for my live shows and love weaving them into the show. It's also such a centerpiece of electronic music.
— A pleasure to chat with you today Joplyn! To round off, is there anything else upcoming from yourself that you would like to share with us?
— Thank you! It was a pleasure. There's too much to list it all here. But what's the most exciting to me right now is that my second Album, which I spent January and February mainly this year making in Ibiza, will be out later this year! It's my baby and I'm so proud of it, I can't wait to share it. So keep an eye out for that. Also, like you mentioned I am playing so so many shows this year that I would love to see you at and invite you into my world. I'm also DJ-ing at my first residency with Black Coffee and Damian Lazarus this season at Hï Ibiza, which I'm super excited about. And so much more. All in all, this is going to be a crazy year with lots of special memories.