BIMM University Music Business student Feodora Stücklschwaiger not only played a wonderful DJ set at last year’s End-of-Year Gig — she has also founded her own music collective and is producing her own music. We caught up with her to talk about her journey so far!
Could you talk a bit about your musical journey and how you made the decision to work in the music industry?
My parents had a great impact on my creative journey. Sometimes I joke with my brother that they have created prototype artists. But what I mean by that is not that they drilled us to extremes, but simply had our backs and always listened to our dreams and visions. I am filled with gratitude towards them because of this. To begin with, I wanted to pursue a career in the film industry (I dream of writing and shooting a movie one day). After finishing school I decided to take some time off and enjoy living. I visited a lot of music festivals and raves. I feel most at ease in a dancing crowd. Strangers united. The warmth. Everyone forgets about the misery of life for a moment. Music has a power over people that is indescribable. After one extreme amazing rave in 2019, I wrote a poem that describes the feeling of being in that sweaty happy crowd. It’s called ‘Liebesbrief an Bass’ translated it means ‘Love-Letter to Bass’. One of my best friends back then was a pretty skilled producer so I asked him if he would help me to produce a track for that poem. On 6 December 2019, I released my debut single ‘Liebesbrief an Bass’ on Spotify. After that all I wanted was to become a DJ/Producer and be that person that enables people to forget about their worries for one night and simply dance, enjoying being alive!
You played a great DJ set at the End of Year Gig – are you planning to go in that direction after your studies and work as a DJ?
Thank you! I also want to thank Dave, our Events and Guests Coordinator, as he pushed me to do it! To be honest I don’t know where life will lead me to. I definitely want to become a professional DJ and gain a lot of experience in that field. (I desperately need some soul-healing raves after Covid In fact, I want to organise them myself or collaboratively with others.) Sometimes the music industry can be overwhelming because you can go so many ways. I want to keep an open mind and try out as much as possible first, in order to find my own rhythm. But my overall goal for the future is to create: music, networks, opportunities, and beautiful energies. Studying at BIMM redirected my creative journey once again. Maybe I will perform my music on stage with a band one day, or I will operate behind the scenes and be responsible for all the happiness. I can picture myself both ways. I definitely want to be able to have a diverse profession and I think that’s possible in my field.
I want to embrace the changes in life and flow. I don’t want to be disappointed in myself if I don’t become famous or build an empire. I think life has more to offer than external pleasures or accomplishments. I really want to embrace my inner journey, which I will express externally through my music!
You run the collective W.A.L.E with a group of other musicians/creatives – can you talk a bit about W.A.L.E and your goals as a collective?
I am a very spiritual person. I always had the dream to start a spiritual movement. With ‘W.A.L.E.’ (We All Love Each Other) this is what we have now done. It started with a rave back in my hometown Osnabrück. We never thought our movement would explode like it did. We do projects like the ‘Setcast Series’ which are live video productions representing our resident artists. Make sure to check that out! Carlos Pohlmann our videographer is highly talented and turned the whole project into masterpieces. Our goal is to create a support mechanism and network for artists. I learned that I don’t want to hold people together. I want to bring people together. That is my philosophy for W.A.L.E. We don’t want to limit ourselves to the music industry. We’ve already produced music videos in the past and want to create more films, documentaries, talk shows, etc. In the future. As well as that, art galleries, self-awareness classes and much more are on the menu. Either way, it’s very important to us to build something that lasts and is beneficial for the next generation. My goal in life is to create something while I am living that helps the future. W.A.L.E. is a movement towards a more soul/inner world-orientated society. We think society often neglects mental health. I always allow myself to dream big so that in the best-case scenario, we will enhance the educational system. Through W.A.L.E. I became interested in management and my desire to run it properly led me to study music business, even though I never thought of myself studying as something related to business. That’s why I always want to keep an open mind. You never know who you will be in the future. I think we should never set boundaries for our own life. If you want to check out what W.A.L.E. has achieved so far you can check out the links below to head to our IG or YouTube! Thank you.
What are some projects that you are currently working on – either for W.A.L.E or your own projects – that you are looking forward to realising?
I’ve already spoken about the vision to perform my music on stage not as a DJ but as a musician/ singer. Teaser alert: I will! But I won’t say any more for now! In order to find out you might have to follow my journey from here.
What do you enjoy most about studying at BIMM?
I mentioned that BIMM redirected my creative journey and it did big time! The people I’ve met influenced me in so many ways, which I appreciate with all my heart! I found people like Andreas Mann, who helped me to realise projects I never thought I would. If you are eager to build a network and keep (once again) an open mind you have all those opportunities in reach! I’ve had bad experiences when it comes to teachers (most of them only discouraged me) but at BIMM I have found supportive people. I think that is all you need: People that want to invest in you! But it is up to you, nothing ever comes before getting your own hands dirty first. And please don’t give up too quick! You can start over every day!
I want to thank and credit Nika Genetika for the amazing portrait and Sally Desanex for the brilliant W.A.L.E. Logo design.
