German DJ Ben Böhmer spoke to Newsweek's Ramsen Shamon in his trailer before closing out Lollapalooza. The former city kid shared his album inspiration and how his music, earning well above 50 million streams, is a safe space for his fans to process their emotions. His upcoming album, Bloom, will be released on Sept. 27.
Q_You're about to close Lollapalooza. How are you feeling?
A_I'm feeling very excited, very nervous actually. [That] didn't happen often that I close a festival, [on] stage here on a multi-genre festival. So it's a big honor, and very exciting.
What do you do before performing to get in the right headspace? Any rituals?
There are some rituals [that] I like to do. Meditating is one part of it. But the one thing I always do with my crew—we have a playlist of songs from the 2000s, plus or minus, and there's one song called Waterfalls from TLC. And this is the go to song to get hyped and in the mood. And we all sing it together. And this is literally the last thing [I do] before I go on stage.
You've performed in Chicago a few times. Have you had time to explore the city?
I think I played already six shows here. I never really had time to discover the city. Until today! And I went to Lake Michigan. And there's a beach in the middle of the city, which is really beautiful. It was the highlight from a perfect touring day.
How does it feel when you are told that your songs get millions upon millions of plays on music streaming apps?
It's in some ways overwhelming and really amazing to see that so many people like my music. But it's also at the same time confusing because it's a big number. You cannot really see that, but once you see people [while] doing concerts, crying, or smiling, or dancing, this is where it gets, like visible, you know? And this is very, very beautiful.
What goes through your mind as you look out at the crowd and see people reacting in such powerful ways to the music you create?
It's the most beautiful thing, really—playing concerts and making people happy, or giving them space to live their emotions. This is why musicians do that. It's beautiful.
Your new album, Bloom, will be released on Sept. 27. What was the inspiration for it?
It's very nature inspired. I was always a city kid, and was always living in cities, but after all these years of heavy touring, I found myself in lots of nature places. And I wrote part of the album in a mountain house in Italy—northern Italy—like very isolated. So it's a very calm, but in the same way, also diverse album, and having nature as inspiration was very helpful.
How long did it take to complete the whole album?
One and a half years.
So you like nature. You like meditating. Is there a specific place, or park that you enjoy being in, anywhere in the world?
I live in Berlin, and there is the Tiergarten, where I live close by. It's a very beautiful park with lots of little lakes and bridges, and surprisingly, this is a park which is always not that packed, and I really like to spend time there.
What's your favorite thing about Berlin?
In the beginning of the '20s, when I moved to Berlin, I was actually 17. This was such an amazing playground with all the freedom you can imagine, especially in the electronic music world and in the club scene. I never experienced a similar club scene anywhere else on this planet. There's just lots of acceptance and freedom, which is the most beautiful thing. And you can really, really play around and find yourself and find what you like and where you belong in some ways.
Describe your music in three words.
Emotional. Indie. Dance.
You were a former piano teacher. Who is your favorite composer?
Hans Zimmer is an incredible producer, but I also love to listen to The Lord of the Rings soundtracks. [It's] just beautifully made.
Where do you make your music?
I have a studio, but for this album, I produced it partly in nature. I built a home studio. And I really like that, to just wake up and the first thing you do is working on music. This was also really helping the album.
If you weren't making music, and if you weren't a piano teacher, what would you be doing career-wise?
Fifteen years ago, I did an internship at a place where they build and repair pianos, and it was a really fun thing to do and just beautiful work. I also like to do things with my hands and do something with wood and build something—create something. This is something I would probably do.
Where is your favorite place to perform in the world?
Since 2018, I'm playing every year in India. This is a country where it just has a beautiful celebration culture, and the shows there are just amazing. And always unforgettable. This is probably the place where I really enjoy playing.
What is your favorite German word?
My favorite German word is dunstabzugshaube.
And what does it mean?
It's the fan above the stove. Just a beautiful word.
Portions of this interview were edited for clarity.
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