Malonda, a captivating musical presence, unveils a new layer of her artistic persona in the latest video for her single “Persönlich”. Behind the scenes, the Berlin-based singer-songwriter often finds herself entangled in push/pull scenarios. The intricacies of needing closeness while emotionally maintaining distance are poetically articulated in her new release. Read our interview with Malonda below.
A Journey Through Emotional Acrobatics
The bittersweet track “Persönlich” delves into this emotional gymnastics with Malonda’s self-analysis reflecting a struggle with the intensity of love:
“I want you, but can’t bear it / love is just too much for me”,
she confessed. In simpler terms, she admits to being skilled at physical intimacy but less so at navigating the dating world.
However, Malonda is not the only one facing such dilemmas. “Persönlich” brilliantly plays out modern relationship issues, which often turn out to be personal trials, with a blend of tender mockery and, above all, empathy. The production by Riffsn maintains this delicate balance, adorning the gentle gravity of the song with strings and chipmunk soul, creating music that feels like a simultaneously uplifting and exhausting sunrise.
The video for the song is described by Malonda as “awarding herself a prize for the effort of continually trying with love despite the difficulties.” Shot in her second home, the Wintergarten Varieté in Berlin, the clip features her dancing through a pastel-coloured hall of mirrors that reflects her emotional landscape. She exudes an aloof closeness that only a true diva can conjure. Dancing amid nods to Josephine Baker and Barbarella, Malonda navigates the mirror maze of her feelings with captivating distance.
This video marks the sixth instalment from her debut album “Mein Herz ist ein dunkler Kontinent,” which has been described by Musikexpress as “a pop package sparkling in many colors” and by laut.de as revealing “unforeseen perspectives”. The premiere of “Persönlich” cements Malonda’s unique position in music – tackling complex emotions with lyrical finesse and a touch of glam.
Your new video for “Persönlich” carries a very distinct visual language. Can you share with us what inspired the aesthetic choices for this video?
Aesthetically I wanted it to be like Barbie, Tove Lo and Lana del Rey getting hammered together. (And maybe Lana getting her head set straight on some things.) But I also knew because of what the song was expressing, there had to be almost a hyperfocus on me. Vivian, the director, felt I should be turned into a movie star and we thought a lot about what the set could be – as an independent artist you don’t have a lot of money. When we finally came up with Wintergarten Theatre as the location
(I work there from time to time), this journey from the gorgeous scenery of the Unterwelten (Berlin’s most luxurious bathroom) onto the stage and everywhere in between seemed natural, so all that was left to do was to figure out the wardrobe for each setting.
In the single “Persönlich,” you explore the conflict of needing closeness while maintaining emotional distance. Is this reflective of your own experiences, and how do you navigate these feelings in your personal life?
Absolutely. As somebody formerly diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, my relationships have been a lot like “I hate you, please don’t leave me” which is also expressed in the central pun: take me, don’t take me personally. To navigate that took a lot of time and therapy, but also I had to learn to be more accepting of myself and that relationships are gonna be a little harder for me, even if they work out. Which they don’t.
While watching your latest video, viewers get a sense of the emotional acrobatics you mention. How did you go about translating these complex emotions into dance movements?
That’s honestly just how I dance. And who knows, maybe Josephine Baker was watching.
Could you describe the collaborative process with Riffsn on the production of “Persönlich,” and how the song’s musical elements contribute to the story you’re telling?
When I wrote that song together with my DJ Gloria Blau, it sounded almost like a ballad, which was befitting of the inner tragedy it was supposed to convey, but ultimately I also want people to smile, dance and have fun with my music. We discussed all of that and then Raphi just kinda ran with it, all of a sudden there were these crazy strings, which added a sense of playful optimism and a beat which gave the narrative a sexy mid-tempo vibe. He also inserted a little vocal chop into the instrumental, which my other producer Mona M used as inspiration for the vocal recordings. The high adlibs, those little noises made it so much more fun. That’s ultimately what “chipmunk soul” means, at times I sound like Alvin, Simon and Theodore, whom I adored as a little kid.
The term “chipmunk soul” is mentioned in the production style of this track. Could you explain what this means and how it fits into the overall feel of the song?
That term originated in the early 00s, when hip hop producers, above all one whose name we don’t mention anymore, added those high-pitched soul vocal samples, although it wasn’t a conscious reference point during the production for us.
You mention that the video symbolizes “awarding yourself a prize for the effort of continually trying with love despite the difficulties.” Can you elaborate on that concept and how it integrates with the video’s imagery?
I’ve never received an award before but being middle-aged, continuously single and happy in a metropolis like Berlin is something one should at least give each other credit for every once in a while.
“Mein Herz ist ein dunkler Kontinent,” your debut album, has received praise for its diverse and colourful pop package. How do the themes of “Persönlich” integrate into the broader narrative of the album?
It’s a little lighter, maybe some plastic sheen in the best possible way: a bit shinier and more pop than the rest of the album, which was on purpose.
With “Persönlich” being the sixth instalment from your debut album, how do you believe this song and video contribute to your evolution as an artist, and what can we expect from Malonda in the future?
There will be two more videos exploring what is mostly subtext here. Mental health ultimately is a process and in the past, I never really wanted to address it, because of where I was on my journey. Now I feel like it’s time to look back and reflect. “Geh ich zu weit” is an older work I had never released before, featuring material from two different periods of my life, which is gonna be exciting. “Scheißangst” we shot on 16mm film somewhere in the wild. I like all of my videos to have their visual language to put across the narrative of the song.
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Photos by Oumou Aidara
