After making her acting debut on ‘Wach’ in 2018, the multi-talented Alli Neumann released her debut album, Madonna Whore Komplex this September. When she is not acting, writing or performing, she loves talking about music with other fellow musicians in her Apple Music Radio Show “MWK Radio” or busy planning her upcoming tour in Germany.
SLEEK sat with the German actor-musician to talk about her latest album, passion and biggest influences.
Top: Melisa Minca Jewellery: Alli's own. #ShotoniPhone by Carla Bracht
You released your new debut album ‘Madonna Whore Komplex’. Can you tell us the meaning behind the title?
Madonna Whore Complex is a theory by Sigmund Freud that says that women in the male gaze are put into two categories, which is either a “Whore” or a “Madonna.”
If you don’t know the meaning behind it, you can interpret it in different ways – you might think that it means that a woman can be a Madonna and a whore, so multi-dimensional creatures that are complex, which I like. That is why I chose the title. For the past two years, I’ve been trying to understand more about the systems that are holding me back and that are trying to put me into a box and how they make me even do this to myself at times. It was very empowering to understand what keeps me small because then, you don’t blame yourself. You understand what you’re working with and are able to focus on the problem. Madonna Whore Komplex definitely describes one of those systems.
What was the main inspiration behind the album?
Definitely the adventures of life living in a patriarchal society [laughs]. It took me a long time to understand how much indoctrination I have within myself and how I could be making the world a harder place for other women without realising it. There are not only men to blame, it’s a system that helps men hold a certain position but they’re suffering too (you realise it’s not only queer men but even heteronormative men who can have a very certain idea of how a heterosexual man has to be in a society.) In this toxic system, a lot of people are suffering. This inspired my album – I thought it’s time to quit playing this game and try and break from this “system”.
#ShotoniPhone by Carla Bracht
What’s your favourite track? Do you have one?
I don’t want to tell because I want everyone to listen to every song! [laughs]. Well, today, I would say Keine Zeit.
That’s my favourite as well.
I think that’s the one that really applies to every day. Everybody gets it because when you’re having a busy day, you have less tolerance for bulls*** – if you’re not here for a revolution, then get out of my way!
You sing and act, how do they bring out different sides of you?
Making music and acting are two completely different worlds to me. When I make music, I make something that comes from me and that is centred around my own emotions at the time. But when I act I can rely on the vision of the director and the team behind the film. I can let go a bit more and really explore the character I am playing including all the complex emotions that come with it. I really love the combination and having both experiences in my life.
It’s interesting to hear about how one has influenced your way of thinking in the other.
You know what’s funny? In the last movie I did, I played a character who was a musician that wanted to flee the DDR. They asked me to write songs for my character so I did and also sing them while in character. Somehow, this made the songwriting a lot easier for me because I was a lot more focused on the perspectives of my character. What’s hard for me as a musician is that I always feel everything I write has to represent me as a whole. We say “ganzheitlich” in German and it’s not that easy. So what I learnt from that experience was useful for my album afterwards as I realised I don’t have to fit a whole facet of myself in one song to make it “me.” Madonna Whore Komplex shows that I have many emotional facets through different songs.
Knitwear: MAIAMI, Top: Melisa Minca, Jewellery and Trouser: Alli's own. #ShotoniPhone by Carla Bracht
And on top of all that, you host the ‘Madonna Whore Komplex Radio Show’ with Apple Music. How did that start?
I always told my management from the beginning that I need have a radio show because I love music and I love talking about music. It’s my favourite subject to talk about. When someone asks me really specific stuff about music, I’m very into it. Having a radio show, I can finally talk about music the way I’ve always wanted to and luckily, Apple Music asked me to create my own show.
You manifested it.
Definitely, and it happened with the best circumstances because they gave me 100% creative freedom. After thinking about what kind of show I wanted to have, I created a show to feature all the people that inspired me and who opened the door for artists like me. I wanted to put a spotlight on musicians that created genres I mainly use and more interestingly, many of those people were actually women – black, queer, so on. I really tried to focus on female creators in music that made the scene more diverse and who challenged the social norms.
There are still other platforms so, why radio specifically?
A story can be inspiring or even add something to a song. Putting the music into context and then listening to it with another perspective or just a bigger perspective than before is what I love about the show. With radio, I can play the song for you straight away after I talk about it and that can change how you experience the music.
Top: Melisa Minca, Jewellery, Trouser and Boots: Alli's own. #ShotoniPhone by Carla Bracht
How do you select your topics for the show?
As a feminist, I try to create awareness for problems we face in society and therefore also within music, but I also try and address topics I am simply curious about.
You have always been vocal about LGBTQI+ topics.
I try to put a spotlight on queer artists that really changed music but might not get mentioned often enough or not as often as they should. Being a queer artist myself, it’s important to me to be proud of it and use the position I have to represent my community.
Can you share with us some of your radio highlights?
It’s hard to talk about a highlight because the main highlight is that I learn so much just by doing this!
How else do you stay connected?
The most important thing is through my music because that will always be the core of me. Also, at concerts, that is when the music really becomes real to me. The feeling of people emotionally in sync, it’s powerful.