Her name is Rola, she’s from Frankfurt and she makes German-language R&B. She started out in a band years ago, but that part of her career is now history. But, she says, being independent helps keep her completely in tune with her music – and with what inspires her to keep making it.
SLEEK: We’re supposed to be talking about truth, but I think that with you, perseverance would be a better topic. You’ve been in the business a long, long time.
Rola: I’ve been a singer from a very young age because I found my truth very quickly. I knew what was right for me, what was important for me, where I wanted to go, where I belonged, what I was good at. And because I had all those things figured out early on, I’ve been in the game for so long.
Some people spend their lives looking for what they actually want. But if you know, it doesn’t make it any easier, because you have to achieve what you want somehow.
R: But you achieve something every day. It’s not about the supposed goal at the end of the road, but about everything that happens along the way. If I can do what I want, if I’m happy doing it, if it’s fun …
If you can pay your rent?
R: If I can pay the rent, I’m already having fun.
What’s more important to you: that your audience likes your music or that you like it?
Rola: I only do what I like myself. When I go public with a song, the basic requirement is that I like it. I’ve written a lot of songs I don’t like, of course, but the world will never hear those.
You can hear a lot of attention to detail in your music, which is unfortunately often missing in German-language pop. How much work goes into it?
R: Oh, you can’t imagine that at all. But because I started so early, I still come from a time when you worked differently in the studio, so you don’t just sing two takes and the rest is done with autotune. Sometimes I used to record 50 takes until it all sat exactly. I went through that school, which is why I have the requirement now that it just sounds very good.
If I had to place your sound historically, I would say late Nineties, early Aughts.
R: Yeah, Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé …
And Janet Jackson, right?
R: Exactly: Janet, Michael, those are really my heroes.
How is the situation for German-language R&B right now?
R: Pretty good, because German rap has really taken off and rap and R&B are basically like siblings.
For what is, historically speaking, an American genre, was it difficult to find a style of German that works for you?
R: Even though I grew up with R&B from America, there were of course a few German inspirations: Glashaus, Cassandra Steen, Joy Denalane and Max Herre. Those were the artists that I felt were using the German language the way I would use it. I thought to myself, “I speak German, I feel German, so I want to show the world that Germany has this music.” Representing German R&B has been my ambition since I was a teenager. But I also always want to evolve and sound new with every album.
Your current album, Venus (2021), also sounds different from your debut, 12:12 (2018). Less stimulating beats, I would say. How would you describe it?
R: Yes, it’s much softer, much more relaxed, a tad lighter and also more feminine.
You released it without a record label.
R: Exactly! I’ve been independent since 2019, but that wasn’t a completely voluntary decision at first. In the meantime it is an absolute gain for me, only the loss of financial security was a problem. But money is not everything, freedom is much more important. Before, I often had the thought: “Okay, I like the song, but it must also please my record company, because they pay me.” But since I’m independent and work only with my manager, everything has become much easier. I can make decisions faster and release faster too.
That element of being in control is fitting, since you’re also involved with Puma to promote female empowerment.
R: Yes, I do that less through words and more through actions, by supporting women. For example, when I see a female artist releasing songs that I think are cool, I support them. I support women where I can. It’s often said that we women are jealous of each other and only perceive other women as competition, but I don’t see it that way at all. The more women there are, the more attention we get, the stronger we are, the better we take care of ourselves.
CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHY: Laura Schaeffer
STYLING: Rudolfs A. Packevics, Suzanna Haile
HAIR AND MAKEUP: Tina Pachta
CREATIVE PRODUCER: Jenny Halonen & Claude Gerber
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Louisa Traullé- Lambelain
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: Ronja Falkenbach