{"id":123341,"date":"2025-10-08T11:44:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=123341"},"modified":"2025-10-08T11:49:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:49:12","slug":"balbina-immersion-of-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/","title":{"rendered":"Balbina: Immersion of 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by Bastian Thiery. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
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If one didn\u2019t know her, if one had never heard her music before, which song should one choose to get started with Balbina\u2019s oeuvre? After a moment\u2019s thought, she says: \u201cSeife.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s sweltering hot in Berlin-Mitte. Balbina sits in the shady courtyard of a cafe\u0301, a cappuccino on the small bistro table in front of her, looking entirely unbothered by the heat. As though she hadn\u2019t just stepped off a packed, stuffy commuter train full of people like her, traveling in from the outskirts of Berlin into the city center. In contrast to the heavy summer air, Balbina radiates lightness and intention: she wears a full white skirt of sturdy fabric with striking lace, paired with a heavily starched blouse tied at the waist, accentuated shoulders, sculptural lines. Romance meets precision.<\/p>\n

Just like her songs? In essence, yes. Balbina\u2019s songwriting thrives on dualities and contradictions. Three or four seemingly random words \u2013 and suddenly an entire scene unfolds before you. Everyday objects and observations distilled into philosophy, in the most direct way. Intellectual? Absolutely. But never aloof \u2013 instead, quietly emotional.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":123343,"id":123343,"title":"1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB","filename":"1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","filesize":486225,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-rgb\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-rgb","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:29:51","modified":"2025-10-08 08:29:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1466,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":73,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","medium-width":1466,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1466,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","large-width":1466,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB-1173x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1173,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1466,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1_250818_sleek_balbina_look4_thiery_0552_v2-RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1466,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":123342,"id":123342,"title":"3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB","filename":"3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","filesize":575589,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_rgb-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_rgb-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:28:39","modified":"2025-10-08 08:28:39","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1466,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":73,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","medium-width":1466,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1466,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","large-width":1466,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB-1173x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1173,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1466,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_250818_sleek_balbina_look2_thiery_0235_v2_RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1466,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":"Photography by Bastian Thiery. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

In Seife<\/em>, Balbina wonders whether there might be a kind of detergent for life\u2019s mistakes \u2013 something like soap that scrubs stains from clothing. \u201cNa toll, das hab ich nicht gewollt (…)! Schwamm dru\u0308ber, ich wisch das schnell weg\u201d \/ \u201cOh well, I didn\u2019t want that (…)! Never mind, I\u2019ll just wipe it away,\u201d she sings, channeling something fundamentally human: remorse and helplessness. The song appeared on her 2014 EP Nichtstun<\/em>. At the time, Der Spiegel<\/em> called her \u201cthe most exciting thing German pop music has to offer right now.\u201d Nichtstun wasn\u2019t her debut, but it put things in motion. \u201cI think Seife opened the most doors for me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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As a student, Balbina was introverted \u2013 she wrote poetry, made music, created things. As a teenager, she sometimes worked as a backing singer for studio recordings before finding a way into her own music through Berlin\u2019s hip-hop scene. At first listen, Balbina\u2019s sound seems far removed from rap or hip-hop \u2013 then as now. But you hear it in her phrasing, her flow, the rhythm of her delivery \u2013 traces of where she first learned to play with language and sound.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":123346,"id":123346,"title":"9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB","filename":"9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","filesize":411420,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_b_rgb\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_b_rgb","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:31:05","modified":"2025-10-08 08:31:05","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1520,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":76,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","medium-width":1520,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1520,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","large-width":1520,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB-1216x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1216,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1520,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":10,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9_250818_sleek_balbina_look6_thiery_0758_v2_B_RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1520,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":123344,"id":123344,"title":"2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB","filename":"2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","filesize":688473,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_rgb\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_rgb","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:30:06","modified":"2025-10-08 08:30:06","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1477,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":74,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","medium-width":1477,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1477,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","large-width":1477,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB-1182x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1182,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1477,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2_250818_sleek_balbina_look8_thiery_1164_v1_RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1477,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":"Photography by Bastian Thiery. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

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In collaborations with Maeckes or Ebow, her cinematic, avant-garde pop slips seamlessly into German rap, revealing its lyrical artistry. And yet, she also works regularly with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra. Once again: dualities that, in her hands, fit perfectly together.<\/p>\n

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Her fifth album, Infinity Tunes<\/em>, came out this May \u2013 though initially it wasn\u2019t meant to be the recording it came to be. She had nearly finished it when an official letter arrived: her father had died. The news shook her. And at the same time, she asked herself: \u201cWhy am I so sad? Do I even have the right to be?\u201d<\/p>\n

Balbina moved from Poland to Berlin with her parents when she was six years old but grew up with her mother. She had no real relationship with her father \u2013 just two exchanged letters in 36 years, even though he lived in the same city. Later, she discovered he had collected all of her records. \u201cCrazy, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she muses. What\u2019s the right way for a daughter to grieve a father who was never there \u2013 but whose fatherhood remained a fact?<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t resist addressing his death artistically. She scrapped her nearly finished record and began again. The result, Infinity Tunes<\/em>, became a concept album grappling with life, death, and everything in between. The pain of breakups, told starkly in Alles Gute und viel Glu\u0308ck!<\/em> (All the Best and Good Luck!<\/em>). The migrant-child experience, described with such blunt clarity in Zwischen 2 Welten<\/em> (Between Two Worlds<\/em>) that any other post-migrant kid would immediately relate. Most directly, Vatertag<\/em> (Father\u2019s Day<\/em>): \u201cDer Tag, an dem mein Vater starb, war der Tag, an dem es plo\u0308tzlich einen Vater gab. Vatertag.\u201d \/ \u201cThe day my father died was the day I suddenly had a father. Father\u2019s Day.\u201d Now she has made peace with him. Working on the album was like therapy, she says.<\/p>\n

Creativity, for Balbina, is total. \u201cWhen I have a vision, I do everything I can to make it happen,\u201d she says. On stage, in videos, in her book that visually accompanies Infinity Tunes<\/em> \u2013 every detail is thought through. Outfits, mood, precision in each note \u2013 everything fits. Her artistry is not limited to music. In 2023 she co-founded Polyton, a kind of artists\u2019 academy that grants an annual award, accompanied by a gala and magazine, where she guided the process as creative director. She\u2019s also long been politically active, advocating for fair pay for musicians in a world dominated by opaque streaming payouts. She contributes ideas to creative agencies, writes film scores \u2013 most recently for Jovana Reisinger\u2019s Unterwegs im Namen der Kaiserin<\/em> (On the Road in the Name of the Empress<\/em>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI always juggle a lot at once. It\u2019s not like I cut myself off from the world when I\u2019m working,\u201d she says. But she admits she struggles with everyday life: \u201cLaundry, bureaucracy, emails \u2013 I really can\u2019t deal with reality.\u201d She laughs: \u201cI think I\u2019m a bad friend too.\u201d She\u2019s stopped even bothering to RSVP to birthdays or parties. When she does show up, people are genuinely surprised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":123348,"id":123348,"title":"6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB","filename":"6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","filesize":535911,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_rgb\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_rgb","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:41:20","modified":"2025-10-08 08:41:20","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1440,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":72,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","medium-width":1440,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1440,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","large-width":1440,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB-1152x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1152,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1440,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6_250818_sleek_balbina_look7_thiery_1043_v1_RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1440,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":123349,"id":123349,"title":"7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB","filename":"7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","filesize":563880,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_rgb\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_rgb","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":123341,"date":"2025-10-08 08:41:33","modified":"2025-10-08 08:41:33","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1466,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","thumbnail-width":73,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","medium-width":1466,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","medium_large-width":1466,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","large-width":1466,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB-1173x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1173,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","2048x2048-width":1466,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7_250818_sleek_balbina_look1_thiery_0129_v2_RGB.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1466,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":"Photography by Bastian Thiery. "}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

At the end of May, shortly after Infinity Tunes<\/em> was released, ZEITmagazin<\/em> ran a cover story on her. The journalist Emilia Smechowski had followed her for two years, writing a layered portrait. The piece opened with a pointed line: Balbina is an important artist, but not a star. \u201cAnd the truth is, she probably never will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

A brutal verdict? Balbina shakes her head. It\u2019s more complicated. \u201cEmilia and I talked a lot about stardom \u2013 what it even means to be a pop star today.\u201d They agreed: Balbina doesn\u2019t fit that template. And she\u2019s fine with that. She creates because she must \u2013 not to please, not to pander. Her songs are often described as cerebral, difficult. On the radio, amidst a largely mainstream program, they stand out like a stubborn strand of hair.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

But maybe that\u2019s her strength. By refusing to play by the mainstream\u2019s rules, Balbina shows her audience that individuality and stubbornness are possible and feasible. She opens a space where you can question yourself, your role, your reality. A world where you can say: No, I\u2019m not going along with that.<\/p>\n

So, is Balbina the embodiment of selfreflection as an artist? Of course not. Listening to her music is, above all, simply a joy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\nBalbina: Immersion of Self - Sleek Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Balbina: Immersion of Self - Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/balbina-immersion-of-self\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T09:44:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T09:49:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Silvia Silko\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. 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