In the artist's words:

Born in East Berlin in 1985, Katharina Kollmann has been releasing music under the name Lake Felix for over ten years. In 2017, she also began writing songs under the name Nichtseattle, for the first time in German. Nichtseattle - standing for an unknown or even known place that only exists within oneself. Her songs are deep, personal and melancholy-beautiful.

Their music is a safe space - a place where feelings can be negotiated openly and fearlessly. It mostly deals with themes such as East German identity, loneliness, discomfort and social belonging. The feeling of not being able to function properly in a standardized world is at the center - even as a woman, as the song "Frau sein" makes clear. Her label Staatsakt speaks of a tension that characterizes her art: deliberately used pauses alternate with surprising choral songs. This always results in touching sentences and surprising twists and turns.

In 2019, she released her debut album "Wendekind" on her own - a mixture of grungy guitar hooks, folky melodies and poetic lyrics. "Kommunistenlibido" followed in 2022 on the Berlin indie label Staatsakt. On the third album "Haus", the sound space of Nichtseattle has expanded noticeably: polyphony, band arrangements and new thematic spaces have been added. Kollmann sings about rehearsal rooms, condominiums and shelters - places that also serve as a stage for her exploration of her origins, self-image and society.

Questions about Nichtseattle

1. what can I expect at a concert by Nichtseattle?

At their concerts, Nichtseattle take you on an intimate journey through personal stories, clear words and real feelings. Katharina Kollmann has an aura all of her own when she is on stage and draws you into another world with her melancholy sounds. Sometimes it seems as if she is singing her diary entries to you. The intimacy and naturalness that Nichtseattle brings to the stage create their own magical atmosphere. It's a concert to listen to, to nod, to smile. And maybe to be sad for a moment.

2. why are Nichtseattle's songs never classic length?

One thing is clear - Nichtseattle is special. Their uniqueness is not only reflected in their sound, but also in the length of their songs. They can take you on a journey for three minutes or eight minutes. Their songs don't follow a classic pattern, but a feeling - sometimes the journey is longer, sometimes shorter. Sometimes it is more emotional and sometimes more dramatic - just like life. Her art is too emotional and sensitive to fit into a classic template.

3. how do your two projects Nichtseattle and Lake Felix differ?

One person? Two projects? How does that work? - Katharina Kollmann shows you! At first glance, the two projects differ in their language - while she performs in German as Nichtseattle and plays guitar, Lake Felix is an English-language project, supported by a bass. With Nichtseattle, the lyrics are much more present because of the language. With Lake Felix, she says, she sometimes forgets what she's singing - as if she can just let herself fall into the music(click here for the full interview)

4. to what extent did growing up in East Berlin have an impact on Nichtseattle's music?

Growing up in East Berlin in a prefabricated housing estate influenced Nichtseattle's music in terms of content (themes such as identity, origins, lack of prospects, the role of women), emotion (melancholy undertone) and aesthetics (unromanticism, search for a "place to stay"). Her music is thus deeply rooted in biography and society - and that is precisely what makes it so special. She speaks of personal experiences that were determined by life in a less romanticized environment characterized by a lack of prospects and social pressure. She addresses feelings of inferiority, sadness and the fear of "going under" in society.

5 How does Katharina Kollmann herself describe the sound of Nichtseattle?

In an interview with Westzeit , she gives a little insight into her thoughts. In particular, she describes her sound as "the sum of many small, very intuitive taste and emotional decisions". The renunciation of electronic accessories and the concentration on analog, natural timbres ultimately form her authentic melancholic vein that everyone loves so much. Why not check out Nichtseattle for yourself - and see for yourself!