Words by Alexandra Schmidt, Photography by Jeanette Sophie

Music Tip: In conversation with Emma Rose

Emma Rose grew up in Bochum with a simple but deep connection to music, singing from childhood and eventually sharing covers on TikTok that quickly caught attention. Out of German rap covers with piano and a sharp sense of humor grew her own songs that blend dreamy bedroom pop with wit, emotional clarity, and a feminist eye. Her music doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable feelings or awkward truths, and she’s just as likely to make you laugh as to make you think. In this interview she talks about why she writes in German, how humor and honesty shape her songs, and what it really means for her to speak up through her art.

You work a lot with humor. Do you ever have that moment after a joke where you think, oh my god, I am so funny?

For sure! [laughs] I’m a huge fan of my own humor. I can even make myself laugh in my room just thinking of something stupid. Honestly, I do think I’m pretty funny.

If you had to give your music a one-sentence intro to a stranger, what would you say?

My music is very honest, a bit uncomfortable at times, and touches on topics in a humorous way that I think we should talk about more but often don’t because they make us feel uneasy.

Is there a line from one of your songs that feels especially close to you?

The first song that came to mind was one of my earliest releases, “Die gleiche.” There’s this line: “Nehm mich selber auseinander, setz’ mich falsch wieder zusammen.” (“I take myself apart and put myself back together all wrong.”) It’s about imposter syndrome, overthinking everything, and feeling like nobody really likes you. That line still gets to me.

Are there differences between the private Emma Rose and Emma Rose as an artist?

I don’t really share much about my life outside of music. That part stays with me. Maybe the occasional fun fact about an ex-relationship or something like that, but nothing too deep. As a musician, Emma Rose can be a bit cheekier and braver than I am in my private life. It comes with a different kind of confidence.

I imagine it can be hard not being able to separate those two parts of your life, like you could with a stage name. How do you deal with that?

Funny, no one has ever asked me that before. I’ve actually talked about it with friends a few times because sometimes it does feel a bit strange. Emma Rose is just me. I speak very autobiographically and about things that affect me in my personal life too, so in a way it fits together naturally. But sometimes I do find it difficult, especially when it comes to how people perceive me. Criticism or hate messages can be tough not to take personally. I think it’s a process, and I’m still figuring out how to deal with it.

And how do you deal with those hate messages when they come in?

Unfortunately, I do let it get to me quite a lot. I used to post a lot of German rap covers, and back then the hate messages were pretty intense. I received really awful messages from men. It’s hard, but I think talking about it helps and telling yourself that these are probably people who aren’t happy with themselves.

You once said you’ve also written songs in English. Why did you decide to focus on German songs?

People kept telling me, to write in German, because English isn’t my first language. That really annoyed me, so for a long time I was completely against writing in my mother tongue. I always thought I’d sound stupid singing in German, but at some point, I just sat down and tried it, and it did so much for me. I immediately noticed that you have a completely different access to your feelings. You can describe them so much better and more clearly in your own language. Humor is such a huge part of my music, and in English I just can’t get it across the way it really is.

A lot of your songs deal with feminism, but in society feminism is usually only seen as “good” if it doesn’t step on anyone’s toes. Whose toes do you actually want to step on?

I want to step on a lot of people’s toes, especially those who are stepping on others themselves. People with a lot of responsibility, whether it’s reach in general or politics. I think many don’t even realize that some of the things they say can have such a huge impact. And it annoys me how carelessly it’s handled. I think a lot of people are just in such privileged positions that they don’t feel like they need to think about it. We function best in communities when we work together and include everyone, not just the people closest to us.

What does your perfect songwriting setup look like?

It’s not very romantic, but I write best in the studio. I usually bring a bunch of topics I want to write about, and then my producer and I spend the day just talking through whatever’s on my mind. I can’t write in my own room anymore. When I get home, I just lie in bed and chill. I’m not sitting there by candlelight at the piano writing. [laughs]

Your new single is called 3/10. Can you tell us a bit about it?

It’s a bit trashy. There’s a line that goes, „Ich würde mich auch nicht nehmen, ich bin eine Drei von Zehn“ (“I wouldn’t pick me either, I’m a three out of ten,”) and that came from when I had “Humble Sexy Queen” in my Instagram bio for ages. People got really worked up about it. One day I got like 20 DMs saying things like, “You’re a three out of ten” or “At most a six out of ten.” That three out of ten just stuck in my head. I’ve got my own insecurities, so mixing them with outside voices and making light of it felt honest. You can even hear how ridiculous it sounds when you sing it. But yeah, at the end of the day, it’s about self-hate.

How important is external validation for you, especially when you put very personal feelings into a song?

It’s funny, because the 3/10 song is kind of about that too. Looking for validation. You can’t always give it to yourself, so you try to get it from somewhere else, through a relationship, a friendship, or whatever. I need a lot of reassurance. The hardest part is putting music out there because you never know how people will react. Lately I’ve been pretty confident, but of course I still have my weak moments. That’s when I need someone to tell me, “You’re good.”

What does it mean for you to be loud, to actually talk about the things that matter?

It’s really important to me. It’s not about who screams the loudest. It can be actions, too. I’m so impressed by all the activists who are loud in their own way, because they fight for important causes and stand up for what matters. For me, music is a way to be loud, to talk about the things that matter to me. It also reminds me that I’m actually a pretty anxious person and that I wish I could be even louder.

If you had to pick one thing to really focus on in 2026, what would it be?

More time for writing. You can always get better at songwriting. I’ve written a lot of songs so far, but I keep asking myself, how can I make it even more uncomfortable? How can I speak even more clearly about things? I want people to listen to my music and have fun, but I also want them to stumble over stuff a little and feel something.

Can we look forward to new music?

Lots of new music. I’ve got so many songs lying around. It’s just a matter of time before something new comes out.

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