ALMA: Exclusive live review and interview with the queen of cyber pop.

by | indieBerlin

We got the chance ask the rising Finnish pop star Alma some questions before she wrapped up her spring 2018 tour with a fiery performance at the Columbia Theater in Berlin on the 5th June.

Alma prefers the vibe of smaller more intimate gigs and it showed, she seemed at ease together with her bouncy twin sister-come backing singer as they energised the packed out crowd with just a DJ behind a neon bar in the centre of the stage.

It was no surprise she stuck to her own material for this show resulting in a very honest feel to her performance.
The young audience was captivated throughout, jumping and singing with her as she powered through her catchy, passionately performed pop repertoire. She transitioned seamlessly between high energy banger “Dye My Hair” about doing crazy things when you’re in love, to the raw heartfelt ballad of “BACK2U” which portrays a much more conflicted view of juggling intimacy and her rising fame.

indieBerlin got an exclusive interview with the star:

indieberlin: Tell us a little bit about your musical background.
Alma: My family is not any musical so there wasn’t much music in our house! YouTube let me find a lot of different stuff like Amy Winehouse, Nirvana, The Prodigy.

 

indieberlin: Tell us something about yourself that you always wanted to say but no one has ever asked you yet.
Alma: I have the cutest cat and I miss her.

 

indieberlin: How does the songwriting process work for you?
Alma: It’s very easy and spontaneous! No rules.

 

indieberlin: If your music was a movie, which genre would it be in?
Alma: Thriller with a happy ending.

 

indieberlin: Where do you get your inspiration from?
A
lma: From my friends, life, inspiring people, other music, films everywhere.

 

indieberlin: What music do you listen to when you’re touring?
Alma: Lot of my teenage years stuff like mgmt, the xx, Gorillaz, Lykke Li. 

 

indieberlin: What was the last concert you went to?
Alma: It was Halsey’s concert or Post Malone, I can’t remember

 

indieberlin: How do you feel about covering a song?
Alma: I like it but it’s never 100% cuz it’s not your own! Like you gotta pretend a bit! 

 

indieberlin: Do you prefer to play big festivals / stages or smaller club gigs?
Alma: Small stages there’s a better vibe

Now at 22, Alma has gone from Finnish pop-idol winner in 2013 to her debut single “Chasing Highs” having nearly 83 million plays on Spotify and Elton John playing “Karma” on his radio show. Don’t let her punky appearance with green-tinged hair and black leather get up misguide you, her music is most definitely pop, sung in a captivating, strong, husky voice. With her debut album due later this year, Alma has both the dedication and talent to keep rising and shaping the pop sphere. With all of this high flying, we hope she finds the time to spend with her very cute cat she tells us she misses.

To see what other gigs Alma has coming up and new releases, follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

 

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