Berlin Artist Novaa Implores us to listen on haunting pared-down track 'You Can F With Me'

Berlin based alt-pop singer-songwriter Novaa returns with a brand new single ‘You Can F With Me’ released this December, lifted from her forthcoming album due April 2022.

Novaa lets emotion do the talking, fusing sparse minimal elements over haunting, echoed lyricism. ‘You Can F With Me’ offers a stark, poignant and often relatable message.

Novaa explains: “You Can F With Me is a song about the things people asked and told me as a victim of sexual abuse and rape. „Don’t ever mention his name“ „Don’t talk about being a victim of sexual abuse in public“ „Reporting him won’t do anything“ „Reporting him is important“ „I won’t work with him, at least when you’re part of the team“ „Did you really say no?“ „How bad was it?“ „You should not have been drinking“ „Some things are karmic“ „Are you sure you remember it correctly?“ The one thing I want people to take away from this song is; listen. Listen to the victim.

Make room for them. Create a safe space for them to speak up, to find a way of healing. This world knows very well how to judge people that are victims of abuse while protecting the abusers. And as long as this is the case I will continue to speak up and be loud.”

Novaa is a 25-year-old artist, songwriter and producer from Berlin who released her third record ‘She’s A Rose’ in July 2021. Stripped back sounds coupled with intense emotions permeate her new album. Novaa paints a picture of gender roles and the challenges women face today from a radically personal perspective. Her unique voice has garnered press attention from the likes of Clash, Complex, The Line of Best Fit, C Heads Magazine, Kaltblut Magazine and Nothing But Hope and Passion to name a few.

However, Novaa wouldn’t be Novaa if she didn’t already have another self-produced album in the pipeline – the second side of the album, called ‘She’s A Star’, features Novaa’s humorous take on tough topics, paired with electronic beats and her inimitable musical style. It will be released in April 2022.

What’s your story as an artist?

Honestly I don’t like to consider myself an artist, I can do so but saying I am an artist would mean that there was a point when I started being an artist, when I started making music. But I never decided to be an artist, I never decided to make music. It has always been the only language I understood and knew how to speak. So I guess my story as an artist is one that has no beginning nor end. And one consists of sounds and melodies rather than words, lines or shapes.

What inspired this last release?

My healing process and the way certain people talked to me as a survivor of sexual abuse. It was not a choice to write this song, so saying I got inspired to write this song sounds weird to me. I’d rather say it was a necessity for me in order to move forward on my way of healing from it, of finding some, or any sense of peace with it.

Do you get inspired by other art forms?

I get inspired a lot by movies, and imagery in general. Very often when I’m going to my studio by train I pass things that grab my attention. I live in Berlin which is a wonderful city, lots of creatives, lots of art, but the thing I like the most about Berlin is that it offers a lot of details. Anywhere I look I find something that is inspiring, that sparks an idea and I enjoy that a lot.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing this?

This is probably not a funny one but it’s the only anecdote I can think of. Right before writing the song I had a situation with an artist I planned to work with. She worked with the person that sexually abused me, so I canceled the job. She found out why I canceled and still kept working with that person. I had so many things I wanted to say but figured I’d rather just stay away from it. I put everything I wanted to say to her in this song, that was super satisfying. I love punching people in the face with my songs.

What’s your favorite place or environment to write?

My favorite place to write is in my bedroom and in my studio space. I mostly have an idea that I come up with earlier, that I carry around and then at one point I start writing it out when it feels right and ready to be turned into sounds and words.

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

„Little Earthquakes“ by Tori Amos, it’s my musical bible. The lyrics, the melodies, the production. It shaped me and my creativity a lot, as a person and an artist.

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

I still very much look up to Tori Amos. The work she does for and with RAIIN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) is incredible, and I love that she includes activism in her music and art in a subtle but very clever way.

What excites you the most about what you do ?

That I am free to do whatever I want, whatever feels genuine to me. I am my own boss and I enjoy that very much. We need more empowerment to be able to question things, the current normal, the way our society does things. We need empowerment for it, and I am grateful that my job empowers me to questions things and to do things in a way that feels genuine and right to me.

What is your view on genres and music styles since you mix a lot of them in your music?

Thinking in boxes is boring to me especially when it comes to making music. If people need that, or want that, they can do it. But I don’t want to live by categories. Musicologists, magazines and the press can do it, that’s not my job.

What does music and art mean to you?

It’s my way of expressing and understanding life and the world. So saying that it means everything to me might sound cheesy but it actually does. It is the glue that holds everything together, that connects every thing and one. And it’s pure fun and joy and also holds space for the not so comfortable emotions and inner motions.

How would you describe your act in one word?

Raw.