“Living in Germany” is the first independent solo release from Valerie Renay of Nobles Oblige. The Artist D welcomed Valerie to his live Wednesday night show, The Artist D’s Fabulous Show, and the two had a deep conversation on the subject.
This wildly theatrical performer, painter and electronic pop chanteuse delivers a dramatic and emotionally charged vocal performance, crafting her ironic poetry over synths, guitar, bewitching rhythms and hypnotic bass lines, exploring a new genre she defines as visceral electronic neo punk. Valerie described “Life in Germany” perfectly: “Life is pretty easy and cheap. Which means you have time for different things without the pressure I felt in London. There’s still a lot of space and cheap rent. It’s changing. We all know it’s changing fast. Everything is changing fast. We shouldn’t try to go against it. There’s a natural flow. But it’s still a really great place to be.”
The song was originally built on the satirical bones of punk and written in one night. It quickly grew into a passionately hypnotic celebration of the Berlin zeitgeist and intoxicating playground Valerie calls home when Moses Schneider (Pixies engineer, twice nominated as Best Producer) offered to mix the single in his studio.
The award-winning filmmaker Jackie Baier directed the “Living in Germany” video where Valerie explores the political disparity of her world, possessing an array of characters that find themselves caught between its walls in either delirium or desperation…stylishly dark and humorous like the song itself.
“There’s a constant flow of new energy, new creative spirits coming here, and it’s exciting to be part of it.” she said. “There’s a lot of those evenings where you get together with friends from all over the world, get drunk, and think of an idea for a new song. And that’s beautiful. Because the beer is cheap!”
Check out Valerie on The Artist D’s Fabulous Show via Soundcloud below.
