Lara Florence Wolff

The lovely thing about your 20s is that nothing’s set in stone yet, is it? That there’s still so much to learn and discover about yourself. But if I were to list a few things that define me… Music, a love of singing in all its forms (classical during my studies, on stage with bands...), the bond with my family, vitality and intense emotion, the joy of getting to know people and experiencing life.

No, only for "Feuer"…and that was actually my first time in a recording studio with a microphone and all the stuff that goes with it! What a highlight!

Yes, of course! We’ve always had the Lacrimosa albums at home – and by the time "Feuer" came out, I’d really started getting into them. These days, Lacrimosa is a regular feature on my monthly playlists anyway!

Hmm, I really can’t separate the two. To me, Tilo was never "just" a musician or "just" an uncle. I think that through his music – which thrives on such deep, authentic emotion – Tilo expresses exactly what he carries within him as a person, and therefore as an uncle. And conversely, even within the family setting, he is an artist and musician through and through

When it became clear that Anne couldn’t make it, the two of them asked me if I’d be willing to step in. I agreed straight away. That was two weeks before the first show, so it was time to learn the lyrics! Regardless of that, we’d spoken a lot beforehand about our respective projects, interests and plans… so I suppose we knew we’d be on the same wavelength musically.

It was lovely that you were there – it’s a shame we didn’t get to meet! Although every concert left a special impression on me in its own unique way, Leipzig has stayed with me in particular – that beautiful Felsenkeller, the huge crowd that turned up, the lovely evening we had afterwards… After the first show in Hamburg, the nerves weren’t quite so bad either.

Let me put it this way: I was prepared for anything and expected the worst. I had imagined I would face more criticism, perhaps even rejection, which I would have fully understood given the circumstances. What I encountered instead – that warmth, that love, those words of encouragement, such a warm welcome – touched me deeply.

I couldn’t stay away from the university and some of my own projects…unfortunately!

I am involved in making music now and will certainly continue to be so in the future, in whatever form that may take. At the moment, I’m very busy with my studies; as for what comes next… we’ll see where life takes me. As for the collaboration with Lacrimosa, I’ll leave all decisions and communication to Tilo and Anne.

Yeeeees, and the shows sold out in record time! I’m naturally delighted that such a large community in Mexico has made a project of this kind and scale possible – and I’m thrilled for everyone who gets to be part of it! And then again in the autumn, in Berlin. These are sure to be truly special experiences!

That immediately brings to mind a scene from my childhood bedroom. After I’d taken part in "Feuer", Tilo had given me my very own copy of "Sehnsucht", which I played over and over again on my CD player. This was also the case on one fateful afternoon when I had a school friend round to visit, to whom I proudly showed and played it all… That friend never came to my house again, having apparently spent a whole night in nightmares. And I got a proper telling-off from her mum. She was probably frightened by the dark aesthetic of the music and the cover art… which were perfectly normal to me.

I’m not really a fan of New Year’s resolutions; I think that if I want to do or change something, I should do it straight away. But I do have a sort of motto for the year: just do things. Be bold, make mistakes, don’t be afraid of failure. Move away from a perfectionism that paralyses you.

That was in Jena, before the show.