Julia Kautz: She will remember this meeting with Lady Gaga

Julia Kautz interviewed big pop stars before she became a singer herself. She tells of a "wild night of partying" with Lady Gaga.

Julia Kautz (39, "So many people") was a "Bravo" reporter for many years, but in 2012 she gave up her old job and became a singer. Kautz has many memories of her time as a journalist, but what particularly sticks in her mind is an encounter with Lady Gaga (34, "Rain On Me"). After a concert in Berlin, the pop star celebrated an aftershow party in the Berghain club. Julia Kautz recalls a "wild night of partying" in an interview with the news agency spot on news. "There were only transvestites at the party, Lady Gaga and I. When I woke up in the hotel room the next morning, I first had to look at the photos I had taken in secret to realize that it all really happened and not was just a crazy dream, "she says.

Julia Kautz also likes to think back to her interviews with Bruno Mars (35), Katy Perry (36) or Beyoncé (39). "Back then I traveled all over the world to interview the biggest pop stars. And through the many conversations with the artists I learned a lot about the music business and being an artist, which I can use today for my own path as a musician", says the 39-year-old. For a long time she drove two tracks, worked as a reporter during the day and wrote songs in the studio at night. "That tore me apart at some point," she says. Because her greatest dream was "to be on stage with her own songs".

Julia Kautz processes the painful separation in new songs

"As a reporter I was so close and still lived by by a hair's breadth. I was only allowed to write about how good the cake might taste instead of trying it myself," she explains. "That became a huge burden at some point." Again and again she would have had a recurring dream "of myself as an old woman on my deathbed". "In this dream, I bitterly regretted that I wasn't brave enough to realize my lifelong dream. I woke up drenched in sweat from it every time. When I was offered my first record deal with a major label, I knew that I would had to put everything on one card because otherwise I would have regretted it forever. "

Now she is "overjoyed that I can write songs every day". Her latest work will be released on Friday (November 27th): The EP "Amnesie" is about different phases of lovesickness, in which Kautz deals with a painful separation. "It was a terrible time. The separation took place shortly before the lockdown. That is, at the exact phase in which you actually want to go out and distract yourself, I was locked up at home alone. But at least that way I had enough time to reflect, and face this painful experience. I had to learn that sometimes love is unfortunately not enough and in some circumstances you have to break away from a person out of self-protection, even if the heart doesn't really want it, "she says.

Tips against lovesickness

The songwriting was "like therapy". In the song "Leonie", for example, Julia Kautz asked a woman "whether my boyfriend is cheating on me with her". "My gut feeling had known it for a long time, but unfortunately I let myself be manipulated by my counterpart," says the singer. "With this song I want to help others who are in exactly that situation and encourage them to always listen to their gut instincts. Because it is almost always right." She also has other tips for people who are going through a similar phase. "In general, music and conversations with friends help with lovesickness. Both have carried me through the worst phase. And very important: That no matter how disappointed you are, you should never stop believing in love."

The singer wants more support from politics in the corona crisis

She used the time in the Corona crisis for her EP. Actually, she would have planned a tour too. "I'm being completely honest: it's very difficult," she says. "Unfortunately, we artists often have the feeling that we have been forgotten by politics. The event industry in Germany is so big and important, but the funding mostly goes entirely to artists, musicians, booking agencies, event technicians, clubs and everyone else in the industry work, over. " That is "incredibly sad, because I am firmly convinced that art and culture are absolutely relevant to the system and are simply important for society". Without music from Spotify or series on Netflix, a lockdown would be almost impossible to achieve. "That is why I would definitely like to see more political support so that it does not get completely quiet in our country!"

Julia Kautz has also made a name for herself as a songwriter. She wrote songs for Luxuslärm and Max Mutzke (39, "Until it hurts"), Cassandra Steen (40) and Wincent Weiss (27). The encounters with the artists always "turned out fatefully". "My best friend discovered and managed Wincent Weiss and got me on board as a songwriter right from the start. I was even Wincent's singing teacher. Later I was allowed to accompany him on tour as support for a few years, which makes me loyal to myself Fanbase, my 'Kautzarmy'. I'm very grateful for that! ", She says. Cassandra Steen, in turn, met Gil Ofarim (38) at an aftershow party.