Interview with Nana Nocturnal on stage freedom, the body, music and real art in the age of AI
- L7
- 16 minutes ago
- 5 min read
I first became aware of Nana Nocturnal when I saw her perform live with Grausame Töchter. Her stage presence immediately stood out to me: physical expression, music, provocation, and a strong sense of freedom, without the performance ever feeling random or designed only to attract attention.
What I found especially interesting was the contrast between her intense stage presence and her musical background. The flute has accompanied her through a large part of her life, she comes from classical music, and today she also moves within a much freer and more unconventional artistic world.
That is exactly what I wanted to speak with her about: the stage as a home, the outside view of the body, the difference between modeling and performance, the different versions of ourselves, and why real, human art may become more important than ever in the age of AI.
To match the topics of this interview, we also put together a metal playlist you can play while reading:
1) Freedom on stage
Niflheim Records:
When people see you on stage, there is an immediate sense of freedom, courage and deliberate artistic expression. What does that state mean to you personally, and when do you feel most connected to yourself on stage?
Nana Nocturnal:
Thank you very much! I like to describe the stage as my home, and I genuinely cannot live without it anymore. Still, the path toward the stage presence I have today was a long one.
I feel most connected to myself when I reach a flow state on stage. When I notice that everything is going so well that I can bring in spontaneous ideas and connect with the audience. That is when I truly feel at home.
2) The body, perception and the outside gaze
Niflheim Records:
With intense performances, people often judge, sexualize or misunderstand very quickly from the outside. How do you experience that gaze, and at what point does performance become more than simple provocation for you?
Nana Nocturnal:
For me, it was something I had to get used to. I have been on stage in different contexts for almost my entire life. By now, I have come to the conclusion that a message can only reach someone if they are open to it. There will always be people who are only interested in how much or how little you are wearing.
Provocation for its own sake bores me. The fact that some people can still be provoked so quickly in today’s world, where almost everything has already been told and seen before, makes me smile.
Still, I would be lying if I said that a little provocation was not fun for me. But then it should have an artistic statement behind it, and not exist only to generate attention.
3) Modeln und Performance, zwei verschiedene Formen von Ausdruck
Niflheim Records:
Modeling and performance can sometimes look similar from the outside, but probably feel completely different internally. What is the biggest difference between these two forms of expression for you?
Nana Nocturnal:
On the catwalk, the clothes are clearly the main focus. During a photo shoot, it is about a specific expression in a particular moment. I always keep in mind that things appear differently through the camera lens, and I think about the final result.
When I am on stage, it feels completely different. Of course, I also expect my expression to be on point there, but the audience receives more than a single snapshot.
That is also what attracts me so much to performing and has pulled me back onto the stage again and again throughout my life: the dramatic arc, the combination of self-expression and the energy of the audience that develops from it.
4) Roles, masks and different versions of ourselves
Niflheim Records:
There is this idea that we show different sides of ourselves depending on the situation and the people around us, and that we wear different masks in everyday life. Is the version of you on stage more of a role, a form of protection, or perhaps even your most honest side?
Nana Nocturnal:
My stage self, or rather my stage selves, are not the whole truth, because we as people are far too complex for that. Who wants to see the bad days with all their insecurities, low phases and unglamorous outfits?
In the past, I was mainly active in classical music. Today, I often celebrate a kind of self-expression that would probably be inappropriate in a Bach trio. Although, never say never...
I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate sides of myself, wishes and needs that some people out there might feel ashamed of. If even one person sees me on stage and thinks, “Maybe I am actually okay the way I am,” then I have achieved my goal.
5) The flute as an unexpected element
Niflheim Records:
One thing I also found fascinating during your performance was the flute, especially because it is not necessarily expected in that context. What does this instrument mean to you, and what does it bring into your artistic world that other forms of expression cannot?
Nana Nocturnal:
The flute has accompanied me for almost my entire life. It is the instrument through which I learned musical expression, and it is the instrument I studied.
As much as I enjoy singing and playing the piano, when I want limitless possibilities, I reach for the flute. Simply because I know it inside and out and have already spent tens of thousands of hours with it.
6) Music in your life
Niflheim Records:
For many people, music is more than background sound. It is a companion through different phases of life. What does music mean to you personally, and how does it influence your mood or your sense of life?
Nana Nocturnal:
Beautifully described. Music has saved my life many times, as dramatic as that may sound. Sometimes talking does not help. Sometimes I simply need to turn up Shostakovich or Stravinsky as loud as possible and dance through the apartment without restraint.
A few years ago, I was afraid that the music industry might take away my love for music. But changing my direction away from “only” classical music gave me new energy and opened up a completely different perspective on music.
Stay tuned, I still have a lot planned!
7) Real performance in the age of AI
Niflheim Records:
In a time when more and more is artificially generated, filtered and digitally perfected, real presence may gain a completely different value. What can a real live performance communicate that no screen and no AI could ever truly replace?
Nana Nocturnal:
You are preaching to the choir with me. I will always defend real, physical, imperfect, human art.
In my opinion, AI took a wrong turn. I want my AI to clean my kitchen so that I have more time for art. I do not want it to force mediocre, soulless music on me. And destroy the planet in the process.
So that I have more time to clean my kitchen?
No, thank you.
Follow Nana Nocturnal
If you want to see more of Nana’s performances, music and creative work, you can find her here:
Instagram: @nananocturnal
Threads: @nananocturnal
A big thank you to Nana Nocturnal for her time and for sharing her thoughts with us so openly. What I find especially fascinating is how naturally her work brings together things that might look like opposites from the outside: classical music and radical freedom, technical experience and spontaneous energy, vulnerability and a powerful stage presence.
The interview also shows that provocation does not have to be empty or superficial. It can be a language for making freedom, acceptance and parts of our personality visible, especially those parts that often receive too little space in everyday life.