Yes. I think everyone experiences that at some point. Having full control is impossible. You can only learn to deal with the loss of control – through experience and awareness of your own emotions. For me, that often happened with anger or conflict, with parents, friends, or on the street. When you react too impulsively, regret often follows. That’s why it’s important to pause and sometimes look at situations from a bird’s-eye view.

A certain form of chaos is almost unavoidable for creativity. Everyday life, emotions and society – all of that provides impulses. But art for me emerges after the chaos, not in the moment itself.

I used to be tense in the studio, thinking: This has to work now. Today I’m more relaxed. If nothing comes out, that’s okay – then it was just a session. You shouldn’t measure creativity only by the final product. If you stay in the moment, the result becomes by proxy more honest. Now I feel less pressure in the studio, more focus – and often this beautiful feeling of realizing: Damn, we’re really doing this. That is pure love. Of course, there are moments when you get stuck on a rhyme, but that’s part of it. Success is never linear. Sometimes ideas flow, sometimes not at all. In the end, gratitude counts – and the right people around you.

I used to struggle with that. Today I know trust is incredibly valuable. I often direct music videos, but without stress, because I work with friends I trust. It’s like a relay race – I don’t have to sprint everything alone. On a larger scale, I let go when I have no ideas. Then I consciously take distance, stay out of the studio for weeks, avoid social media. Distance is the best advisor. Often it helps to spend time with friends or try something new. Recently my girlfriend and I bought painting supplies to paint at home.

Hate.

Love. It is stronger than hate – but it needs work. Love isn’t a permanent state; you have to nurture it: in relationships, friendships, and social interactions.

They’re deeply connected. Symba is not a fictional persona but a part of me. Sometimes Symba is even more honest than Sylvian. Both go hand in hand.

Whatever fits the song – sadness, love, or self-confidence. What matters is that people see themselves in it and have a good time. Even in sad songs, there should always be a glimmer of hope.

Whenever I was brave. As a teenager, I studied directing and then took the leap into music – unconventional but honest. Being brave doesn’t always mean going against the grain. It means staying true to yourself.

Of course. It’s not a 9-to-5 job. But I always return to the point: art matters. It nourishes people. Everyone is an artist, consciously or not – and I know I’m doing the right thing.

I set expectations high. If I don’t meet them, that’s okay as long as I gave everything. And if I didn’t give everything, the world won’t end either.

My comfort thing is “Harry Potter” – love it above everything. Also “Für Elise,” “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “My Funny Valentine”, “Ill Mind of Hopsin 7”, everything from XXXTENTACION – and of course Tupac.

A mix. A few years ago, at 20, I told myself: I just want to be honest. But that’s not always easy. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Honesty is a process for me, depending on who you’re talking to – I speak differently with my father than with friends or my girlfriend.

My WhatsApp status: “Amor Fati” – love of fate. And a sentence from Martin Luther King that went something like: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

A huge one. I’m sensitive and let a lot affect me. I feel love everywhere – for my girlfriend, family, friends, for Berlin. Also in small moments: a mother duck at the lake, cows on a Swiss mountain, a sunset in Sardinia. These moments make life worth living.