Her Own World interview – Building scale without breaking the spell
Her Own World (Photo by Karo Kratochwil 2024)
Her Own World have reached that delicate moment when a band stops being discussed as a promising exception and starts being watched as a serious force. The momentum is visible: a major support run with Project Pitchfork, a steadily widening audience, a live concept that feels fully inhabited rather than merely styled, and songs that move with unusual confidence between dark electronics, gothic atmosphere, and emotional precision. What makes Her Own World compelling, though, is not growth alone. It is the sense of inner coherence. Their world does not feel assembled for effect. It feels lived in. In this interview, Yu and ad-x from Her Own World speak about pressure, discipline, performance, feminine power, darkTunes, the balance between image and songwriting, and the quiet patience required to build something durable without surrendering it to trends, algorithms, or speed.
Her Own World interview
Karo: In a relatively short time, Her Own World seems to have moved from being a striking underground promise to a band that is visibly operating on a bigger scale. When a project grows this fast like Her Own World, what changes first behind the scenes: the artistic ambition, the discipline, the self-expectation, or the pressure?
Yu: I think the last two change the most, meaning our expectations of ourselves and the internal pressure we feel. That pressure keeps growing, but above all, we put it on ourselves. We want to become more and more professional and show that both onstage and off it. We feel ready for large scale, professional productions, which is why we keep raising the bar for ourselves. The artistic ambition has always been there, and I think it always will be. From the very beginning, we wanted to create ambitious work, both musically and visually. As the band grows, those ambitions naturally grow with it. Our appetite for development keeps increasing, and we definitely want to keep moving further in that direction. We believed in Her Own World from the start. At the same time, we never made promises to ourselves or assumed everything would happen quickly. We simply kept doing the work. We worked hard, developed step by step, and focused on refining what we had to offer. We never tried to take shortcuts or force our way into radio, television, or festival organizers’ inboxes. We just kept showing our work and building a community around the band through concerts and social media. In hindsight, our path may seem fast, but to us it still feels like the beginning. Her Own World has existed for seven years already, and throughout that entire time we built, step by step, the place we stand in today.I would not even say that we experience pressure in a negative way. It is more a form of inner discipline born from passion and from enormous faith in this project. Each of us is constantly developing, musically, vocally, on stage, even choreographically. We simply love what we do very much, and that is why we give it everything we have.
ad-x: For me, the first change is the pressure on the sound. When you play for 50 or 100 people, you can experiment without fear. When the scale grows and you start playing bigger venues, every production decision carries more weight, and paradoxically that pushes you toward greater boldness, not less. I wanted the live session to be set up in a way where I could just walk in, plug in, and the local sound engineer would simply adjust a well prepared session to the room. It worked out perfectly at soundcheck. We played through three songs and still had free time before the show. ☺
Karo: Supporting Project Pitchfork places you in dialogue with one of the defining names of the dark scene. Did that tour feel mainly like exposure, or did it also function as a kind of mirror, showing you more clearly what Her Own World already is, and what it still wants to become?
Yu: I think that tour was above all an enormous opportunity to reach new listeners, especially within the German dark alternative and gothic scene. We are very grateful for that, because it was our first truly serious tour, and the chance to support an absolutely legendary band like Project Pitchfork was a huge honor. Naturally, the tour allowed us to present ourselves to a new audience, and importantly, to the very audience we care deeply about. The German gothic scene is incredibly strong and has a huge, very conscious community around it, so the possibility of playing for people like that was truly meaningful to us. We also felt that we entered the tour well prepared. The material we were presenting was already very polished, so we were able to show Her Own World in the best possible form. Of course we are still developing, and we are still refining everything. With every concert we become more efficient, more experienced, and more professional. But that tour gave us the feeling that we are ready for the next step. The offer itself was a huge surprise. At first, it was honestly difficult to believe it was really happening, because for a long time we had dreamed of touring Germany alongside a major band and reaching that audience. When that opportunity suddenly appeared, it felt a little like one of our biggest musical dreams coming true, and it was a very important moment in our professional path.So no, it did not act as a mirror in the sense of showing us exactly who we already are. It worked more as a huge source of motivation and a confirmation that the direction we chose for Her Own World really makes sense. Looking at Project Pitchfork, we perhaps saw ourselves in a few years, or maybe in ten.
ad-x: Definitely a mirror. You stand backstage and watch a band with more than thirty years of legacy, and either you get scared or you begin to understand what you want to be in a few years. For us, the second option came naturally. There was stress during the first two shows, but once we settled into the rhythm of weekend touring, it all started to feel very natural.
Karo: The visual language of Her Own World is unusually strong, not decorative, but structural. Fire, LED elements, styling, movement, atmosphere: all of this feels woven into the identity of Her Own World rather than added afterward. At what point does a Her Own World song tell you what it should look like, and have there been moments when the visual idea changed the music itself?
Yu: When it comes to whether visual ideas influence the music itself, not really, because with us the music and lyrics always come first. We first build the whole story and the emotions inside a song, and only afterwards do we begin to think about what kind of visual setting can best express the atmosphere of that story and intensify what is already happening in the music and lyrics. That is why all the visual elements, fire, LEDs, styling, movement, performance, are never something added at the end purely for effect. They grow directly out of the emotion and character of a particular song. In a sense, each song tells us what visual world can accompany it. At the same time, we try to approach live performance very consciously. Not every song requires an elaborate stage setting, and we also do not want the visuals to overshadow the music itself. There are technical and physical realities as well. Our performer would not be able to dance through an entire concert at full intensity with fire, LEDs, and complex choreography. It is an enormous physical effort, so those moments usually appear every second or third song. We try to choose precisely the moments where performance can truly add something to the story the song is telling and make the audience feel the emotion inside the music even more strongly. And I actually think that is a very healthy approach. Some bands eventually discover they have so many LED screens and so much smoke that they could just as well put a playlist on a USB stick and go for coffee. With Her Own World, the visuals still serve the music, not the other way around.
Karo: A lot of bands talk about “creating a world,” but in the case of Her Own World the name almost feels like a working method. As the band grows, how do you protect that inner world from becoming diluted by external expectations, algorithms, scene trends, and the very practical demands of visibility?
Yu: That is a very good question, because the name Her Own World was always something more than just a band name. “Her Own World” obviously means exactly that, but for us it is more of a kind of shorthand. It is a world into which we invite the listener and the viewer. We want people to enter our reality, our emotions, and our aesthetics. From the very beginning, we have tried to do everything our own way, and I think that is exactly what distinguishes us the most. We never tried to adjust ourselves to trends, algorithms, or temporary fashions within the scene. We simply create things that genuinely resonate with us. Of course we curate all of it very consciously, because we want to preserve the coherence of our world and the direction we have chosen as a band. It is not about changing style every few months just because something happens to be fashionable. Everything we do has to fit our identity and arise naturally from who we are. The most important thing for us is that nothing in this world is artificial or calculated. This vision was not invented at a marketing table under the headline “let’s create an aesthetic.” It develops organically alongside us, because we have been creating together in the same lineup for years, continuously building something as a group. We are not trying to pretend or to present ourselves as something we are not. Everything comes from emotion, from sensitivity, and from the things we genuinely feel. I think that is also why Her Own World has such a coherent character. Every new thing we create grows out of something that came before. This world keeps evolving, but in a very consistent way. We also do not obsess over audience expectations, but what is beautiful is that people resonate very strongly with what we do. Their expectations are not that we change ourselves or adapt to trends. They simply want more of what we already are. That is why we want to keep developing Her Own World along exactly the path we chose from the beginning. Algorithms change their mood every three days, trends have a shorter shelf life than yogurt in the fridge, and bands that blindly chase them often do not even know who they are after a year. Consistency still wins. Just more slowly. And people are dramatically impatient with the word “slower.” We are patient (smiles)
ad-x: Artistic decisions stay within Her Own World as a band. Yu and I are responsible for the musical direction. We listen to feedback, but we do not write music for algorithms or to meet someone else’s expectations. We do what we like and what we believe in. If something starts to sound too safe, that is a warning sign for us. We are Her Own World, we have our vision, and we follow it.
Karo: darkTunes has clearly been an important platform in Her Own World’s trajectory, from earlier releases to the newer chapter. What has that collaboration actually changed for you in concrete terms: reach, confidence, artistic pace, access to the right audience, or perhaps even the way you think about yourselves professionally?
Yu: This question almost contains its own answer, because everything you listed has genuinely influenced our development in a major way. Working with darkTunes Music Group has changed a great deal for us, both in terms of reach and confidence, and also in the way we think about the band on a more professional level. First of all, the label truly believed in us. Rafael Beck gave us room to grow and supported us strongly from the beginning, but at the same time, nobody ever tried to limit our vision or impose a direction on us. We have a great deal of artistic freedom, and that is incredibly important to us, because it means we can develop Her Own World exactly the way we imagined it ourselves. It is also very valuable that the label genuinely understands and supports the direction we have chosen. darkTunes is also a very modern and professionally run label. We feel that we landed in a place that truly understands what artist development looks like today and how to build a band within the contemporary alternative scene. Of course, greater reach and the ability to reach the right audience are hugely important, but equally important is the positive feedback and the real support we receive. That builds confidence enormously. And once you start believing more strongly in what you do, you naturally walk your own path more boldly. Everything becomes even more exciting and motivating. We as Her Own World feel a little as if this collaboration gave us an extra pair of wings and confirmed for us that people genuinely want to hear what we create. The atmosphere within the label itself is also very special. There is no room for toxicity or unhealthy competition there. On the contrary, bands support one another, friendships emerge, artistic collaborations happen. That creates a very creative environment, and it has an incredible effect on both the pace of work and the motivation of all the artists involved. We are all developing together and trying to create the best possible conditions for greater professionalism. Today, many alternative bands begin with small steps, but all of us dream of reaching the moment when we can fully live from music and treat it as a real profession. We definitely want to get there too.
Karo: “The Queen” carries the language of rebirth, self-possession, and returning stronger after pain. Was that song a continuation of themes you had already been exploring, or did it mark a deeper shift in how you wanted Her Own World to speak, especially in terms of feminine power and authorship?
Yu: The lyrics to “The Queen” really did come out of a need to process certain very difficult emotions and experiences. As you noticed in the question, the song carries motifs of rebirth, agency, and returning stronger after pain. It is a story about the idea that even the hardest experiences can ultimately strengthen us, teach us something, and leave us stronger and more self-aware. This song speaks about the moment when someone goes through something very painful, but over time regains their strength and rebuilds themselves. There is also a kind of symbolic blooming in it, in spite of everything that previously tried to break us. Hope is very important there as well, the conviction that pain does not last forever, and that after the hardest moments you can stand on your feet again. Of course, I sing that story from a woman’s perspective, so the motif of feminine strength and agency appears naturally. But in truth, I would like the song to resonate much more broadly than that. It is not only a song about femininity. It is a song for everyone who has gone through something difficult and has had to find themselves again. I always dedicate this song to people who have survived something and still keep moving through life with their heads held high. For me, “The Queen” is about that moment when, after everything, you straighten your crown and keep going, stronger, more aware, and no longer so easy to break. The song also has a very personal dimension, because I co-wrote the lyrics with a friend who at that time was herself going through a very difficult period. Writing it was emotionally important for both of us, and in a way it helped her regain her strength. That is why I deeply hope that “The Queen” can give other people a similar feeling of hope, strength, and support.
Karo: Her Own World is often described as a fusion of industrial rock, gothic metal, and electro, but what feels interesting now is not the list of influences, but the balance of forces inside the music. When you write today, what tells you that a song is truly yours, not just stylistically effective, but unmistakably Her Own World?
Yu: It really is no longer about listing genres or influences. It is more about the way all these elements begin to create their own identity. We sometimes call this mix “nugoth,” a kind of modern take on gothic. When we create music, we think about it a little like building something from specific ingredients. In Her Own World songs, there is almost always an electronic layer inspired by dark electro and dark electronic music. That is one of the foundations of our sound. Another very important layer is live instrumentation, especially guitar and live drums, which add energy and a more organic character. The bass often functions on two levels at once as well, electronic and live simultaneously. Then there is the vocal layer, where emotionality, delicacy, and a certain ethereal quality in the female voice are very important to us. We do not try to overload songs with too many elements or add things simply because they are flashy. We focus instead on combining those ingredients consciously, in different proportions, so we can create new melodies, new emotions, and new spaces while still preserving a shared stylistic core. I also think it matters enormously that each of us brings a slightly different musical sensitivity and a different approach to creating. Out of that mixture of energies, something emerges that ultimately sounds like Her Own World. It is not something you can mathematically design. It is more the natural result of who we are, both as people and as a band. I hope that is why our songs contain something recognizable, and that when someone hears even a fragment of a new track, they can think, “That sounds like Her Own World.” Although, honestly, it would probably be fairest to ask the listeners, because artists are usually buried so deeply inside their own material that after a week of mixing hi-hats, they no longer know what reality is.
ad-x: If I feel that something is primarily us, I say, “Okay, let’s release it.” Though let’s be honest, these days comparisons are unavoidable. If there is a clear element of “us” in it and it works, we release it. Creating something one hundred percent original and comparable to no one is pretty much a utopia today.
Karo: Because your shows are so visually memorable, there is probably a risk that some people first notice the spectacle and only later discover the songwriting. Do you ever think about that tension, and is part of your artistic challenge to make sure the image opens the door, but the song is what stays in the bloodstream?
Yu: Her Own World is first and foremost a musical project, and that always remains the most important thing for us. Many people listen to our music every day without the concert performance attached to it, so the songs themselves have to stand on their own emotionally and musically beyond the stage as well. The visual setting, the performance, the choreography, and the concert atmosphere are there to strengthen the emotions already present in the music and to emphasize even more strongly the stories we are telling through the songs. Her Own World has never treated visuals as something separate from the music or as something created only for effect. Everything is deeply interconnected and arises from the same aesthetics and the same emotional core. That is why we do not feel that image covers the songwriting. It works in symbiosis with it and together forms a fuller experience. For us, a concert is something more than simply playing the songs live. I think the show matters enormously, because people come to a concert for emotion and experience. We want to give the audience something more than the musical layer they can later hear in headphones. Performance, lights, stage movement, and choreography are there to make the reception of the music even more intense and engaging. Our relationship with the audience is also extremely important to us. We try to keep eye contact with people, to build atmosphere, and to be genuinely present with them in that moment. If a song is more emotional or more serious, we try to reflect that on stage as well. If the energy of a song is more dynamic, we want to draw the audience into experiencing it together with us. Everything comes from the emotion of the particular song. And honestly, the best confirmation that we are keeping the right balance lies in people’s reactions after concerts. Very often, we hear that the audience experiences all of it as one coherent whole. People do not separate the music from the performance. They simply talk about the concert experience. For us, that is a huge compliment, because it means all those elements are truly working together rather than competing for attention. I even have the feeling that if one of those elements were missing, a Her Own World concert would feel incomplete for some people. That is exactly why we treat music, visuals, and performance as one shared organism. And honestly? Audiences can tell very well when “show” is merely a cover for average music. People may enjoy fire, LEDs, and dramatic poses, but if there are no emotions and no good songs underneath, the whole spell breaks by the third chorus. If people remember both after the concert, then the balance is clearly working.
ad-x: I do not see it as a problem. I see it as a deal. The visual side grabs attention, and we usually have three minutes or more to prove that Her Own World also has something to say musically. It is a fair transaction, and the two worlds complement each other perfectly.
Karo: If this current phase of Her Own World, the tour momentum, the stronger visual identity, the newer singles, the widening collaborations, is not the destination but a threshold, then what do you feel Her Own World is moving toward now: a sharper sound, a darker one, a more emotional one, or something that would surprise even the people who think they already understand Her Own World?
Yu: I do not feel that we are moving in one single concrete direction out of the ones you mentioned. Our sound is simply what it is, and we want to preserve that. Our music is not one-dimensional. Sometimes it is dark, sometimes lighter, sometimes more emotional and direct, sometimes more reflective. As for people “understanding” us, I do not think that is something we can fully control, and we do not really try to. We are not trying to be a riddle or to manufacture ambiguity. We are simply ourselves, we show emotions, and we invite people into a shared experience of the music. How someone receives and interprets that is already a very individual matter. Our main principle is to do what we feel. We do not want to pretend or to chase any particular trend or direction. If we feel the need to create something darker, we do it. If something moves us emotionally, we translate it into music and lyrics. And if something provokes resistance in us, we are capable of showing more teeth. That is why our work will never be uniform. Different themes and emotions naturally shape what we create, both musically and lyrically.
ad-x: Her Own World is moving toward a sound that is slightly heavier than the debut and more emotional, and I do not think that is a paradox. We are working on material that contains more contrast within itself, more room for tension. Each track is its own story. One carries weight and emotion, another is a straight up banger in a pop structure so people can have fun and go wild. I think that is exactly what will surprise the people who think they already understand us.
Karo: Last one. Her Own World has already built a very distinct identity, musically, visually, and emotionally, but every strong artistic world also reaches a point where it has to either deepen or transform itself. When you look ahead now, what feels like the next true step for Her Own World: a new sonic direction, a more ambitious live concept, broader international presence, or perhaps something entirely unexpected?
Yu: Her Own World still has many challenges ahead, and I think the fact that we played a tour with Project Pitchfork, a legend of the gothic scene, is not the end of our road at all. In a way, it feels more like the beginning. I do not think we need to transform ourselves in the sense of changing direction. It is more about continuing to develop in the direction we have already chosen and consistently raising the level of professionalism so that we can become more visible, more accessible, and reach an ever wider audience. As for the live concept, of course it matters and it can keep developing, but a lot depends on the possibilities we will actually have. At the moment, almost everything we do is still largely our own investment and grows out of the real conditions in which we function. That is why we do not want to plan things beyond our means. We simply want to do the best we possibly can here and now. Our main goal is for music to become our full time work and main source of income. That would allow us to operate on a larger scale, in an even more professional way, and to devote ourselves fully to what we do. Music is not only a passion for us. It is also something we would truly like to live from. So the musical direction remains coherent, and the live concept does as well, although of course both can continue to develop and expand along with our growth and possibilities. It is also very important to us to continue strengthening our presence in Poland and internationally, including in Germany, where we have already taken a very important first step and where we would love to continue growing and performing.
ad-x: I think the real next step for Her Own World is deepening, but the kind of deepening that looks like transformation from the outside. We want to take people further into this world, not build a new one, and to do that, we need to reach beyond Poland. The dark independent scene in Western Europe is much bigger, and we feel there is an audience for us there. We just need to reach them. ☺
Yu: Finally, we would really like to thank you for this interview and for the opportunity to talk about our world. As the founders of Her Own World, it means a lot to us that we can share this story and this energy with more people who listen to us and support us.
Her Own World will perform at Castle Party 2026 in Bolków on July 18, 2026. Around the turn of June and July, their new single “Like a Moth” will also see the light of day.
Based in Wrocław, I work as a music journalist and photographer covering electro, industrial, EBM, gothic, and darkwave. My work includes features and live coverage, as well as concert, portrait, promo, and theater photography. What interests me most is the connection between artistic intention, what the work communicates, and what unfolds live on stage, all in pursuit of the bigger picture behind the music.
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