BIMM University Berlin Hamburg graduate Deer Anna plays Reeperbahn Festival
We were delighted to see BIMM University Berlin Hamburg graduate Anna Hirschgänger aka Deer Anna play two shows at this year’s edition of Reeperbahn Festival. We got to chat with her about the festival and what she has been up to since graduating from BIMM University Berlin.
How did the opportunity of playing Reeperbahn Festival come about?
I got to play two different slots. One of them I got by applying to play Reeperbahn Festival. The other one I got because I won a local music award called Krach + Getöse this year and they arranged for some of the winners to play at the festival.
What was your highlight of playing Reeperbahn Festival this year?
Just the fact that I got to play Reeperbahn Festival means a lot to me. I’ve been at the festival as a guest a lot of times and since my first time going, it has been my dream to play there someday. Other than that, I just loved the atmosphere and meeting so many new people.
How did your studies at BIMM University Berlin prepare you for playing festivals and performing live in general?
Through the live performance classes at BIMM University Berlin, I got the opportunity to be on stage a lot and get direct feedback on my performances, live arrangements, and so on, all within a supportive and safe space. BIMM University Berlin also encouraged me to think beyond the performance and work on the visual aspects of my shows. For example, I sewed a backdrop and got stage outfits for one of my assessments that I still use for my live shows.
What is your advice for students who would also like to play Reeperbahn Festival? What’s a crucial skill for anyone who wants to perform at festivals in general?
I’d recommend playing as many live shows as possible to get comfortable on stage and get better at playing live. This will also help you with growing your audience which in turn will make it easier to get access to opportunities like playing Reeperbahn Festival.
What have you been working on since you graduated BIMM University Berlin Hamburg this year?
Since my graduation, I’ve been really focusing on my music: I finished writing my debut album and we started production on it. I also played a lot of live shows and some festivals over the past few months which has been really cool.
What are your plans for the future?
My music will definitely stay my priority in the future. As I said, I’m working on my debut album at the moment which we plan to release next autumn and I’m already working on some more new songs. I’m also planning to go on tour next year and I’m hoping to play some more festivals, ideally also outside of Germany. One of my big goals for next year is to play at the Great Escape in Brighton.
You can also see Anna talk about her experience in this video:
It was great catching up with Anna and seeing her perform live at the festival. If you want to know how we connect students with the industry, read more about it here.
