Berlin-based rock outfit Beranger have developed a distinctive musical identity by combining classical piano with the explosive energy of alternative rock, indie and pop-punk. Having progressed from busking on the streets of Berlin to sold-out headline shows and major festival appearances, the four-piece continue to build their reputation around theatrical arrangements, powerful performances and a refusal to be confined by genre.
Their latest single ‘Signal’ captures that adventurous approach while delivering an empowering message about reclaiming control of your life. Inspired by the experience of dealing with people who drain confidence and undermine ambition, the track explores the importance of recognising negative influences and finding the courage to move beyond them.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The drums, I think this is probably why my piano playing can be so rhythmical, similar to metal breakdowns or quite unorthodox for a classical pianist.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I fell in love with nu metal, and pop rock, with bands like Linkin Park, Sum 41, Blink 182. They gave me the impetus to try singing at age 13, at the time, I lived in California, so everyone I knew was listening to them.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Meteora from Linkin Park
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
There are so many, from pop songs to heavier ones, but for instance: Knights of Cydonia from Muse, Closer from Kings of Leon, Clocks from Coldplay, or even Someone You Loved from Lewis Capaldi.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I actually try to have fun with it, and not try to expect any outcome. I think it's really important to try to stay and remain in the lightness and the playfulness of it all. Every time I've come into a room with an expectation or even played a live show or improvised live on stage with an expectation of an outcome that's when I believe you don't allow the universe or the magic to crystalize into the music like it wants to. Keeping that balance is tricky though, as the world around us is ever more demanding on artists.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
President, Novelists, James Blake, but also Yungblud, and classical pianists like Víkingur Ólafsson.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Linkin Park
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Being a musician is kind of like choosing your own pain or suffering and sticking with it, similar to alike a Sisyphusian-type effort nowadays, because I don't think it's something that makes a whole lot of sense financially currently. If you’re pursuing music today, you’re likely not doing it for the wrong reasons. And yet in that relentless act of dedication and that struggle through the ups and downs, comes the most freeing thing you've ever known, precisely what AI cannot steal from us: the sublimation of the self, the overcoming of something difficult. That forges someone.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The fact that you can never know or control how anything will do. The only thing you can do is be consistent and never give up. We must defend our playfulness and build a fortress around it so we stay the course, amidst a whirling tempest of expectations, algorithms, and people telling us what to do.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Rick Rubin: Do the thing, that you the artist, want to do. Don’t do the thing that you think others will want to hear.
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Beranger's new single 'Signal' is out now. Watch the new video for it in the player below.