Eight To Know Now: Berlin

Check this mix of dynamic, creative LGBTQ kids causing a creative scene and expressing the fuck out of themselves in Germany’s balls to the wall metropolis. Oh, and they know where to party.

NAME: Hungry
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: Performer

Where is your safe space?
I feel pretty safe all around Berlin. There are a few areas that can get a bit annoying, but the right attitude gets you through anything. I definitely do have my favourite venues and events to just relax.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
Monster Ronson’s Ichiban Karaoke. It’s where we have our weekly party. Love the staff, love the venue, love our crowds.

NAME: Michael-John Harper or “MJ”
AGE: 29
OCCUPATION: Performance artist

Do you ever feel nervous to be your true self in public?
I did when I was in high school because I was teased. But I realized what people respected the most – and the point where I no longer felt nervous to be myself in public – was when I started to unapologetically claim ownership of the things that define my idea of myself.

NAME: LyraPramuk
AGE: 26
OCCUPATION: Singer, artist

Do you ever feel nervous to be your true self out in public?
All the time! I’m actually still pretty paranoid. I started transitioning a little over a year ago, and especially as a trans woman it can be extremely intimidating sometimes to be out in public. There’s such a vulnerability to existing as a trans-femme person in our culture. I often deal with anxiety when I’m out in public or in a mainstream environment for very long.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
Grunewald – it’s a forest in West Berlin.

NAME: Asbjørn
AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: Musician

Where and when do you most feel yourself?
Dancing is somewhat the perfect balance between letting go of myself, but simultaneously seeing myself from the outside, which I think is a hard balance to achieve on a fundamentally personal level. Being yourself while being conscious about how that affects your surroundings, you know?

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
First a little live-swing at Vila Neukölln, then dancing my ass off at Schwuz (the small floor), and maybe a late night chat at Ficken3000.

NAME: Marshall Vincent Garrett
AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: Musician

Do you ever feel nervous to be your true self out in public?
Only in cases where I feel some pressure to click with people I don’t click with. I would say there’s a lot of incessant apologizing with not getting along with folks in a place like NYC. In retrospect, in my long time of living there, the word “cordial” comes to mind more than anything. I certainly told myself once I moved and settled in Berlin, that I wouldn’t waste my time. It’s been a fantastic decision.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
A friends flat, or my own, preferably with wonderful people, lots of beer, and other things.

NAME: Mikey Woodbridge
AGE: unborn
OCCUPATION: Full-time Mikey

What impact has social media had on your work?
I’ve been lucky enough to score some really amazing jobs and projects that would have never come up if I didn’t have a profile. It’s a powerful and important self-promotion tool, especially if you’re an artist or working in nightlife. I’ve done projects for Rihanna designing a custom outfit, countless party hosting or DJ jobs, photographic and fashion collaborations, and a film for Depeche Mode. They were all jobs earned mostly through having an Instagram account putting my work out there that way.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
I’ll usually always end up at Berghain on Sunday. The magic that happens there is unlike anywhere else.

NAME: Nikolaj Tange Lange
AGE: 36
OCCUPATION: Performer, writer, and singer-songwriter-producer in the project Nuclear Family

Where and when do you most feel yourself?
The self is a pretty fluid thing, I think. Whether I am on stage in a costume, on a leash on all fours, or at home on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea, I never feel like I am putting on a role that isn’t part of who I am.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
Gegen, Cocktail d’Amore, Herrensauna, and of course Lab-Oratory.

NAME: Ahmad Larnes
AGE: 35
OCCUPATION: Singer/songwriter

Where is your safe space?
A vocal booth.

Favorite place to go out in Berlin?
Berghain