germany
Her solution is simple but strong, trust intuition.
“If a booking request doesn’t feel right or I can tell it’s just tokenizing, I simply reject it.”
BETWEEN CROWD AND SOLITUDE
Beneath her confidence lies another layer of honesty, one not often discus- sed in club culture: social anxiety.
“Ever since I was a kid, I realized social situations were harder for me than for others,” she says. “That’s stuck with me, but now I can at least name it and handle it better. Being open about my social anxieties, even online, has defi- nitely helped. Talking with friends and other artists made me realize that so many of them struggle with the same things.”
For her, openness is a kind of medicine.
“Just feeling I’m not alone has been such a relief. Less taboo, less pressure. It’s also about raising awareness among people who aren’t affected so we can create a comfortable atmosphere for everyone.”
And when she steps behind the decks, something shifts.
“When I start playing, it feels like all the anxiety disappears. I forget about everything else and it’s just the moment, the music, and the connection with the crowd. Maybe that’s part of why I love escaping into this world so much.”
She also finds balance in her creative rhythm.
“I love playing in front of people, but I really value the time I get to spend alo- ne, focusing on my productions and other projects. Somehow, I draw energy and motivation from both,” she says. “The tricky part is when I leave the club and everything drops from 100 to 0. No music, no crowd, just me and the silen- ce. That’s when I order some comfort food, try to relax, and by the next day I’m usually back to normal.”
THE PRESSURE TO BE SEEN
In an era where visibility is almost a currency, YOVA remains grounded.
“Imposter syndrome kicks in as soon as I spend too much time scrolling through Instagram,” she admits. “Am I posting enough? Is my content good enough? How do I stay relevant if I can’t keep up with everyone else? Comparison and self-doubt are always there, especially when you mostly see everyone’s highli- ghts.”
To protect her mental health, she keeps her digital life on a leash.
“I try to keep my social media use to a minimum. And if I do get lost in the feed, I remind myself, cheesy as it sounds, that there’s only one me, and I need to follow my own path in a way that feels right for me.”
She calls social media “a bit of both, a creative tool and a necessary evil.”
“It can get overwhelming quickly, especially when you feel like you always have to be active and available. Luckily, there’s the option to mute posts and stories, which helps a lot,” she says. “At the same time, I know that Instagram is essential for staying vi- sible and promoting my music. I just love connecting with people in the scene, exchanging ideas, and finding inspiration. Honestly, I wouldn’t be whe- re I am today without it.”
AN INVITATION TO FEEL
Perfectionism runs through her creati- ve process, but so does self-awareness. “As a perfectionist, I rarely experience the moment of being truly satisfied with something,” YOVA says. “That’s why it hits me even more when I do. Then I’m just like, yes, this is exactly it! To avoid getting stuck, I’ve started setting deadlines. Even if
them, it helps me not to stay on a project for too long.”
I sometimes miss
Her debut EP, Invitation To Feel, re- flects that balance between discipline and emotion.
“The intro track Youth Yearning started as a small sketch when I was listening to a lot of Breakcore,” she says. “At that time, I was stuck in a creative block. None of my Trance projects seemed to work out, so I tried something different. That track ended up sitting on my hard drive for a while, but in the end, it turned out to be the perfect intro.”
She describes The Stars Cry as the emotional centerpiece of the EP.
“It’s an emotional Hard Trance piece that took me a long time to finish be- cause I was never fully satisfied with it. Writing the melody was especially cha- llenging. I draw a lot of inspiration from the 90s Trance legends, so the bar was set pretty high. I knew it was done when it still moved me even after listening to it over and over again, and I can still lis- ten to it now without getting tired of it.”
The final two remixes by August Tange and Aexhy completed the project.
“I’m incredibly grateful for their contri- butions. They really brought the whole project together and made it feel com- plete.”
More than a debut, Invitation To Feel represents courage.
“For a long time,
because of perfectionism and fear of judgment,” she admits. “Releasing this EP feels like finally letting go of that pressure. It symbolizes growth and the courage to show my music as it truly is, with all its emotions and imperfections.”
And that’s exactly what she hopes lis- teners take from it.
“It’s an invitation to take a moment to remember, to dream, and to feel whate- ver there is to feel.”
LETTING GO OF DOUBT
Finishing her debut changed her pers- pective entirely.
“My biggest learning was to just go for it,” she says. “I realized I overthink too much, constantly questioning whether a project is good enough. Finishing the EP taught me that progress comes from putting myself and my art out there. And that’s the approach I want to carry into all my future projects.”
Her tone softens, but her conviction is clear.
“In the end, it’s all about creating and sharing music.”
I held myself back
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