JILIAAN is a Berlin-based singer, pianist, and songwriter who weaves together the rich textures of classical piano and contemporary music with hints of Jazz and RnB, influenced by her time in London where her musical journey began. Having lived and traveled internationally from a young age, JILIAAN pours her experiences into heartfelt, authentic lyrics and arrangements. With her debut EP set for the summer of 2025, JILIAAN offers a compelling voice that resonates with anyone who has ever sought belonging.
With her single and music video, “Loser,” out now, we took some time to hear from JILIAAN. Read below to learn more about JILIAAN, the story behind ‘Loser,’ and what’s to come.
Hi JILIAAN! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Hi! My artist name comes from a nickname that my best friends used to call me at school. Whenever I heard them call me Jillian, it would put a smile on my face and it gave me a warm sort of feeling. The way they would pronounce it was ‘Jiliaaaan,’ hence why I decided to use this as my artist name to feel comfortable and safe with it.
What city are you from and where are you based now?
Originally, I’m from Hamburg, but I had been living abroad for the past twelve years. About a year ago, I decided to come back to my home country, and I moved to Berlin. It’s weird being so close to home, haha!
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
As a child, I always wanted to become a classical pianist, so that’s where it all started. I was playing at a very high level and practicing all of the time. But as I got older, I went to boarding school and was not really able to pursue this dream. I was also told that this would not be a ‘proper’ career (you know how it goes). . . So, I took a different route and kind of gave up on this idea of working in music. During my Bachelor’s degree, which I did in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics in Amsterdam, which I also loved by the way, I started to really miss the music again, so I took up some singing lessons. After finishing my degree, I was only 20 years old, so I told myself, I am still young and if I don’t try this music thing now, I will forever regret it. So, I moved to London and did this 1-year-course in Music Performance. I liked it so much that I decided to do my Master’s degree in it too, and that’s kind of when I started to take music seriously as a career.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?
Definitely. On the one hand, the classical piano has shaped my sound immensely. Even though I am mainly a singer now, I feel very connected to the piano and still love playing classical piano. But also my family, more specifically my Dad, always listened to a lot of great music and it became a thing that we would all sit together and listen to music, and just sing along. Our favourite band at home is The Eagles – we are all obsessed. Not that my music sounds anything like theirs, but I still think that it shapes the way that I listen to music and the way that I think in music in many ways.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
Haha, to be honest, I always find it incredibly difficult to classify sounds or genres. I always just say that my music is for anyone who wants to feel. It’s very emotional and stripped back. Not a lot of production on it. Piano- and vocal- based, very intimate sounds with lots of cool string arrangements – mostly Pop, but with a bit of RnB, Jazz, and Classical influences in there too.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I am the kind of person who enjoys doing most things really. I am very into sports – up until recently, I was playing in a football team, for example, and at the moment, I am training for a half marathon (I know, it feels like everyone is these days but whatever). Sports is definitely also what helps me stay creative, clear my mind, and it gives me routine. Not that I am very good at it, but I love cooking, when I find the time, I like to read and draw, sometimes. And, I don’t know if this classifies as a hobby, but traveling is a huge part of my life as well and feels essential for my creativity.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Adele is the first one who comes to mind. My mum and I would listen to her all of the time when I was younger, and her music is so emotional and raw, also piano-based. I think that her music inspired me the most. Also, earlier albums of Sam Smith, Jorja Smith, and maybe even a bit of Billie Eilish.
Who would be a dream to collaborate with?
My dream music collaboration would be with Olivia Dean. I absolutely love her music, her voice, her style, and just everything about her. What I would give to meet her!!!
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
Mmh, I would say finishing my debut EP! Even though it isn’t out yet, it will be so soon, and just the fact that I finally put it together and am actually releasing it feels like a huge step, and so much work that I can finally share.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Probably to really follow my intuition and my feeling, no matter what other people say. Everyone always warns me that the music industry is a tough place to be, which is true, but why would I let that stop me if this is what I want to do? It has definitely taught me to handle rejection better (haha) and still keep going, keep believing, and most of all be thankful that I get to do something that I love.
Now onto your release, ‘Loser.’ What inspired this song?
Well, I think everyone goes through phases where they feel like everything is just going wrong. I was living in London when I wrote this song and had just started gigging and sharing some of my music with other people for the first time. But, I felt that whatever I did or tried out, I just sucked at it and did really badly. I think this has also been a thought that I have always had at the back of my mind, no matter what I did. One day, I just got so tired of it, I decided that this mindset obviously had to change and so I wrote this song about not wanting to be a ‘Loser’ anymore! It was also my way of adding a bit of humour to the situation. So what if I’m a ‘Loser!’
How did the music video for ‘Loser’ come about? What was your vision for the video?
The idea for the video was to showcase multiple scenarios from my day-to-day life such as playing football, eating ice cream, being in the studio or being on a date, for example, and clearly failing at everything or have something very embarrassing happen to me (this is the story of my life so this was easy to reenact). But, as the video goes on, we embrace these failures and then we’re just having a good time with it. Because in the end, it usually somehow works out anyway!
What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from ‘Loser?‘
That being a Loser should be embraced in the best possible way and taken with humour!
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Yes! Most importantly (drum roll) my debut EP is coming out on the 28th of May. And then, I will have a release show for this EP on the 8th of June in Berlin!! And of course, I am already working on some very exciting things for what will happen after that, but that is something I cannot share yet…
Where can we follow you on social media?
My Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/jiliaan/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsjiliaan
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jiliaan
Thank you!
Of course, thank you for the the great interview; wish you much continued success!
