She’s the Pippi Longstocking of German rap: Badmómzjay manages the balancing act between the hooligan girl with the crass lyrics and the catchy melodies and the girl next door who wants to spread one thing above all: love.
FACES: There are so many myths surrounding your stage name. How did you come to it, and what does it mean to you?
Badmómzjay: Many people think that there is an exciting story or a deep meaning behind Badmómzjay. But it was actually just a friend of mine who called me that once. I found the name totally fresh and adopted it.
F: You have just launched your own beauty line BAD Cosmetics – with a lip gloss. Why is this particular product your first?
B: I couldn’t have imagined launching any other make-up product. After all, I’ve been wearing lip gloss since I was little. People know me with it, it belongs to me, so it was the obvious choice.
F: When are your long fingernails sometimes a handicap?
B: My long fingernails really only bother me when I have to take my debit card out of the machine. Or perhaps when picking up small change. (laughs)
F: What nail styling will we never see on you?
B: Very briefly, probably. Although I would actually try everything.
F: Do you remember your first attempts at make-up and your first beauty product? What was that, and what look did you wear back then?
B: I can hardly remember it, but I think it started with products and toys from magazines. There was always a lip gloss as a gift. Apart from that, I mainly used to wear mascara and kajal, that’s it!
From rap to beauty
F: Why are you taking the step from rap to beauty?
B: It is important to me to develop myself further. I am of course an artist and musician, but I am also a business woman and want to set myself new challenges in order to develop further and become greater in who I am.
F: Who or what inspires you?
B: Everything and everyone inspires me! Everything I see around me is an inspiration to me. I am always super inspired by love and happy people, great scenery and the beautiful things in life.
F: How did you envision your future before?
B: I actually grew up with very little and in sad circumstances. For this reason, the future I imagined in my head was always somehow a way to escape. I always imagined somehow getting out and being somewhere else in the future, where everything is nice and easier.
F: What is your drive to keep releasing new songs?
B: I want to develop as an artist and give free rein to my creativity. That’s why I constantly analyze what I feel and then package it in my art.
F: Where and how do you recharge your batteries when your reservoir is empty?
B: Definitely in the sun! I like to surround myself with people I love and who remind me of who I am. The fact that these people around me love me so much also reminds me to give myself the same love.
Success can also be difficult
F: What is the greatest thing about success and what is the most difficult?
B: The greatest thing about success is the opportunities and the freedom I have to go where I want and do exactly what I want every second. It’s nice to be able to inspire so many people and give them something with my music. The hardest thing for me is that sometimes it can get very lonely and I have to give up a lot of things. My privacy suffers, of course, and everything I do is immediately in the public eye, and I have to be constantly careful not to reveal too much.
F: Besides the obvious ones, what’s one of your talents that no one knows about?
B: I danced for ten years and I can move really well. I can also remember things really well. I hear a song or read something once and it’s immediately in my head and never goes out again.
F: What has been the most formative experience so far?
B: My first live season was my most formative experience, because it involved a lot of pain and I understood how much you have to demand of your body to play so many concerts and festivals. I pushed myself to my limits. But it was still one of the best experiences ever, because I met the most amazing people and received so much love in the process!
F: And what other experience would you like to have?
B: I really want to travel a lot and see lots of things all over the world!
F: When do you feel most beautiful?
B: I feel most beautiful when I lie in bed with my make-up off and look at things that make me happy, or when I look into the eyes of someone who loves me and see how beautiful they think I am.
F: What do you want to be known for?
B: I want to be known for giving love, making a difference, changing things, inspiring people, healing people, radiating positivity and making people feel good around me.
Follow Badmómzjay on Instagram at @badmomzjay.
You can find all information about BAD Cosmetics here.
Fancy some merch? Then take a look around the Badmómzjay store.
You can find more exciting faces and interviews with interesting people here.
Photo: © Dennis Hardt
