SOPHIE LINDMÜLLER ALIAS ORBIT KID

IS A BERLIN-BASED SINGER, COMPOSER, SONGWRITER, AND IMPROVISER WHOSE ARTISTIC JOURNEY BRIDGES JAZZ, POP, ELECTRONICS, AND EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 BORN AND RAISED IN A SMALL TOWN NEAR HANOVER, SOPHIE FIRST IMMERSED HERSELF IN CLASSICAL PIANO BUT ALWAYS FELT A DEEP CONNECTION TO SINGING. EARLY INFLUENCES OF POP AND ROCK SHAPED HER PASSION FOR MUSIC, WHICH LATER EVOLVED INTO A PROFOUND LOVE FOR JAZZ, INSPIRING HER TO PURSUE THIS GENRE WITH DEDICATION. SHE JOINED THE JAZZ YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF LOWER SAXONY BEFORE MOVING TO BERLIN TO ATTEND A PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR JAZZ VOCALS.                                                                                                                                            SOPHIE WENT ON TO STUDY AT THE JAZZ-INSTITUT BERLIN, WHERE SHE ALSO WORKED AS THE WOMEN’S REPRESENTATIVE. HER PERFORMANCES HAVE TAKEN HER ACROSS GERMANY, EUROPE, CHINA, AND RUSSIA, YET BERLIN REMAINS HER ARTISTIC HOME.
HER COMPOSITIONS AND VOICE TRANSCEND GENRES, EFFORTLESSLY BLENDING JAZZ, ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL, IMPROVISATIONAL AND POP ELEMENTS. HER WORK AS A COMPOSER, LYRIC- AND SONGWRITER IS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THESE DIFFERENT GENRES AND PEOPLE AND WITH A LOT OF LOVE FOR MUSICAL DETAIL. AS A COMPOSER, LYRICIST, AND SONGWRITER, HER WORK IS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THESE DIFFERENT GENRES AND MUSICIANS AND WITH A LOT OF LOVE FOR MUSICAL DETAIL.
IN 2020, SHE WON THE 7TH INTERNATIONAL JAZZ COMPOSITION CONTEST (MIASTO MUZYKI UNESCO) WITH HER QUARTET COMPOSITIONS. THIS LED HER TO WORK ON ORBIT KID, AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT THAT SHOWCASES HER UNIQUE MUSICAL VISION.
 IN 2022, SOPHIE WAS AWARDED THE ELSA NEUMANN SCHOLARSHIP, WHICH ENABLED HER TO DEEPEN HER SKILLS IN COMPOSITION AND ARRANGEMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR LARGER ENSEMBLES FEATURING STRINGS AND HARP. 
IN MARCH 2024 SHE RELEASED HER DEBUT ALBUM „ORBIT KID SOCIETY“ UNDER THE ARTIST NAME „ORBIT KID“ ON BERTHOLD RECORDS.
ORBIT KID NOW SERVES AS HER ARTISTIC IDENTITY.
ALONGSIDE HER SOLO CAREER, SHE IS WORKING AS A SINGER AND TEACHER IN THE GERMAN JAZZ SCENE, COLLABORATING AS A BAND MEMBER, FEATURED ARTIST, AND EDUCATOR. RECENTLY, SHE WAS INVITED AS A VOCAL COACH FOR THE JAZZ YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF SAXONY-ANHALT AND CONTINUES TO SUPPORT VARIOUS BANDS AND PROJECTS. SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE BERLIN-BASED BAND MAKE A MOVE, CO-LEADS A DUO WITH BASSIST SOFIA EFTYCHIDOU, AND HAS PERFORMED AT VENUES LIKE THE KONZERTHAUS BERLIN AS PART OF THE YOUNG EURO CLASSICS FESTIVAL. HER WORK HAS BEEN SPOTLIGHTED BY DEUTSCHLANDFUNK KULTUR, RBB, WDR, JAZZTHING, AND JAZZTHETIK.

ABOUT ORBIT KID SOCIETY

by Ian Bild, November 2023
SOPHIE LINDMÜLLER’S NEW ALBUM ORBIT KID SOCIETY IS RELEASED UNDER HER ARTIST NAME ORBIT KID, ON BERTHOLD RECORDS. 
THE LINE-UP: SOPHIE LINDMÜLLER (VOCALS), PHILIP DORNBUSCH (DRUMS), POVEL WIDESTRAND (KEYS / PIANO / ORGAN / CELESTA), THORBJØRN STEFANSSON (BASS) PLUS: ASGER UTTRUP NISSEN (ALTO SAX / ALTO CLARINET), SIGMUND RYGH SELJEBØ (GUITAR), ANNA VIECHTL (HARP), MEIKE LU SCHNEIDER (VIOLIN), ALEXINA HAWKINS (VIOLA), OTTO HIRTE (FLUTE) & JULIA BIŁAT (CELLO). 
LINDMÜLLER IS A COMPOSER, IMPROVISER AND EDUCATOR, BUT ABOVE ALL A SINGER WITH A WARM, HEARTFELT AND UNFORCED VOICE. SHE IS ALSO THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND HER JAZZ GROUP, PLUS GUESTS, GATHERED TOGETHER FOR THIS ALBUM. “THERE ARE MANY INSTRUMENTS PLAYING TOGETHER ON ORBIT KID SOCIETY,” SHE EXPLAINS, “BUT NOT ALL PLAY ON EVERY TRACK. THE IDEA IS TO COMBINE, POP, JAZZ AND CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS, WITH NO GENRE BOUNDARIES.” 
THE SINGER WROTE BOTH THE MUSIC AND LYRICS. SUPPORTED BY EXCELLENT MUSICIANS, SHE HAS PRODUCED AN ALBUM THAT APPEALS TO A RANGE OF MUSICAL TASTES, YET RESULTS IN A UNIFIED AND CAPTIVATING WHOLE. “I WANT MY MUSIC TO BE ACCESSIBLE,” SHE SAYS, “EVEN IF THE PIECES ARE MOSTLY NOT EASY-LISTENING POP MUSIC.” 
THE MUSIC CAN BE QUIET AND INTIMATE AS IN THE TRACK DARK MATTER. “THE ENERGY BETWEEN PEOPLE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO GRASP,” SAYS LINDMÜLLER. “WHY IS SOME ENERGY GOOD, SOME BAD. YOU CAN MEET SOMEONE AND BOND, SENSE WHAT THEY ARE, BUT THERE’S THIS BIG UNIVERSE OF WHAT THEY’LL DO OR WHAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH. IT’S THE METAPHORICAL DARK MATTER.” HERE, THE COMPOSER USES PIANO, GUITAR, VOCALS AND BASS, PLUS A TOUCH OF CLARINET, TO CREATE A WARM SOUND, OFFSET BY UNSETTLING LYRICS: ‘THERE’S A HEAVEN, THERE’S A HELL OF YOU AND ME...’ 
LOST BOYS IS ALSO HIGHLY PERSONAL, BUT SHE PRODUCES A HARD HITTING, DISTURBING SOUND TO REFLECT ON DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIPS IN WHICH, “I WENT THROUGH A LOT OF REAL SHIT. NOT BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE MYSELF TOGETHER, BUT BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THEIR SHIT TOGETHER.” HER LYRICS INCLUDE THE TELLING LINE: ‘...FOLLOWING THE MONSTERS OF HIS MIND, I HAVE COFFEE AND HE HAS TIME...’ 
IN OTHER TRACKS SUCH AS SCORCHED EARTH LINDMÜLLER REFLECTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE THOUGH, AS SHE SAYS, “IN AN IRONIC WAY. THE WORLD IS GOING DOWN IN FLAMES AND YOU SAY, OK, THERE’S NO PLACE FOR ME. IT ALSO INCLUDES THE IDEA OF DOING STUFF TO BE BETTER. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES AND I INCLUDE MYSELF.” HERE, HER MELODIC, FREE FLOATING COMPOSITION IS IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE CHILLING LYRICS: ‘...SWIMMING IN THE ICY SEA, HOLDING HANDS, HEAR THE WHITE PAWS PLEA’. 
THE COMPOSER ENJOYS EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT MUSICAL FORMS AS IN BIRDS, A CALMING, INSTRUMENTAL PIECE. “THE INSPIRATION CAME FROM A STEVIE WONDER TRACK WHERE HE WAS CREATING JUNGLE SOUNDS IN THE BACKGROUND,” SHE EXPLAINS. “I CREATED A LOOP USING PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS AND BIRD PIPES. IT SOUNDS AS IF YOU’RE REALLY IN A FOREST, SURROUNDED BY BIRDS AND BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL NOISES.” 
IN WALKING ON THE MOON LINDMÜLLER EXPLORES HONESTY WHILST TAKING NEW DIRECTIONS. “IT’S ABOUT EXPERIENCING NEW SITUATIONS, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO IMAGINE THEM BEFORE,” SHE SAYS. “SOME OF THE LYRICS ARE SEXUAL,” - ‘...EXPLORING LUST RISING UP LIKE GLOWING CELLS’. 
INTERESTINGLY, WHEN ASKED ABOUT NEW DIRECTIONS, SOME PART OF HER WANTS TO, “...RETURN TO MY TEENAGE ME, NOT WRITING TOO COMPLICATED MUSIC AND BEING INTELLECTUAL. JUST TO BE A SINGER WHICH WAS ALWAYS THERE, EVEN AS A FOUR-YEAR-OLD IN KINDERGARTEN.” SHE REALISES THOUGH THAT NOBODY IS KEEPING HER FROM EXPLORING NEW MUSICAL AVENUES. IN TRUTH, HER MATURE MUSICALITY AND POETIC INVENTIVENESS PROMISE MUCH MORE PATH-BREAKING ORIGINALITY.