With her gig she collected donations for the Elisabethstift, presented two new songs and also a lot of melancholy.
A line of excited people is winding its way around the green island in front of the Nåpoleon complex in Berlin, where Paula Hartmann’s benefit concert is scheduled to take place on September 5th. The high treetops protect against the unexpected late summer sun. An older man riding past on his bike tries to clear his path by shouting “All the students are shit here!”. In a way, he’s right. The humdrum crowd of fans is made up almost entirely of people in their 20s. All followed the singer’s last-minute social media announcement. Everyone is wondering if they can still make it through the entrance or if the entrance will stop in front of them. Tickets were not available to buy in advance. Spoiler: Each of the approximately 1,300 people made it into the complex’s St. Helenå cultural beer garden and was able to throw something into the event’s donation box.
For couch & kitchen
With a minimum amount of ten euros per person, a minimum of 13,000 euros was achieved. Probably even a lot more. All proceeds from the benefit concert came from Children and youth welfare facility Elisabethstift benefit. “The children can finally go on holiday to an amusement park again. There will be a new couch and probably even a new kitchen,” announces Paula Hartmann, who is as proud as she is touched. Cheering applause follows. The children of the home are all present. They wave energetically at Paula and greet her in unison with a loud “Hello”. You can feel the joy and their excitement at the same time.
In the outdoor area of the venue, the concert looks like a courtyard party among friends. Everyone comes together to celebrate for a good cause – but somehow also to say goodbye to summer. Colorful pennants and chains of lights adorn the bars that serve Aperol Spritz and wine spritzer under the canopies of the former workshop halls. Behind them, the Berlin S-Bahn tracks over the rails. The stage towers on a black container at the rear end of the inner courtyard. Before Paula Hartmann enters it herself, the stage is played by some of her friends, whom the musician invited to support her that evening.
Among friends
At the entrance, the Berlin singer Ceren calms the bustling mood that is inherent in arriving on the spot with her gentle voice. The musician FRISO replaces them. The man from Hamburg is part of all of Hartmann’s live shows anyway, this time he’s presenting his own tracks. Both artists are experimenting with both English and German texts. The electronic collective Orbit ultimately accompanies the audience into the sunset. Pink clouds cross the light blue sky until they merge into a soft purple. Orbit’s mesmerizing tones build excitement for the upcoming main act.
Paula is speechless
A deep bass sounds and dense artificial fog envelops the stage. You hear Paula Hartmann before you see her. She welcomes Berlin with her two-part song “Drive us home”. The Charlottenburger wears an oversized bomber jacket. Her blonde hair is tied back in a tight ponytail. The singer drowned out the original song line “I no longer believe in miracles” with the positive counterpart “I believe in miracles!”. What she’s really doing that night, as the singer tells between tracks. The fact that this gig was set up so spontaneously for the benefit of the Elisabethstift left her speechless.
With the next song, the artist picks up the whole audience. Everyone screams the lyrics to “Never in Love” into the darkness. Hartmann jumps around on the narrow stage and sweeps her fans away. The spotlights bathe the crowd in a bright red light until they change color to match the track “Baby Blue”. Not only does Paula perform her most recent feature Crossed Fingers – which appeared on Trettmann’s, Kitschkrieg’s and SFR’s album INSOMNIA – but also presents two unreleased tracks, one of which is due out this September. It will be their first self-release since their 2022 album NIE VERLIEBT.
The disorientation of a generation
With her song “Veuve” Paula Hartmann introduces a certain melancholy that will run through the last songs of the performance. Said song is her personal favorite track from the debut album, as the musician explains. So she sings the lyrics “Feel like tap water in an expensive glass” and “Burned out, but no strength for burnout” with a broken, injured voice. “I’ve never had it worse than this year. I didn’t think I could still give a benefit concert here at this time of year,” the Berliner reveals between her songs. Her voice trembles faintly as she explains how important therapy was for her to get out of this hole. She encourages those who can identify with her words to seek help if they need it. The 22-year-old is aware of the importance of this topic given her audience of about the same age. It is not for nothing that the pop artist embodies the disorientation of her generation.
Paula announces the closing song of the evening. When the children of the Elisabethstift have to leave, they are greeted with loud applause. She can still be heard in the distance bawling the singer’s first name as the notes of the final song, “Truman Show Boot,” fade away. With thanks, a kiss on the hand and a wave, Paula Hartmann disappears into the fog just as quickly as she appeared.