manuela

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“SLINKY, UNDERSTATED DANCE-ROCK THAT SHUFFLES ALONG WITH ECHOING, ESCALATING GUITAR LINES AND PRECISE DRUMS THAT SNAP WITH INTENT” –STEREOGUM

Manuela is the London/Munich-based art-pop project of Austrian vocalist, songwriter and visual artist Manuela Gernedel. Blending off-kilter pop songwriting with lush arrangements, sly humour and a taste for the surreal, her music exists in a richly imagined space where synth funk, chanson, soul and cinematic orchestration collide. Her self-titled debut album, released in 2017 on Lost Map, was widely praised by outlets including Pitchfork, Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit, and led to appearances at festivals such as Field Day, Hidden Door and Festival Marvin, alongside a live session for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music. She has also collaborated closely with longtime musical partner Nick McCarthy, both within Manuela and previously in the cult duo Box Codax.

Originally raised in Bavaria, Manuela later moved to Glasgow to study painting at Glasgow School of Art, embedding herself in the city’s fertile DIY music scene before eventually relocating to Munich in 2019. Alongside music, she has continued to work extensively as a visual artist and educator, with both disciplines feeding into one another. Her second album Ultraviolet was written entirely in Bavaria and shaped slowly over time, drawing on folklore, philosophy and storytelling, and features contributions from close collaborators including Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab. Rooted in collaboration, patience and curiosity, Manuela’s work is defined by what she calls “radical tenderness and optimism” — music that invites listeners into a strange, generous and emotionally vivid world.

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