“It's an everyday, girlhood experience that is full of contrast” - Muryel delves into her debut EP, ‘House On Fire’.
On August 29th, German singer-songwriter Muryel released her debut EP House On Fire, a raw and vulnerable collection of tracks that will resonate with anyone drawn to guitar-driven sounds and unfiltered storytelling.
After a youth spent across different countries, Muryel has now made Berlin her home, where she writes not only for other artists but also turns her distinctive songwriting skills toward telling her own stories. Across six heartfelt tracks, the 27-year-old singer dives into themes of friendship, heartbreak and identity, offering a glimpse into her world. Her debut unfolds with the intimacy of a diary, inviting listeners into her most personal stories - stories that invite reflection for some and clarity for others.
Soon after its release, we had the chance to speak to Muryel about House On Fire, discussing everything from her inspirations to the moments that defined her as an artist.
Photo © Muryel
You started writing from a young age. Was there a particular moment that made you realise music was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
“The most honest answer to this would be: I've probably always wanted to do it. I always knew that I loved it, but there was one moment when my mom, my brother and I would watch TV shows on Saturdays and Fridays; in Germany, there's this one show that's kind of like American Idol. We watched the first season of that, and I was tied to the TV screen. I thought, “omg, what is going on? Why are people allowed to be on stage all the time?” Because usually on TV shows, you would have one person doing a performance, but it was an entire show of people singing, and it was all about being on stage and performing - I loved it so much. I'm not saying that the show shaped it for me, but it was probably the first moment of realisation that this is a real job.”
How would you describe your EP House on Fire to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?
“It's like a sit-down with a good friend where you go through all the things; we're talking dating, friendships, childhood trauma, and being delusional. I feel like it's an everyday, girlhood experience that is full of contrast. That's what it feels like to me. I hope other people feel the same way about it, and if you dont like guitar sounds, you shouldnt listen to the EP.”
One track that really stands out is The Only Good Thing in This City. Upon first listen, it feels like a love song, but it’s actually about platonic love. What inspired you to write it?
“For the past two years, I was going through a healing process. The breakup itself wasn't rough, but the realisation of what the relationship was rough. My entire adult life, I've spent in relationships, very close to a love interest, and the past two years, I went through the process of what it’s like to have all the positive aspects of romantic love, aside from the physical stuff, within friendships. And my friends started showing me that all the things I was missing, that I was very sad about not having anymore, I could have in my life with people who love me unconditionally; people who set the bar for future potential partners.
I moved in with my best friend, who I'd known since I was thirteen years old, and it reminded me so much of living with my ex-partner - in the best ways. She made living with somebody feel very familiar, very safe. It didn't feel like work anymore. We can heal and grow together. She showed me that I don't have to be afraid of people voicing their opinions. I got to experience a lot of grace - a lot of lightness in all of it.
To this day, I'm still shocked at how easy it can be with the right people. I'm very sad about the fact that especially we girls grow up in a society that tells us that it's so important to find a love interest, a partner, and someone to prosper with. You can have that in friendships, and that is the coolest realisation I had growing up.“
Friendship often gets less attention in music compared to romance, but in your 20s, it can be one of the most defining relationships. Was shining a light on that something intentional for you, or did it come naturally in your writing?
“There's a line in the first verse that says: "I told my therapist about all the things you do, she said my first healthy relationship is you.” - And that really happened. It happened the week we wrote the song. When we wrote it, I was talking about her in the room. I don't really know what it was that specific day that made me go “I need to talk about her,” but I think I'm so not used to people solving problems in a calm manner that I had to talk about it. I am bad with big cities; I am overwhelmed and overstimulated all the time, and she is, too, but somehow we even that out by being together. The way I talked about it was very intense. I think I wrote down the title in my notes app before. It was a sure thing that we wanted to write about that day.”
Talking about big cities, you spent your youth in many different places: from Switzerland to North America and even Russia. Did this impact your view on relationships and ultimately your songwriting?
“Yeah, absolutely. It's something I think about a lot, but I don't really ever talk to people about. I think, especially while growing up, moving around is difficult because people don't really understand it. It's not the usual way to live your life. What you usually do is you grow up in one place and then you move when you're older, if you want to. And that makes it way harder for younger people to understand what is going on. The people around me didn't really get why it was hard for me to reach out after moving. I have found the right people now who are very understanding of these things. They're all very graceful with it. I think for some reason, as harsh as it can be, I'm very happy things were the way they were and are in my life. But I have to say it's kind of a natural process of figuring out who's meant to be in your life.
I know that there are a lot of different types of relationships and friendships, but I don't love surface-level friendships. If I like somebody, I like somebody. I don't need a lot of time to break the ice. And a lot of people, especially in Germany, are very reserved with that. That's not the way it works for me, cause I've never had that time in my life to get used to somebody like that. I was like: “Okay, I sit in a new classroom every two years, I don't really have that luxury to just take time.” Also, in this industry, that´s not how it works. And so, the right people don't mind that energy; the right people are fine with that.
It was hard to accept growing up, to be honest. I was trying to force people into being my friend sometimes. It's a very adult lesson I had to learn and a very adult point of view I now have.
It's an interesting question I've not been asked before. And I feel like very few people talk about it, and I think it should be talked about. Because so many kids who have parents who have jobs that make them move a lot have to go to classrooms they're not welcomed in because they're new. And that's very hard, and it's not fair.”
Photo © Muryel
What did your process look like for the EP? Were you jotting things in a diary, typing on your notes app, or even recording voice notes?
“It's different every time. Certain things are mostly the same; we do record our ideas on voice notes most of the time. If there are multiple people in the room, we share a Google Doc to write it. But I have to say, even if we have a Google Doc, I like to write in my notes app on my phone sometimes, because it feels like: Wait, let me sort it out by myself first, and if I think it's good enough, I'll present it to you.
I sometimes show up to a session with a song title; it's very weird. For Matchbox Car and The Only Good Thing In This City I had the title first. But for Fiction, for example, it was very different: It was a conversation we had in the studio. I mostly work with my cowriter, who I love and adore. His name is Jordan Haller. He is the most genius person I have ever met when it comes to songwriting - he's like my psychic.
I told him about a person who'd hurt me very badly. Sometimes you wish very bad things upon people, but I didn't wish anything bad upon that person; I was just like: “I don't want him to die or anything, I just wish he was fictional, I wish he wasn't real.” I wasn’t talking about it because I wanted it to be in a song. But Jordan said, “We need to write that down. I've never heard that before.” Sometimes it goes like that.
What Jordan likes to do, because he's so good with guitars, is that he sometimes just grabs a guitar, or with Mad Man, it was a mandolin, and starts playing some pattern out of nowhere. Almost every time he does that, I have immediate ideas popping into my head of either melody or lyric. He's the reason we have beautiful, different string instruments on the EP.”
Do you have any favourite lyrics on the EP, and what do they mean to you?
“It's hard to say. Because we were just talking about Fiction, I have to say my favourite lyric in that song is: “Guess that every warm feeling was a fever.” That's one of my favourites. Jordan doesn't get why it is to me, but I love it a lot.
There are many relationships that make you feel a lot, and you're like “omg that has to be love” - but it's not. Sometimes the fuzziest, warmest feelings aren't love-feelings but manipulative, very impulsive patterns showing through. That's what that was for me. I thought I was in love when really, I was being manipulated. I was just falling for my own patterns and negative beliefs. It's very interesting that so many people these days talk about how butterflies are the right feeling, but feeling calm with somebody is what it should be like.”
Your music is deeply personal and often drawn from your own experiences. Is sharing something other people can relate to one of the reasons you make music?
“Absolutely - a hundred percent! The most magical experience I had with my own songs was when I was like 15 or 16. I had written a song, I don't even remember which one it was, but I played it very poorly on my guitar, and I remember somebody coming up to me saying: “I'm so thankful you wrote that song, because it made me realise something in my life that I hadn't figured out in so long” I didn't even know this was a thing, because it was one of the first shows I had played. That was the sickest feeling I've ever had. I remember that so vividly because it changed my brain chemistry.
There is just such magic in writing something for you that you don't even realise the meaning of at the time, you just do it because your brain tells you you have to write it, and then other people make it their own thing later on. That is so cool. That's exactly what happened with me and the artists I loved. And so, to be able to give that to other people, I find the most amazing, and I think that's the biggest privilege I have as a musician. Even if I don't grow further than this, that's amazing. If it touches one person's life, I'm great.”
Were there any artists, albums, or even personal experiences that inspired you while working on this project?
“Musically, I had a shift from being a very electronic-pop person to falling back in love with the music I grew up listening to because of my parents, which was very organic-sounding, very band-sounding. My dad is a big Eric Clapton and Elton John fan, and my mum loves the Beatles. Also, there was a lot of Whitney Houston playing in the house.
A couple of years ago, I went to a festival and saw indie artists playing live, and I was like: “Wait, this does so much to me.” I hardcore fell in love with Sam Fender and his music, and I think, even if you don't hear it on the first listen, it's a big inspiration for the EP. Lots of Del Water Gap and Maggie Rogers, who I got to see live, which was so shaping in every way. I'm obsessed with Lorde as well. I've been listening to a lot of Holly Humberstone, a lot of Olivia Dean; just very lyric-focused artists, that do something with their music that moves me so broadly that I thought we needed lots of that on the EP. I feel like we've done that a little, but I hope I get to do that way further for a potential next EP.”
We then asked Muryel what songs she’s been listening to recently, and we made them into a playlist for fans to enjoy!
Then it was time for some fun questions…
If House On Fire were a coffee order, what would it be, and who would you drink it with?
“I think it's tea, it isn’t coffee. It's a fresh salvia tea with a little bit of honey in it - not too much. And it's not stirred yet, so it's still at the bottom of the cup. And I would drink it with myself, it's very me. Very much me talking about what needs to be talked about with myself, I feel like.”
What star sign are you, and how do you think this affects you as a songwriter?
“I'm a Libra - I think I’m the most Libra anybody can ever be. Figuring out I'm a Libra and reading myself into astrology a little bit probably just made me feel more confident in who I am. I think it's cute to think of it like “I was born with these traits”, unless you're an asshole, then don't think of it like that. But if you do, then maybe you feel more confident and calm about being yourself.”
If you could live inside any album cover, which one would you pick?
“The first thing that comes to mind is the Evermore album cover by Taylor Swift. I was so close to saying Folklore, but it's black and white, and I like colour. So I'm saying Evermore, because I imagine that very close to the forest-y area, there's a lake or something. I want to buy a little cabin in the Swedish woods and be close to the water. I need water. That's what it feels like to me.”
What are your goals for the rest of the year? Should we expect a new project soon, or are you focusing more on bringing this EP to life on stage?
“We're talking about shows right now. There are a few shows here and there. I'd love to do a headline show at one point, but I don't know if that's something we'll get to do in 2025 - maybe in 2026. I'm trying to focus on being on stage more now, because last year I was a lot and this year, I spend most of my time in meeting rooms and in studio spaces. I'd love to be back on stage more.
I know that for everybody who's been watching my process from the outside, it's like: “Oh, it's the new EP!” but for me, I've been living with this EP for a long time now. So I'm probably two steps ahead of everybody in my brain, because I’m thinking about the next one already and the one after that. I just really want to continue writing. Lots of songwriting, lots of getting away from the city and locking myself in a cabin with my favorite people to write more music.”
Lastly, is there any advice you’d give your younger self, or to aspiring musicians just starting out?
“Probably that every no is gonna fuel your engine to go further. Take every no as just fuelling your flames. 'Cause that's what it was like for me!”