Philine invites listeners into a soft and sentimental sonic world only to confront them with raw  and real truths. Balancing emotional depth with romanticism, psychology, spirituality, and  more, her musical perspective extends far beyond relatable. At the same time, queerness and  formative psychedelic experiences have further shaped her artistry. Over the years, she has  developed a captivating sound while amassing millions of streams and views through fan favorites such as “getting used to.” Now, she romanticizes and dismantles the world around her  all at once with her new EP, the truth of living in reality. Bringing fans  straight into her unique journey and mindset, the project ultimately guides listeners through  the messiness and beauty of now.  

“If you listen to this, I hope you’re encouraged to sit in the present and feel what there is to  feel,” she muses. “Maybe it will give you the courage to breeze through what you need to do  and just live. Try to go through reality with eyes wide open and don’t try to avoid it if it’s  uncomfortable. Keep in mind, everything that goes down will go back up. Conversely,  everything that goes up will go down. That’s the deal we made with life. Meanwhile, all you can  do is experience life, and this is not only a message to any of my listeners, but also a message to  myself.” 

Philine has consistently captivated listeners since her debut EP Somewhere Else. She cultivated  her sound across so sick of myself [2023] and the side-effects of living in a fantasy [2024]. The  latter and her new release form a deeply personal dual project that traces a journey from  escapism to acceptance. Where side-effects delved into imagination, overthinking, and the lure  of romanticized inner worlds, the truth of living in reality meets life head-on. Together, they tell  a story of emotional growth, heartbreak, clarity, and the ongoing dance between what we  dream and what we live. 

Her ability to articulate complex emotions with softness and precision has not gone unnoticed.  philine’s work has drawn praise from key tastemakers, with The Line of Best Fit celebrating her  “deeply introspective music and storytelling lyrics,” Atwood Magazine calling her honesty  “refreshing,” and Melodic Magazine describing her as “an imaginative storyteller.” She has  opened for artists including Lizzy McAlpine, MEAU, Provinz, Froukje, and Son Mieux—and in a  full-circle moment, one of her idols, John Mayer, played her track “matter” on his radio show,  offering heartfelt words of support. 

Through every song, philine invites you into a world of curiosity, feeling, and reflection while  simultaneously speaking her vulnerable truth. She’s not just writing music—she’s mapping out  what it means to grow, to question, and to live with both feet in the present. 

Along the way, she had pieced together the truth of living in reality. Expanding the soundscape,  she played guitar and synthesizers on a handful of tracks. It unfolded almost as a spiritual  companion to the side-effects of living in a fantasy.

“I wrote both EPs at a similar time, yet they were different,” she notes. “Whereas the last body  of work was about living in a fantasy, I wanted to write about what was really happening now  for the truth of living in reality. It’s about how to deal with the present, the questions I have,  and facing reality in your mid-twenties.” 

She initially teased this chapter with “the devil’s advocate.” On its heels, the single “ten years  time” speaks to the EP’s central theme. Echoes of soft keys escape between the cracks of a  creaky electric guitar-driven rhythm. During the mantra-like hook, she urges, “Forget about ten  years time, forget about down the line,” going on to make a statement, “Right here in the  moment’s where the magic is.” 

“Growing up, I slowly started to realize my future was going to look a little different from what  my parents had showed me,” she admits. “I’ve been dating girls for the last couple of years, and  I’ve been in a serious relationship with my girlfriend for over two years. I realized a future as a  mother would look different from the typical husband-and-wife future. I felt a little bit of  weight of responsibility towards my future children. A lot of questions arose. Who would be the  father and what role would he have? Do we both want to become pregnant? What influence do  these choices have on the upbringing of my children? After some conversations, I finally thought, ‘I’m only twenty-five, so there’s time.’ The core message is definitely, ‘Don’t worry  about the future. Focus on what’s happening currently’.” 

Accented by briskly strummed chords and nostalgic piano, a steady beat underlines “josie.” On  the chorus, she laments, “When I told you, you were my first real love, you asked for space and  you broke that trust.” 

“I was experiencing a lot of scars from my last relationship,” she reveals. “I had trust issues  from how we broke it off, and I never got closure. I decided to use ‘josie’ to get closure for  myself. I’m reflecting on myself and how I longed for more from her.” 

Synths glimmer over a palm-muted riff on “heavy.” In the heat of a complicated revelation, she  confesses, “After 10pm, my commonsense leaves without warning.” 

“I was going through a dark period, and I was struggling with feelings of depersonalization and  feeling lost,” she says. “I had a lot of brain fog and anxiety. I felt like a burden to my girlfriend,  because I was carrying a lot of heavy things in my mind. We were staying at her grandmother’s  house for a couple of months, and our conversation on the couch turned into this song.” 

Then, there’s “waste a life,” which culminates on a chantable refrain, “I don’t want to waste a  life like that.” 

“I tend to get fixated on what can go wrong,” she observes. “I’m quite anxious. However, you  attract negative by thinking negative thoughts. I realized I needed to focus on the positive. It  goes back to being in the moment rather than fearing the future.”

In the end, philine’s curiosity about perception, existence, and connection will always keep her  inspired.  

“I’m a lot more curious,” she leaves off. “I’m becoming a truer version of myself as I’m growing  older. I’m more honest, intuitive, open, and creative by living in the moment.”