On the cusp of releasing her debut E.P., v.i.p., very important pony, the Berlin-based music phenom sat down with GATA to discuss Marxism, fashion history, the shock that comes with integrating into human culture, and whether internet fame holds up in real life.

I never imagined I’d be in Mexico City in mid-November taking a call with a horse, yet there I was, on Zoom with HorsegiirL. If there’s anything I’ve learned living in this post-internet haze, it’s to never say never. It’s a reality my furry confidante, born Stella Stallion, knows well. According to Stallion, she was discovered by Whitney Horston at a harvest festival a few years back while performing an impromptu set squeezed between pie-eating contests and hay bale tosses. She rose to fame in 2023 with her viral TikTok hit My Barn My Rules, a collaboration with Berlin producer MCR-T. The track propelled her from barnyard obscurity to internet sensation almost overnight.

Fast forward to today, with 187,000 Instagram followers (and 136,000 on TikTok), Stallion has established a momentum few can match. Her fans, whom she refers to affectionately as "farmies," are obsessed with her in ways that are equal-parts endearing and intense. Comments under her posts range from “I live for you” to “I want to look like this,” and it’s true—many arrive at her sets in barn animal-inspired garb. It’s a kind of fervent fandom reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s early days, rooted in an unfiltered love for the person as much as the art. Like Gaga’s “monsters,” HorsegiirL’s “farmies” revel in her mix of absurdity and authenticity—a reminder that impassioned followership thrives on artists who embrace the extraordinary.

To be sure, she isn’t relying on her cult of personality to mask a lack of talent. Like Gaga, Stallion has both in abundance. What sets her apart from other acts is her ability to balance the two seamlessly, creating music that resonates deeply while reminding her audience that they can be whoever they want to be.

When we connected in November, HorsegiirL was juggling it all—fresh off a set in Manchester, basking in the glow of her Ottolinger campaign, and preparing to release take it offff, the second single from her debut EP, v.i.p, very important pony. And that she is—if Stallion is anything, it’s in demand. What’s more, she’s a wildly talented DJ behind the decks and a budding musician in her own rite. Her music is a heady mix of tongue-in-cheek humor and experimental grit, blending pulsing Berlin techno with playful country-inspired melodies that nod to her equine upbringing.

The EP’s debut single, eat, sleep, slay, is both a mantra and an earworm. Its repetitive hooks burrow into your brain, demanding movement. The playful, cheeky lyrics straddle the line between camp and cool, showing off Stella’s knack for making irony irresistible. Other tracks, like material horse—her ode to leaving her dreamy birthplace of Sunshine Farms behind for human pleasures—showcase her ability to spin cultural references into infectious, genre-defying anthems.

With the “farmie” army, a long list of festival appearances, and a potential full-length album on the horizon, HorsegiirL is undoubtedly a household name in the making. After all, do you hear those neighs? She’s already got the barn locked down.

Sahir: Hi Stella. What’s up, where are you?

HorsegiirL: Hi, hi! I am currently in Berlin. I have some work to do here. I got back from Manchester yesterday.

Sahir: How was Manchester?

HorsegiirL: So cute. I went to play a Homobloc party. The crowd and vibes were great. It was really easy.

Sahir: You were just stateside too. Any highlights from your US debut?

HorsegiirL: Definitely both of my Hayfever shows. I did my biggest headline show up to date in Los Angeles, like 3,700 people or something like that. Seeing all the production come together and how the effort can really elevate the experience for everyone was really amazing. We did it again in New York at Brooklyn Steel.

Sahir: Were you nervous to play for such a big crowd?

HorsegiirL: A bit, yes. I never want to let down my fans. There’s a lot more pressure with a headline show versus a regular club night, where there’s so much going on and it’s not all on your shoulders to deliver this night. I don't want anyone going home feeling disappointed.

Sahir: How do you keep 3,700 people happy?

HorsegiirL: I don't know if there’s a secret but number one… play stuff that you genuinely enjoy, and have a good time. That normally reflects back to you, and in my experience, most people are very open to being taken on a journey, so you don't need to stick to one specific BPM or genre. You can mix it up as long as you’re also vibing. You have to be a bit intuitive, both reading the crowd, but also thinking about and responding to what you’d want to dance to next.

Sahir: Do you indulge at all when you’re on tour? Any guilty pleasures?

HorsegiirL: I travel with a lot of luggage for sure, but guilty pleasure… Well, I always have my favorite brand of hay, which is from this organic hay farm. That takes quite a lot of space in my luggage, but then I also bring a lot of outfit and hair options. I normally travel with more than I maybe end up using, and I always end up buying little trinkets and things while I'm on tour, so I end up going over the luggage allowance on my way back. When I was in New York, I bought a really old, quirky looking watering can for my garden. It was so heavy and bulky but I just had to buy it.

Sahir: What's been the biggest culture shock for you?

HorsegiirL: In the US, mainly… the amount of concrete. It’s just insane how the entire infrastructure of the country is built around the car and how it's pretty much devoid of any natural life. I know there are amazing landscapes—protected reservoirs and national parks and what not—across the US, but the way the cities are laid out, even the suburbs, is always so shocking to me.

“ I don’t think it’s good for anyone’s psyche to be so far removed from nature in that way.”

— HorsegiirL

Sahir: Are you at Sunshine Farms now?

HorsegiirL: No, Sunshine Farms isn’t in Berlin. It’s in the countryside. At the end of this week is my Hayfever Berlin show so I’m here, but the city’s nice. It’s also fairly green, and I can dip out to the forest quickly just hopping on a train.

Sahir: What has it been like visiting the farm now that your career is taking off? Are horses jealous creatures?

HorsegiirL: I don't know if we're very jealous creatures to be honest. Most of my friends back home at Sunshine Farms are very supportive and proud, but maybe I’m also just shielded from the jealousy. When it comes to envy, I think at the core of it is unhappiness with yourself. To feel envy isn’t a bad thing, I guess it’s what you do with the feeling that matters. You know, rather than directing that energy toward others, spending time working toward getting the things you want instead.

Sahir: I love that advice. What about Whitney Horseton? Have you heard from her?

HorsegiirL: Oh! She’s so old school, she actually sent me a letter the other day. She just said how proud she is of me and that she knew it, but also that she didn't expect it to be going so quickly. She just knows she knew it and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here. She’s such a diva.

Sahir: Writing letters is a dying art. We need to keep it alive.

HorsegiirL: Yes. I still do postcards. I normally try to send a postcard home whenever I’m playing somewhere new. Postcards are so quick, you can just write one fun little sentence or a blurb of words and then it travels the world and finds its way back to your friends. It’s great.

**Sahir: Is there a song on very important pony that holds a special place in your heart?**

HorsegiirL: I’d say they all do, but my favorite track keeps changing! take it offff is coming out this week so right now I’d say that’s my top song. By the time the interview is out, that’ll probably change. What about you? Which one did you vibe with the most?

**Sahir: Probably material horse, which makes a lot of sense after hearing you talk about your luggage woes earlier.**

HorsegiirL: Material horse really describes the transition I’ve experienced over the last year and a half, being more and more immersed in cities and experiencing some of the worldly pleasures the human world can offer. It’s been very fun.

Sahir: Speaking of worldly pleasures, I loved your Ottolinger campaign.

HorsegiirL: Thank you! It was so fun. I really enjoyed the day we shot it. It was such a great team. I was bummed to not have been in Paris for the show in September, but I was already in the US and couldn’t be there. We’ve been planning on doing something together since I attended their show at the beginning of the year so I was glad. I just love when people have a very clear direction and in this case, everyone on set was sure about what they wanted to achieve.

Sahir: What makes a brand stand out to you?

HorsegiirL: I like a good level of playfulness and, of course you can't reinvent the wheel, but I'm tired of seeing the same old shapes and textures reused, yet packaged as the new thing. A lot of younger designers and newer brands are very refreshing in this sense, whereas some of the more established fashion houses have to speak to such a large audience that the designs often feel too palatable.

Sahir: What are some of the younger brands on your radar currently?

HorsegiirL: I love Chopova Lowena. I love Masha Popova. I love Ottolinger obviously. I love Fidan Novruzova. Oh my god, the list can go on and on. There's so many. I love Dilara Findikoglu. If I buy new clothes, it tends to be from younger designers like that, and if it’s a more established brand in my closet, it’s probably vintage.

Sahir: Vintage always feels more exciting than what’s available from the runway with those bigger houses.

HorsegiirL: And honestly, better quality. There are a couple of documentaries on this, but in the nineties, around the turn of the century, is when many of the big fashion houses went public. It became more about profit and quantity than it was about quality. For many, perfumes and bags became the main source of income and the collections, less and less exciting. Vintage just feels more special, and oftentimes the quality’s worth it.

Sahir: Is there an ideal setting for “farmies” to listen to the EP?

HorsegiirL: I think it's fun music while you're moving, like on a bike or in a car or in the gym, say you're running or getting ready to go out and singing along with your friends. You can listen to it by yourself, but I think the whole EP can be a communal experience. You can definitely listen to it with your friends as well.

Sahir: If you could describe the project in three words, what would they be?

HorsegiirL: It's kind of glossy, very girly… definitely campy.

“I think maybe this is what life’s all about, removing all of these layers and being in tune with your intuition so that you can really just be on your own path, on your own time.”

— HorsegiirL

Sahir: In ***Interview*, you mentioned wanting to have dinner with Patti Smith or Karl Marx. What would you ask them?**

HorsegiirL: It’s so hilarious that I said this. I actually saw Patti Smith last year. I don't even know if I’d have only one question. I’d just want to have a chat to be honest. Karl Marx, I wonder what he’d say about how a lot of his ideas have been misused and how communism always somehow fails because of human greed and want for power, corrupting, in its ideal sense, the good that inspired his thought process.

Sahir: Did your career-take off feel fated?

HorsegiirL: It’s weird when you're right in it. I feel like I don’t really fully grasp what’s going on and everything is so fast paced now. I still feel like the same person from two, three years ago. Sometimes I get cooler opportunities than I did before, but I’m trying to soak it all in and really live in the moment. I don’t know if my life feels more golden in any way, shape or form. You still have your big dramas, little dramas and life admin stuff. There’s annoying everyday things I still don't have. I still don't own a dishwasher. I still do my dishes every fucking day—way too many hours of my life go to washing dishes. It's good. It keeps me humble [laughs]. I'm definitely surprised at how quickly things went for sure.

Sahir: Do you ever experience imposter syndrome?

HorsegiirL: Yes, all the time. I also think of myself as more of a musician. I love singing, I love writing, I love being in the studio and making music. I kind of stumbled into DJing so especially when I'm on lineups with amazing artists and really skilled DJs, I always feel a bit like, “Oh my God, I have no idea what half of these buttons do, I don't know how to play vinyl, I don't know…” it goes on and on. There's a certain snobby hierarchy within the DJ space and in that sense I always feel a bit like an imposter.

Sahir: Speaking of lineups, are you excited to be playing Ceremonia 2025?

HorsegiirL: Oh my God yes, the lineup is so good. They really ate with that. I saw the lineup when it was released, and I was really excited. I have never been to Mexico, never been to Mexico City, and I’ve heard amazing things about it.

Sahir: Mexico’s going to be obsessed with you, and you with it. I’m actually in CDMX now. No matter where you walk, you're surrounded by so many trees. Nature is just eating the city up.

HorsegiirL: That's amazing. I had the same feeling when I was in Rio. The soil was so fertile there. But yeah, I'm so excited. I feel like I’ve really let down my Mexican farmies for a while. They've been waiting for me to come to Mexico. I'm also trying to plan some sideshows around it depending on the schedule.

Sahir: Is there anyone on the lineup you're excited about seeing?

HorsegiirL: There are quite a few artists who I’ve already seen that I’d love to see again, but also like… FKA Twigs, who hasn’t toured in a while. Charli, of course; I’m going to London in like two weeks to see her show and I’m already excited for that.

Sahir: You’re also playing a Hayfever show at HERE @ OUTERNET right?

HorsegiirL: Exactly, yeah. I went to the venue a year ago when A.G. [Cook] invited me for the PC music anniversary thing. It's very new in London, but still so cool, because of the sound and this amazing screen, which not every venue has. I really wanted to play there and now a year later, here we are.

Sahir: Do you vibe with London?

HorsegiirL: It's a tricky one with London. I really love the people I know there, and I think it can be a fun time, but the city feels almost like New York, you can have the most fun if you can leave again. For a massive city, London feels so corporate sometimes. I think a lot of nightlife and grassroots stuff is disappearing because the city is so expensive and that's very sad.

Sahir: For me, It's like LA, except it's always raining.

HorsegiirL: Yes! Are you going to be in Mexico for Ceremonia?

Sahir: I think so, I’m excited! What’s something you’re looking forward to this year?

HorsegiirL: 2025, I'm very excited about a lot of the things I've been working on and to be in a lot more places where I haven’t really played yet, like South America… Southeast Asia. I’m excited for the Hayfever shows to become more and more immersive and special. And of course, there’s a lot more music to come. With this EP I thought, “Okay, it has to come out summer 2024”. I was starting to compromise on the creative just to follow the deadlines I set for myself even though nobody was waiting for it. Good things take time and sometimes you need to let an idea marinate before acting on it. Oftentimes, I feel like my best ideas come when I just finished bringing one to life and I think, “Well, why didn't I do it this other way?”

INTERVIEW + WORDS: SAHIR AHMED

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