Ahead of her performance at EDC this weekend in Las Vegas, singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ Pauline Herr blesses us with a transcendent new track, “Nirvana.”

Deftly balanced by melodic bliss and the tempered anticipation of the drop as the bass patiently builds, “Nirvana” mesmerizes. Massaging the brain like an expansive mind approaching enlightenment, the track opens up as if to send listeners through to a new dimension. Celestial vocal layers echo, “Take me to Nirvana,” as the track’s aura ebbs and flows in cool and warm tones. “I always gravitate towards emotional, ethereal sounds,” says Pauline Herr. “I'd been listening to a lot of Pluko, and subconsciously started making a more melodic, emotional beat.”

Utilizing a granulator plug-in to generate a synth-like sound effect by stretching out tiny pieces of a vocal take, Pauline Herr’s production chops and songwriting prowess speak volumes as she successfully evokes and captures palatable euphoria with “Nirvana.”

It’s been a big year for Pauline. From playing a set on an art cart at last year’s EDC to landing a major stage billing for this weekend, her trajectory is skyward bound. “​​I'm at a point in my career where this is kind of the make it or break it time,” says Pauline candidly. Behind the scenes, she juggles a heavy output of new releases, touring, and her weekly Twitch livestream. Stoking the momentum she’s worked tirelessly to build for herself, Pauline is all systems go.

Having added DJing to her wheelhouse just two years ago, she made her major stage festival debut at last year’s Sunset Festival in Miami, and has consistently been on the road playing festivals such as Electric Zoo and EDC Mexico. Fighting through performance anxiety and the logistical stress that comes with touring solo, Pauline is heads down and laser focused–learning on the fly while looking like a seasoned pro. “I’ve been learning as I go,” says Pauline. “I didn't get into DJing right away, but it was always a goal for me. I wanted to make sure the music was good before I started doing that. Because I want to be able to play my own stuff at shows.”

Fresh off her recent 5-track EP Monarch via Sabel Valley Records, there’s no doubt the music is more than good enough. And whether she’s exploring bass, wave, trance, or more melodic terrain, the music is always distinctly her own. “Subconsciously my tastes pours out when I start making music. What’s fun for me when I'm making music is to try different things and just go wherever the project takes me that day,” says Pauline. “I think it's just coming from a genuine place.”

Pauline first started making music as a kid writing songs on the family piano when the house was quiet. “I used to write songs on the piano in secret because I was too nervous to do anything in front of people. We had this really nice grand piano in our living room, and I would just jam out when my parents were gone.”

Later in college, while studying to become a nurse, Pauline began posting performance videos on Vine. “When I started posting covers, people gave me the confidence to start putting stuff out on SoundCloud. Then I started going to music festivals, and fell in love with that whole world.”

Fueled by her newfound passion for electronic music, she dropped out of nursing school, moved to LA, and enrolled in a year-long production intensive. “That whole year was a blur, because I was so focused on getting better and learning. I kept my head down and knew I had to work hard to move the needle,” says Pauline. “I had zero social life. It was hard to find girl friends, because the school was 99% guys. That was definitely tough, but I feel like I would have gotten a bit distracted otherwise and not learned as much.”

Though her confidence bloomed as she leveled up her  production and songwriting skills, she continued to encounter the uphill battle of gaining respect as a female producer. “It lit a fire under my ass to really prove myself and help out other women in the industry. Show them that we can do it too.”

Releasing music on SoundCloud DIY and putting in countless hours to hone her craft, Pauline landed management, various independent label distribution deals, and the attention of both the EDM community and the web3 community as a founding member of electronic music collective ASTRO.  Praised by the likes of Dancing Astronaut, Your EDM, and EDM.com, and with a co-headling tour with Jon Casey on the books for the summer, the buzz surrounding her project is palpable.

But even despite her successes, the underlying reality of the industry’s inequity continues to present its frustrations. “It’s definitely still tough. I still feel like I need to prove myself, even though I've had all these wins. I'm very thankful for any support that I get, but there's still a way to go for women in the industry.”

Throughout her musical journey, support from her friends and family has been a lifeline and a rewarding motivation. “Having my family and friends at shows is the best part of this for me. If I didn't have a community this would probably all be pretty meaningless.”

She’s also been encouraged by the genuine camaraderie she’s found with other artists on the road. “A lot of the big artists who I've played shows with are so supportive of up-and-coming acts and really want to put people on, so that inspires me to stay humble.”

Energized by gratitude, Pauline is honest about the grind while thankful for its upsides. “The tour life can be a little bit of a struggle, but getting to see the world while I'm doing my job is definitely a dream. I’m very grateful and try not to take it for granted.”

Staying grounded amidst the hustle and pressures of a pivotal season in her journey, Pauline is unwavering in the pursuit of her passions and her commitment to paving a better way forward for others to do the same.

Take us to Nirvana, Pauline. We’re ready.

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Collect Music NFTs from HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 1. “Nirvana” is the eleventh track to be released from NOISE, for HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 1. “Nirvana” is dropping via Sound Swap at 2pm PST on May 18.

HIGH FREQUENCY Volume 1 is a compilation album curated by NOISE, with 16 tracks released on Sound. The album features new songs from artists we believe represent the values of web3 and whose work will be essential to every music NFT collector’s set in the future.

Collect and add HIGH FREQUENCY writing NFTs to your digital library. There are 10 editions of this article available for 0.003 ETH on Mirror.

Article by Wallace Morgan for HIGH FREQUENCY, NOISE’s weekly newsletter. Subscribe for more.