Political Pop – Behind The New EP From Singer, Songwriter & Visual Artist LIE NING

Listen To ‘bullfight’ Here

Somewhere beyond surrender and defiance, a bullfight takes place. Not as a spectacle, but as a declaration: it is not just an EP, it’s a necessary release. A sonic photograph of a world on edge, where fear and desire coexist, where survival is instinctual but joy remains a radical act. With “bullfight”, I’d like to introduce a more polished pop vision for LIE NING.

The EP is unafraid to confront reality head-on. Gone are the layers of intellectual distance. In their place is something immediate, daring, and emotionally charged. This is my kind of pop, insisting to push further. Pop that dares you to feel everything at once. It is an artists responsibility to reflect their time. 

The title track, “bullfight,” sets the tone with striking clarity. It’s a study in tension between attraction and danger, intimacy and control. “Is this a dance or a bullfight?” I ask, framing existing as a Black and Queer person in Europe as both choreography and combat. But beneath the sensual push and pull lies something sharper: a response to the political climate in Germany, and the rising presence of far-right ideologies. Love for a home collides with the instinct for self-preservation. The result is a track that feels as seductive as it is unsettling, pulling listeners into a space where pleasure and peril are inseparable.

That duality continues in “belly of the beast,” a collaboration with French artist and my good friend Eugénie. Here, the focus shifts from confrontation to endurance. It’s a song about persistence – not just as an artist, but as a human being navigating uncertain times. There’s a quiet power in its message: that survival is collective, that even in the darkest moments, there is strength in unity. The pairing of our voices reinforces the EP’s transnational spirit, reminding us that resilience knows no borders.

If bullfight is my little manifesto, then “charade” is its most intimate confession. Inspired by the stark reality of rising anti-democratic sentiment in Germany, the track unfolds as a breakup letter to a country once called home. But this is no bitter farewell. Instead, it’s charged with tension, even excitement. The production pulses with life, suggesting that attraction still lingers, even as the lyrics demand accountability. “If you wanna keep me, you should switch it up,” not out of defeat, but out of hope.

Then comes “dimelo,” my ode to falling in love. Set against the backdrop of vibrant Miami Beach, it feels like spring distilled into sound. Warm, expansive, and alive with possibility. There’s a sense of liberation here, both in the storytelling and the production. Moving forward I want to have more fun and allow a more tongue in cheek approach to my project. 

Closing the EP is “boys,” a track that feels like a necessary exhale. After navigating the weight of political unrest and emotional upheaval, I want to allow the listener a moment of pure joy. It’s playful, danceable, and naughty. A reminder that joy is not frivolous, but essential. I’d go so far as to call it existential. 

The EP holds space for contradiction. It doesn’t shy away from the horrors of the present, but it refuses to let them extinguish hope. Instead, I am leaning into both the darkness and the light, crafting a body of work that feels as honest to me as it is aspirational.

I want to remind myself and others of the beauty in life that is all around us in all the little details, without ignoring the uncertain global shift with all its horrors we all sense and witness.