Anja Plaschg grew up in a small village called Gnas in south east Styria, where her parents have a farm. She has played piano since she was six. At the age of 14 she began violin studies and developed an interest in electronic music. She attended the Graz Polytechnic for Graphic Design, but dropped out at 16 and moved to Vienna shortly afterwards. There she studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in the master class of Daniel Richter, but at 18 dropped out again.
Musicians like Xiu Xiu, Cat Power, Björk, Nico, Aphex Twin and composers like Sergei Rachmaninoff or Arvo Pärt have had a great impact on her music.
After only playing a handful of concerts she was already being dubbed a "Wunderkind". In 2008 she played German singer Nico in the play "Nico - Sphinx aus Eis" by Werner Fritsch in Berlin and Vienna, performing several songs in it, including "Janitor Of Lunacy", from her first EP.
Her first album, called "Lovetune for Vacuum", was released in March 2009. It received excellent reviews and placed in the Austrian Top 10. The album also achieved chart positions in Germany, Belgium and France. Music journalists have already claimed to see in her a new star of Austrian pop.
In 2010 her song "Mr Gaunt Pt 1000" was used in the television commercial for Ford's Mondeo. In the 2010 French film "Mes chères études" (also known as "Student Services"), the song titled "The Sun" plays during the credits. Her tracks 'Brother of Sleep' and 'Marche Funèbre' were used in the soundtrack for Universal Pictures thriller 'War Games: At the End of the Day' in 2010.
The death of her father in 2009 was a key element on her mini-album Narrow, which was released in February 2012.
Spiracle
Soap&Skin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I toyed with dirt and I fought
As a child
I killed the slugs, I bored with a bough
In their spiracle
When I was a child
Peers pushed me hard
I still beg
Please help me
When I was a child
I threw with dung as I fought
As a child
I killed all thugs and bored with a bough
In their spiracle
When I was a child
Foes pushed me hard
In my ___, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist, in my butt
I still beg
Please help me
When I was a child
I rend my tongue distraught
As a child
I killed my thoughts and bored with a bough
In my spiracle
When I was a child
Fears pushed me hard
In my head, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist
I never loved
I still beg
Please help me
I was a child, I was a child
I was a child, I was a child
I am a child
The lyrics of Soap&Skin's song "Spiracle" describe the violent tendencies and struggles of the singer when she was a child. The chorus of "Please help me" highlights the vulnerability and need for assistance that she still feels. The use of the word "spiracle" in the verses could be interpreted in a few different ways - it can refer to the breathing hole in an insect or a small opening in a musical instrument for adjusting the sound. In either case, it could be seen as a metaphor for a vulnerable or sensitive part of oneself that can be easily harmed or silenced.
The imagery of playing with dirt, killing slugs and throwing dung suggest a certain brutality or lack of empathy that the singer had as a child. The violence done to herself by "killing her thoughts" and being pushed to the brink of her physical and emotional limits speaks to a painful internal struggle. The repetition of "I am a child" at the end underscores the lasting impact of childhood experiences on one's psyche.
Overall, the song is a raw and powerful exploration of the complex emotional landscape of childhood trauma and the ongoing need for support and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a child
In the past, during my childhood
I toyed with dirt and I fought
I played with soil and engaged in conflict
As a child
When I was young
I killed the slugs, I bored with a bough
I exterminated snails and used a branch for entertainment
In their spiracle
In their respiratory opening
Peers pushed me hard
My contemporaries exerted pressure on me
In my head, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist, in my butt
Pressure applied to various parts of my body
I still beg
Please help me
I am still seeking assistance
I threw with dung as I fought
I used feces as projectiles during fights
I killed all thugs and bored with a bough In their spiracle
I eliminated all bullies and continued to play with a branch in their respiratory opening
Foes pushed me hard
My enemies subjected me to intense pressure
I rend my tongue distraught
I spoke in a manner that caused me great emotional distress
I killed my thoughts and bored with a bough In my spiracle
I suppressed my emotions and continued to play with a branch in my respiratory opening
Fears pushed me hard
I was heavily influenced by my fears
I never loved
I did not experience love
I was a child, I was a child
I am a child
I may have grown up, but I am still a child at heart
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@osummer23
When I was a child
I toyed with dirt and I fought
As a child
I killed the slugs, I bored with a bough
In their spiracle
When I was a child
Peers pushed me hard
In my head, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist, in my butt
I still beg
Please help me
When I was a child
I threw with dung as I fought
As a child
I killed all thugs and bored with a bough
In their spiracle
When I was a child
Foes pushed me hard
In my ___, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist, in my butt
I still beg
Please help me
When I was a child
I rend my tongue distraught
As a child
I killed my thoughts and bored with a bough
In my spiracle
When I was a child
Fears pushed me hard
In my head, in my neck, in my chest, in my waist
I never loved
I still beg
Please help me
I was a child, I was a child
I was a child, I was a child
I am a child
@didi12
This songs always makes me cry
@colloredbrothers
This song was playing at an exhibit in the Louisiana museum of modern art, and now im here :D
@finfun3182
I was in Louisiana too and I just love this song, it is so emotional, happy and sad and scary in one
@vivianecarvalhodesousa7625
Me too
@gustavomporcides
The exibithion is called "Open My Glade", in case anyone is wondering. Been there yesterday.
@user-hq6ii7qy7y
I listened it today, in Kyoto, Japan.
@ZMWise
This song truly speaks to me. Anja is a musical rarity of the modern age. It would be an honor to meet her! The lyrics are incredibly poetic!!
@ameliabellamy7001
Oh my... ...I have never heard something so beautiful scary and sad... ...I feel like I understand her. Oh dear. I just can't stop crying!
@gabriela_xy
Me too!!
@jerrydonquixote5927
I love the poetry ,,its brilliance, absolute perfection,!!! always from the pain,,
beauty is born,!!!