Farm Fatale

If you want to talk about DJ lore, there’s probably none more unique than HorsegiirL’s. A Berlin-based DJ and singer who never appears without her signature brown horse mask, she has refused to publicly reveal her true identity, stating that her full name is Stella Stallion, a horse from the animal world that grew up on Sunshine Farms. For readers hoping to make a day trip of it, her Resident Advisor page has the directions: “over the Meadow Mountains right next to the Blue Moon Pond and down the Rainbow Road”. Her success, she writes, is partly thanks to Whitney Horseton, the ‘Song-Stallion’ who discovered her after overhearing the foal singing in a stable before a horse show. 

The artist first rose to fame in 2023 when her track My Barn My Rules went viral on TikTok with the hook: “Long mane, big hoof, shiny coat, what’s new?” capturing the sort of absurdist humour the internet revels in. Since then, her loyal following of ‘farmies’ has expanded, dancing to her undoubtedly fun and chaotic sets that zoom through happy hardcore edits, eardrum-shaking techno and sprinkles of gabber. She’s even thrown her own sold out parties in New York, London, Melbourne and Sydney under the frankly genius event name of “Hayfever”. HorsegiirL is also a member of the irreverent Live From Earth Klub, an independent label and artist collective from Berlin that started its days as a left-wing YouTube channel, documenting demonstrations from the inside. 

Today, Stella is in London ahead of her show at AVA Festival at the end of the month. She tells me she has been spending her time in Hyde Park, “chasing swans in the Serpentine Lake.” The artist is currently at the start of a packed festival season, where she’ll play events like Dour in Belgium, MELT in Leipzig, Sónar in Barcelona and Festival Palamosa in Montreal alongside artists like Shygirl and Jai Paul in September. 

It sounds like an exhausting few months, and I’m curious to see how and when the young foal rests. “I recently returned from a holiday in Ecuador where I did a lot of stargazing and grazing,” she tells me before breaking into a moment of philosophical insight: “We are on this earth with very limited time. Some humans I’ve met believe rest is only necessary to be more productive again. To me, rest is the time I spend really consciously existing in the here and now. Reflecting, recharging, and realigning but also putting into perspective how fragile and beautiful life is once you stop taking it all in.”

Commentary on the human world feels unique to HorsegiirL’s outlook as an artist. Speaking to RA in April, she compared the interconnectedness of the animal world to the hierarchies of the human one: “I have noticed that a lot of humans think they are the top of the hierarchy ruling over the world. That is a huge mistake because humans are just as much part of this ecological network that makes the world.” 

It’s statements like these that make HorsegiirL a breath of fresh air in an industry that can be guilty of too much navel-gazing, and her farmies seem to think so too. Though she initially attracted a young, queer crowd, My Barn, My Rules’ popularity on TikTok has ushered in increasingly larger and more diverse crowds. From those who came to see whether the DJ played the whole set in disguise to veteran ravers attracted to her nostalgic, hardcore sound: “Everyone can be a farmie,” she says. Some fans even attend in cowboy hats or dressed as farmers, with one fan joking on X “are you Republican? No I’m in line for HorsegiirL.” 

HorsegiirL favours form-fitting Y2K styles, often performing in baby tees and pink accessories. However, she says that’s beginning to change: “I was a lot girlier and pastel-toned at the beginning of my career. I am still playful with my style and love lace, bows, and frills, but I also branch out more now and lean into my grown self. Especially off the stage, I love feeling elegant and classy. On Instagram, I love @sav_hudson’s style, and I adore @ntahompagazee.”

She recently stole the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week in the frow of Ottolinger’s Fall/Winter ’24 horsewalk next to Måneskin’s Victoria de Angelis, where images of the artist went viral, prompting French media company Konbini to release a video explaining ‘Who is HorsegiirL’. The farmies were amused, with one fan tweeting: “lol the normies finding out ab HorsegiirL”. HorsegiirL herself had a great time: “Ottolinger has been a fav of mine for a long time, and everyone at the brand is so talented and kind”, she says, “my favourite look was a tight, figure-hugging dress made of stretchy grey jersey fabric. It just looked stunning.”

In addition to My Barn My Rules, the equine it-girl has also produced tracks like the Eurodance-tinged f0rbiidden l0ve$tory and My Little White Pony – a thumping gabber track paired with a music video resembling an [adult swim]-esque hallucination. A farmer (played by producer and collaborator MCR-T) attempts to find the perfect gift for his teenaged HorsegiirL’s birthday. A basket of shiny apples proves unsatisfactory before a little white pony is presented, much to Stella’s delight. Her friends and her party before the video ends with a horse-head shaped birthday cake cut open to reveal a spurting neon pink core. “While making music, I tend to have lots of visual references in mind already. Then, it’s about finding the right people to bring those ideas to life with while also sticking to a budget. For some ideas, you really don’t need any money; for others, I would have to be a billionaire, sadly”, she explains. But high budget or not, My Little White Pony perfectly captures the unserious fantasyland that HorsegiirL has created: “I love to think back to this shoot. The whole team consisted of friends of mine, and we all came together to make this manic fever dream a reality. I am still so proud of everyone involved in the making of it. But things did get a bit intense when we figured that JJ (MCR-T) is allergic to hay, and his throat started swelling up! Ironic, I know,” she laughs.

Growing up in the countryside, playing concerts for fellow animals, Stella was inspired by nature for her latest single, Obsession, that has the singer insisting: “I’m obsessed with you baby, I lose myself, in your pretty red eyes. And when you notice me, will you finally realise?” Though some may assume it’s about an unrequited crush, HorsegiirL clarifies that it’s about a “recent obsession with the ground beetles of the Carabidae family, who sparkle and shine in metallic colours of all sorts. I could look at them all day, but I wondered if they even notice me, so I wrote the song.” 

It’s fun, ravey sound is in line with HorsegiirL’s previous work so I ask her if we can expect more beloved floor fillers in the future: “I always loved all sorts of music and it’s actually quite difficult for me sticking to one genre in my own music because of that. I would love to make a heavy metal record.” We’ll be keeping our ears peeled for that one, but for now, the farmies and I know you’ll have the best time if you just saddle up, and stick around for the ride.

Barnyard fact sheet

Favourite snack:
Grated apples and carrots with a spritz of lemon juice ???? ̇⋆. ̊ ᡣ????

Star sign:
I was born on the 20th of April – which makes me an Aries.

Favourite farmie interaction:
There are so many! But recently a fan in Medellin, Colombia gave me this handmade doll version of myself in a custom box with a super cute outfit on and I was just blown away by the level of detail and pure talent.

Barn rules:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Favourite hard candy:
I love lollipops, especially the flic ones, ‘cause you can pack them away and take a lick throughout the day.

Musical inspiration atm.
There is so much great music out there; at the moment, I am really inspired by South American artists like my friend DJG2G or ICQ Baby.