(BMVA 2023, Photo by Pauline Jam @shotbypops)
Ahead of the 14th edition of Berlin Music Video Awards, Paura Diamante sat down at Social Hub Berlin to reflect on Berlin nightlife, queer culture, visual identity and the strange survival of underground spaces in a rapidly changing city.
(In Photo: Paura Diamante and Estefanía Caro)
Before Paura Diamante existed, Jan Noll was already a well known figure within Berlin’s queer cultural landscape through Siegessäule magazine, one of Germany’s most influential queer publications. Their connection to BMVA began when founder Aviel Silook approached the magazine while searching for media partners during the festival’s first years.
“I had a lot of respect for what the people who made this first event achieved because it came out of nowhere and it was really a thing,” Paura recalls. “It was fun.”
(BMVA 2013, Photo by Pascale Scerbo Sarro)
Silook still remembers those early years vividly.
“We met when I was still new in Berlin,” he says. “Their trust in the project was one of the reasons I kept going. Having somebody from the scene genuinely support what we were building meant a lot.”
Over time, Paura became increasingly involved with the festival itself. What started through journalism and queer media representation slowly evolved into direct participation inside the event.
“The first time I was part of the jury, it was important for me to support queer people,” Paura says. “It was about queer people being represented at the event and also having a lobby in the jury.”
That perspective continues to shape the entire Paura Diamante project today.
The character itself emerged after a long personal and artistic pause. After stepping away from music for nearly two decades, Paura returned to it during the isolation of the COVID years, eventually developing a visual identity rooted somewhere between drag aesthetics, synth culture and personal transformation.
“I suffer heavily from social anxieties and panic attacks, and agoraphobia,” Paura explains. “I wanted to turn my social anxieties into something powerful. It’s a thing of empowerment.”
The name carries that meaning:
“When I was young, I listened to an Italian band that had a song called ‘Paura’. I found out it means fear in Italian,” they say. “The diamond of fear, darling.”
That relationship between music and visual identity naturally connects back to the Berlin Music Video Awards itself. For Paura, visuals are not secondary to the music, but essential to it.
“They never see me perform live on stage,” Paura says. “So for me, videos are a very huge part of getting into contact with my listeners.”
Even after 14 years, what still stands out most to Paura is how strongly the festival has maintained its underground character despite its international growth.
“I think it’s always very surprising how underground the BMVAs are,” they say. “Every time I look at the people that are booked for the event weekend, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I know this person. This is very underground. I love it.’”
For them, that underground spirit remains the event’s greatest strength.
“It’s a very brave event,” Paura continues. “It’s not all about mainstream and pop and people being comfy in their bubble of the music business. It feels more like an exciting underground party.”
(In Photo: Paura Diamante)
That same DIY mentality also shapes the advice they give to younger artists working with limited resources.
“A lot of videos in the mainstream are about choreography and looking fierce,” Paura says. “Especially when you’re very low budget, you’ll never be able to achieve that because you can’t afford dancers, you can’t afford a studio. So it’s better if you go with a good plot or a message that you want to transport.”
On June 11th, Paura Diamante returns to the Berlin Music Video Awards once again, this time behind the DJ decks with a set blending synth, minimal wave and contemporary dark club sounds inspired by decades of underground music culture.
“I’ll do a very cute set and I will look amazing,” Paura laughs. “I think that should be satisfying for people.”
After more than a decade of watching BMVA evolve through multiple roles and generations of artists, Paura Diamante remains connected to the same underground energy that shaped the festival from the beginning: experimental, strange, independent and unapologetically Berlin.
Watch the full interview with Paura Diamante: https://youtu.be/PtB2RYeqHl8
The Event Program: https://www.berlinmva.com/tickets-2026/
For more information on the festival, full nominee lists, tickets, and event details, visit: https://www.berlinmva.com/
Date: June 11-13, 2026 (doors open: 17:00)
Location: Club Gretchen (Obentrautstr. 19-21, 10963 Berlin, Kreuzberg)
The event is open to the public.
Tickets are available now. Secure your spot before they sell out!
Get your ticket here: https://www.berlinmva.com/tickets-2026/
Follow the Berlin Music Video Awards:
- Facebook: https://fb.com/berlinmva
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berlinmusicvideoawards/
- Twitter: https://vimeo.com/user252505152
- Website: https://www.berlinmva.com/
Video Interview Production Credits
Estefanía Caro (@niacaroalvarez)
Videographers: Gábor Hollós (@herrgaab)
Levi Galambos (@turbekturbek) Editor
Coordinator & Set Designer: Adi Gazit (@mango.pudding2019)
Producer: Aviel Silook
