'A lot of algorithms think I’m AI': horsegiirL on Navigating the Music Industry as a Human Horse, Her Debut Album and More
Pop Crave sat down with the world's first human horse DJ-singer-songwriter.
Ask yourself: when was the last time you saw a human horse on stage at a festival? Climbing the charts? Chances are, you never have. And horsegiirL is here to change that.
horsegiirL is one of the most distinctive and exciting acts on the rise in 2026. Stella Stallion - as she is also known - is a German musician and DJ who has steadily built a cult following over the past few years. The human horse gained prominence in the electronic scene through a slew of club-ready singles rooted in euphoric house, turning heads along the way, of course, thanks to her unique identity.
The rising star is now based out of Berlin, but that hasn’t always been the case. Her lore dictates that she grew up on a farm, concocting melodies in her head before being discovered and signed by Whitney Horseton - a famous horse and heavy hitter in the animal kingdom’s music industry - at a harvest feast festival. And her career has only been looking up since then.
In 2025, she released her first EP, v.i.p. - very important pony, to critical acclaim. The six-song collection found influences in the hedonistic lifestyle she took on in Berlin, featuring tracks like “materiaL hor$e” and “eat, sleep, slay, 🔁.” Now boasting 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, horsegiirL is fresh off the release of her debut studio album, NATURE IS HEALING. As the title hints at, the record sees Stella return to farmland roots, blending her signature electronic sonic palette with a sense of rurality and a firm connection to our planet.
This summer, she has been making the rounds on the European festival circuit before heading to the US for a headline tour. Pop Crave caught up with her backstage before her set at Bilbao BBK Live to discuss the album, possible collaborations and navigating the music industry as a human horse.
You grew up on a farm and were discovered by Whitney Horseton. How did you get into electronic music? It seems quite far from the rural life.
That’s a good question. I actually started making more country music in the beginning, so very analog and not very electronic and produced. And once I got signed with Whitney Horseton, I got introduced to this breadth of new sounds. I guess starting with understanding that some of my childhood idols like Hampton Hamster and Crazy Frog are big icons of electronic music, I started to dissect it more. I got really into wanting to make sounds from scratch rather than the usual picking up a guitar - which I still love. It was a little bit later on, I guess.
We’re now a month removed from the release of your debut album, NATURE IS HEALING. How does it feel having it out in the world? How are you living with it now that it’s out?
It’s really freeing and amazing that it’s out there for people to listen to. Every day, I get people texting me that they’ve listened to the album and what it means to them or what songs stick out. It’s my first album ever so it feels really beautiful to have this piece of myself out there in the world. I guess the work really continues now. It’s really fun.
A big theme of the album is this connection to the natural world. How do you stay connected to nature while on the road?
Different things. When I’m on the road, one of the main things is letting go of the expectation that you have to do anything else but rest and perform. I used to always pressure myself into, ‘OK, I have to go on a hike if I’m somewhere beautiful,’ or, ‘I have to see all the sights and I have to make the most of my time here.’ Now I’ve realized that to stay grounded when you’re touring, the most important thing is to get sleep and to eat good food. It sounds boring but it really is the thing to do.
How have you found navigating the music industry as a human horse? Have there been any challenges?
So far so good, you know. Right now, a big challenge that I’m facing is that I can tell that a lot of algorithms think I’m AI, so either my videos get shadow banned or they get flagged. That’s been kind of tough because there’s just no representation of us in the industry. But other than that I feel like everyone has been really accepting. I have a great team of humans around me and, overall, it’s been very nice.
Touching on AI, you talk about “organic intelligence” on your album. Do you think it’s important for artists to stand up against AI now that it’s being pushed in creative fields too?
It’s hard because I don’t want to tell an artist what to do or what not to do. A lot of software uses AI already in production and AI is not per se a bad thing as a tool; I think AI can be really helpful and is making things a lot easier. It shouldn’t replace the main part that makes humans and animals beings, which is the creative part and expressing your inside to the world. That’s the scary thing - those AI artists. I don’t have the answers.
That connection with real artists is so important. One artist that you have a connection with is Kim Petras, she was at your album launch party. What does it mean to have that support from other people in the genre?
It means everything. I think the scene is so small, every bubble in the end is made up of a few artists and people and everyone knows each other. It’s beautiful to witness nowadays in pop culture that people are so sweet and supportive, especially women in the industry. In the 2000s, there was a lot more competition and now it feels like we’re all just girlies expressing ourselves, making music. I love Kim; she’s so talented and her album is amazing. It’s been really fun to have her support. The German girlies!
Are there any artists that you’re looking to collaborate with?
I’d love to collaborate with Kim. I would love to make some music with Zara [Larsson]. I really think it would be fun to branch out a little bit and make some music with, I don’t know, a rock band or a rapper - someone like Sexy Redd or something.
horsegiirL’s debut album NATURE IS HEALING is out now.