Odd Beholder

Odd Beholder is the electro wave / indie pop project of Swiss musician Daniela Weinmann, with which she precisely and laconically documents the oddities, shadows, and misunderstandings of our times. Weinmann tells stories of alienation and escapism, of emancipation and the vision of a possibly better world. Her version of embracing, dark pop music confronts uncomfortable truths while also offering comfort.

With her last album “Feel Better” (2023), Weinmann traveled back in time to face the circumstances that made her who she is today. She tells stories of small towns and teenage struggles, reflecting on intergenerational relationships and tensions - love and loss, growing up and coming to terms with the past.

Her debut album “All Reality Is Virtual” was all about digitalization - unconditional accessibility and relentless transparency coupled with isolation - and how, despite it all, we still manage to find ourselves and each other. On her second album “Sunny Bay”, Weinmann turned to the theme of nature, exploring the romantic ideals and existential fears we project onto it. Before that, Odd Beholder released two EPs — “Lighting” (2016) and “Atlas” (2017). In 2018 came the “Remixes” EP, featuring contributions from artists like The/Das, Fejka, and Hundreds.

In spring 2023, the collab EP “Lost in Communication” was released, recorded together with songwriter Long Tall Jefferson and supported by a Covid grant from ProHelvetia. Alongside the EP, the two launched a joint podcast featuring various Swiss songwriters (Zeal & Ardor, Evelinn Trouble, Leoni Leoni, Phil Hayes, etc.), documenting contemporary Swiss songwriting and drawing attention to diverse creative approaches.

Odd Beholder repeatedly seeks closeness to film; for Weinmann, visual expression is an essential element. The video clip for the single “Landscape Escape”, directed by Berlin filmmakers Grambow & Kirchknopf in collaboration with the Azerbaijani Social & Modern Dance Association, won the Jury Prize at the Best Swiss Video Clip Awards in 2017. In 2019, Weinmann collaborated with performance artist Ernestyna Orlowska and Belgian-Swiss interdisciplinary dancer and choreographer Annalena Fröhlich. Conversely, Odd Beholder’s songs are frequently used in films. For example, the track “Landscape Escape” plays a central role in Marcel Gisler’s film Mario, which deals with the difficult handling of homosexuality in the world of soccer.

Odd Beholder has been invited to major festivals like The Great Escape (UK), Eurosonic (NL), and Reeperbahn Festival (DE), toured in China, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.

Weinmann is a co-founder of Music Declares Emergency Switzerland, a politically independent initiative of artists and music industry professionals advocating for climate protection and developing responses to the climate emergency. In 2023, Weinmann directed a documentary examining the sense and nonsense of various sustainability measures at Swiss festivals. Following the alliance of digital corporate giants (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, X) with Donald Trump during his inauguration in February 2025, Weinmann organized panels with several musicians on the topic of the “Broligarchy”, questioning how “independent” the music industry really remains within such structures, and how the underground can reclaim new spaces.