Exclusive Interview with Fallin' Astronauts

Fallin' Astronauts is the Vienna-based indie pop duo of multi-instrumentalists Max Hamedinger and Emil Breit. The two of them met as students and have both studied and been trained in classical music. However, their music as Fallin' Astronauts is from a different realm of the sonic atmosphere.

We sat down with Fallin' Astronauts to talk about their creative journey, inspirations, and what’s next.

MusicsWeek: How did you get started in music?

Fallin' Astronauts: Music was always part of our lives. We both grew up surrounded by instruments and started playing at a young age - Emil on trombone, piano, and guitar, and Max on cello, piano, and vocals. From classical and jazz training to our own projects, it felt natural to bring all of that together and create Fallin’ Astronauts.

MusicsWeek: What inspired you to become a musician?

Fallin' Astronauts: Honestly, it never felt like a decision; it was just always there. Music shaped us so much that we can’t imagine a life without it. The way it connects people and creates lasting moments was our biggest inspiration. Music can be kind of a therapy, and it can create and transport emotions in a unique way, and what could be greater than to be part of the soundtrack of someone’s life.

MusicsWeek: Can you tell us a bit about your background and upbringing?

Fallin' Astronauts: We both grew up in Austria in families where music was always around—whether it was rehearsals, concerts, or just instruments lying around the house. Our upbringing was shaped by both discipline from classical training and freedom from exploring jazz and pop, which gave us the best of both worlds. We then decided to form our first band, "Lonely Moon Bandits”, where we mainly played covers of classic rock bands and tried to write our first original songs. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out due to musical differences, and we decided to create Fallin’ Astronauts.

MusicsWeek: What's your favorite memory related to music?

Fallin' Astronauts: There are so many memories that are connected to different times in our lives, but when it comes to our own music, then definitely playing our own songs live for the first time and hearing people sing along. That moment of connection, from something that started in our bedroom,s turning into a shared experience, was unforgettable.

MusicsWeek: What's your biggest passion outside of music?

Fallin' Astronauts: We both love traveling and discovering new cultures. It gives us perspective, stories, and inspiration that often flow back into our music. Beyond that, Max is very passionate about fashion, modeling, and acting, while Emil is deeply into sports, horror movies, and diy crafts.

MusicsWeek: How do you stay motivated and inspired?

Fallin' Astronauts: We draw a lot of inspiration from everyday life - conversations, emotions, or even just late-night thoughts. Sometimes it’s also other art forms, and of course, travelling. Also, playing live is a huge motivator, because seeing people connect with our songs gives us the energy to keep creating. We know that our music has the potential to reach many people, and we believe in our work, so we always try to stay motivated with our dream of being musicians ahead of us.

MusicsWeek: What's your favorite song to play live?

Fallin' Astronauts: Right now, probably “Higher”. It carries the energy and message of who we are as a band, and it is always fun to play, since you can also always feel the energy of the crowd.

MusicsWeek: What's your creative process like when writing songs?

Fallin' Astronauts: There’s really no fixed formula to our creative process, since it always begins differently. Sometimes one of us starts with a lyric and we build the music around it, other times it’s a chord progression or a melodic riff that sets the foundation. What matters most is how we complement each other in shaping those ideas into songs we both truly stand behind.

MusicsWeek: Do you have a favorite album or artist that influences your work?

Fallin' Astronauts: We draw a lot from Indie-Pop bands like Coldplay and Kodaline, and we have a fable for bands from the 90s like Radiohead or U2. But we also get inspired a lot by contemporary Pop artists like Lauv or LANY, and we admire the production style of K-pop music. We love blending those pop influences with elements from Rock and other genres. We see ourselves as Indie-Pop Artists, but we don’t want to stick to the musical boundaries of just one genre, so we mix up elements from various genres to create our own sound. There are a lot of inspiring albums, but one that definitely sticks out for us is Mylo Xyloto from Coldplay, since we just love that mixture of Pop and Rock with all those bright guitar riffs and catchy vocals, which create different emotions and memories throughout the whole album.

MusicsWeek: What's the most challenging part of being a musician?

Fallin' Astronauts: Balancing creativity with everything else - promotion, building a career, constantly putting yourself out there. It’s not always easy, especially nowadays, when you have to do several tasks that have nothing to do with creating music if you are an independent artist. But the moment someone connects with your music makes it worth it.