Asking the Riders | What's on Your Headphones?
August 24, 2026
Everyone has their own way of getting ready to hit the water. For some, it means finding the right song, turning the volume up and getting hyped and dialled in. For others, it’s a quiet moment, a chat with friends, or simply taking in the atmosphere before the heat. We asked a selection of FPT riders what’s on their playlists, and, perhaps more interestingly, what music means to them before they sail.
From P!NK and Linkin Park to Japanese rock, German hip-hop and 80s classics, the answers were about as varied as you might expect. And turns out that for quite a few riders, the perfect pre-heat soundtrack is… no music at all.
Lennart Neubauer
“Whats my music… My Music right now; you might laugh at me, is P!NK.
I freakin’ love P!NK, and specifically “U + Ur Hand” has been at the top of my listening recently. When I check my Spotify, some other songs at the top of my listening history that I’ve been having on repeat lately have been:”
“U + Ur Hand” by P!NK
“Pseftika Idola” by 12os Pithikos
“Dirty Paws” by Of Monsters and Men
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd
Leander Halm
“I love music – It’s a big part of my life outside of windsurfing as well. I am actually singing in a rock band, and I love listening to a whole bunch of different genres, but mostly punk and rock. I also love listening to slower ballades by guys like Elton John or Billy Joel (like “Vienna”) on some days. Currently some songs I’m coming back to a lot are “Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin) and “Books from Boxes” by Maximo Park.
My all-time favorite though, has to be either “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers or “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan. Having a good song on your mind on the water or in a heat helps keep in the flow and makes me surf with more stoke and fun!”
Živa Batis
“Nope. I don’t listen to music before going on the water at all. Funny actually, I was talking to Lennart about this – I’ve seen a lot of people trying to either meditate or sit down on the beach and listen to some music: I think it’s a good thing to get into a flow where you’re not thinking about others and just focusing on yourself and fully concentrating.
But what’s most important for me it’s to remind myself that I’m doing all this for fun, enjoying myself and when I go for a session or for a heat, my priority number one is to go on the water with the mindset that I’m going out there just to have fun; then I know that I will sail my best.
I don’t think I’m really listening to music that much – usually when I’m driving to the spot, and It’s usually 80’s stuff: mostly old school songs. Currently I’m all in on Michael Jackson, listening to his songs a lot.”
Foivos Tsoupras
“I enjoy a lot of different genres; quite a bit of German hip-hop, I listen quite a bit to a German rapper called RIN, but also depends on the mood. Sometimes I’m fully into AC/DC stuff, sometimes also to get out of every day life and chill out a bit before a session I could go for for Eric Clapton, sometimes some G-Funk stuff like Nate Dogg or something like that – all depends on the mood but nothing specific.
Sometimes I also go through a playlist we made at EFPT Vesoul 2023 where I had a 6 hour drive home, and everyone got around a table and put some music in there. Sometimes I’ll just throw that on and go through, and if I hear a song I like, I’ll put it on and let the Spotify Autoplay do it’s thing.”
Manolis Chrysopoulos
“I guess a lot of people know how much I love Linkin Park. Mostly due to Chester (Bennington), who is my all time favourite, so it’s almost always one of their songs that I’m throwing on before I compete or even go for a session.
The three songs that I can point to that I really listen to a lot before I go sailing are “Points of Authority”, “With You” and “Figure 09.”
They all have this powerful intro that gets me hyped and gives me a push for the session; the lyrics of these songs as well also help, and push me to to push myself and try to be better even more.”
Lisa Kloster
“That’s a lot of music questions… I think you got the wrong person for this *laughs* Yeah, I don’t really listen to any music most of the time, I prefer just hanging out talking to people; the only time there’s ever music around is when I go dancing at a party, but for myself I rarely ever put anything on.
I also listen to look for songs for Instagram reels *laughs* – usually something rock-y and fast, and when we go dancing, I love reggaeton.”
Konstantinos Nikoletos (Lisa’s Boyfriend): “If you want to talk music, talk with me. Lisa doesn’t have any knowledge – nothing about music. Just reels! Only reels! *laughs*”
Steven van Broeckhoven
“I don’t really have a go-to, I mostly listen to music in the car. Before heats, I don’t really put anything on. Nowadays maybe, sometimes but in my Prime years I was automatically always in super focus – I would get tunnel visioned on the competition, so it’s not like I would hear it anyway; I don’t really have that anymore. Probably because I’m not really as fully focused on winning anymore, just trying to enjoy the moment when I’m on the water.
I like listening to a little bit of everything as long its not too much commercial bulls**t 😀”:
Takumi Moriya
“Before competing, I don’t really listen to music much. I prefer hanging out with the friends around before the heat, talking and just relaxing before it’s my turn to go on the water.
But in general, I do love music, and I listen a lot; usually it’s mostly Japanese rock music. Recently I’ve been listenting to bands like Back Number and Mrs. Green Apple a lot!”
Maaike Huvermann
“I don’t necessarily have any go-to songs or albums that I always listen to before a session, but I really enjoy indie folk before a windsurf session or competition. Something quite relaxed, motivational or happy usually puts me in a good mood before going on the water.
Before an actual heat in competition, though, I don’t listen to that much music. I actually prefer just being on the beach, talking to people and taking in what’s going on around me. I try not to get too much into my own head before competing, so staying social and keeping things quite normal works better for me than putting headphones on and completely zoning out”
Pier Bongianni
“I don’t really listen to much music before a heat. But if I had to pick the genres that get me the most hyped before a competition, I’d probably go with rap and rock. Those are definitely the two styles that get me fired up, help me loosen up, and feel less tense before competing.
Most of the time though, I actually prefer staying focused and keeping things quiet before a heat. That’s usually what works best for me.
A song I listen to a lot recently is “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix. I’m also really into rappers like Central Cee, 50 Cent, and 2Pac – they definitely get me hyped and ready to go.”
Bijou Shahmirian
“Oof that’s difficult. I don’t really have a go-to song before competing; I don’t really listen to music before heats. But when I am heading out for a session, I like musing that gets me hyped. Something like “Now or Never” (Tkandz). My music rotation is pretty random though, depending on the mood.”
Yentel Caers
“I listen to all kinds of music, usually something harder and heavier that hypes you up before hitting the water, I can’t really pinpoint an exact genre or style, can also be something mainstream; generally whatever comes on.”
Adam Sims
“My go-to has always been Rise Against: They’re an outstanding band with outstanding music – I have used it in some videos that I’ve made in the past. I love it, I don’t think I can get bored of it – I’ll have moments where I don’t listen to them for a couple of months and then throw them on to get the hype before a session. Linkin’ Park is another good one – I like this kind of rock music, where the vocals are screaming – It’s gotta be 60 knots out there for me to plug that into my ears and feel the vibe to go and scream on the water *laughs*
And recently I’ve been liking stuff like Aaron Hibell; more inspirational trance-y music that takes you to another level. After sessions I also love to put on a little bit of some Reggae vibes to wind down, chill out – cold beer, you know how it is.”
So, is there a perfect soundtrack for going sailing? Apparently not. For some, it’s screaming guitars or heavy beats, a chilled-out indie folk track, or nothing but the sound of the beach and your friends around you. Everyone seems to have their own way of finding the right headspace before action.
Maybe the real takeaway here is that there’s no right way to get ready for the water. Sometimes you need the music to fire you up; sometimes you need to switch everything off. And sometimes, as Živa puts it, the best way to prepare is to remember why you’re out there in the first place: to enjoy yourself and make the most of the moment.
