Written by Ambre Montespan - Updated on Mar 11, 2026
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Have you heard one of the handpan pieces by the artist known as Changeofcolours? Did you especially enjoy what you listened to? Curious to learn more about the biography and journey of this German percussionist?
I first discovered Changeofcolours about two years ago through one of her duets with Malte Marten, another talented handpan and Hang drum player. Since then, I’ve been following her musical output. In this article, you’ll find everything I’ve gathered about Julia Baier, aka Changeofcolours.
By reading this short, informative article, you will learn:
- Changeofcolours’ professional journey and what drew her to the handpan
- The various musical projects she is involved in
- Her discography
As a result, you’ll gain a clear overview of Changeofcolours’ musical creations and get closer to this percussionist who has made instinctive playing her signature.
Now, let’s take a look at Changeofcolours’ career.
What was the journey that led Changeofcolours to the handpan?
Changeofcolours, whose real name is Julia Baier, is a German musician who specializes in the handpan. Long before she became skilled on this percussion instrument, she was already drawn to music and art. As a teenager, she got into music, especially playing the electric guitar. Her creative side also led her into photography: she became a professional photographer and, little by little, put her love for music on hold for several years. During that time, she earned a bachelor’s degree in digital media and film production, which reflects her interest in imagery and visual storytelling. She then worked as a photographer, especially around her hometown of Darmstadt, Germany, sharpening her artistic eye through the lens. She also developed a real passion for color grading, which she loves using to convey emotion in photos and video.
In 2019, even though music had taken a backseat professionally, Changeofcolours completed training in kundalini yoga, a discipline where music and singing play an important role in relaxation. That reconnection with music reignited something that had always been inside her. She started playing guitar again and picked up another instrument as well: the tongue drum, a distant cousin of the handpan. It wasn’t until the very end of 2021 that she finally discovered the handpan, and it was a true revelation. In her own words, the handpan felt “like the missing puzzle piece that came back into her life after so many years, without her even realizing it.” Through this mesmerizing instrument, Julia rediscovered an essential part of herself and her artistic voice.
What does Julia Baier offer with the help of her favorite percussion instrument?
Although Changeofcolours, aka Julia Baier, discovered the handpan toward the end of 2021, she quickly began posting videos on her YouTube channel featuring instinctive, in-the-moment compositions. On June 21, 2022, the first of a long series went live. Through her videos, Changeofcolours aims to express whatever she’s feeling right then—sometimes bright and luminous, other times darker, depending on her mood. As she puts it, she tries to “see the beauty of the world, even in emotions often described as dark.” That’s why each piece she creates is unique, captured in the moment, and not something she can truly recreate the exact same way.
Despite her relatively recent arrival in the handpan world, Changeofcolours has already reached a large international audience. At the time of writing, she uploads one video per week—every Thursday around 3:00 p.m.—which has helped her grow to more than 30,000 subscribers on YouTube. Her most popular videos are closing in on 200,000 views. She also regularly performs duets with other big names in handpan, such as Konstantin Rössler, Malte Marten, and Kabeção. Collaborating with these more established percussionists has helped even more listeners discover her work. You can hear one of these duets in the video below:
Today, Changeofcolours is a fully independent artist who continues working in both music and photography. On the photography side, she offers her services through her website https://www.juliabaier-fotografie.de/, where you can hire her for portraits, couples sessions, or all kinds of events. She even offers image retouching. Musically, she also teaches beginner handpan lessons and releases several albums as pay-what-you-want, which you can find on her Deezer page. This dual skill set in sound and image has also led her to collaborate with the handpan community beyond her own music: for example, she’s part of the Malte Marten Method training program team as a video editing and color grading specialist, helping other handpan players present their performances at their best.
What is this Hang drum player’s discography?
Changeofcolours has already released several self-produced albums and EPs, available online. Across her catalog, a few notable releases include:
- Peaceful Haven: her first compilation, bringing together handpan tracks that were previously shared on her YouTube channel. The result is a cohesive album of compositions that resonated strongly with her audience.
- Glimmer: a fully original album in which Changeofcolours expresses gratitude for life’s small, everyday moments. She shares personal experiences through evocative titles (Dance of Two Hearts, Softly Falling, The Endless Journey…) and considers this release especially close to her heart.
- Sound of the Ocean: a 4-track EP that uses the ocean as a metaphor for emotions—rising and falling like waves. Julia explains that she composed these pieces during an intense inner process, listening to them on repeat for days as emotional support before deciding “to release them as an EP” so they could, in turn, support others through their own emotional waves.
- Deep Sound Journey: released in early 2024, this is Changeofcolours’ first official EP, featuring more mystical tracks developed on a handpan tuned to the Pygmy scale.
- Only Change Remains: one of her most recent singles, whose title perfectly reflects the artist’s philosophy. This track appears on The Path Within, her second compilation of YouTube tracks, which brings together ten new serenity-filled compositions (such as Introspection, Passing Clouds, Mirage, etc.).
Express your emotions with an excellent handpan
In just a few years, Changeofcolours has become an inspiring figure in the handpan community. Her unconventional path—from photography and yoga to a flourishing musical career—shows that it’s never too late to follow your passion. Julia Baier has turned her hypersensitivity into creative strength and a gift to her audience. Thanks to everything you’ve read in this article, you now know much more about the talented artist known as Changeofcolours.
If you’d like to express your own emotions through an instrument, it’s important to choose a high-quality handpan that can faithfully translate what you’re feeling. With that in mind, I personally recommend the Instruments du Monde online store, which can meet all your needs. This reputable company offers dozens of handpans in a wide range of scales to suit every type of player. For example, this Aegean-scale handpan is ideal for a quick start and a meditative playing style.
Discover everything this handpan has to offer by clicking on the image below now:
Changeofcolours also performs stunning duets with Johann Immanuel, another German artist who specializes in playing the handpan, making him one of the most renowned percussionists on YouTube. Take a few minutes to discover the full extent of his work.
