Back in October, the Berlin rapper BRKN shared the first single of his newest EP Tränen. A track filled with urgency and compassion, “Angst” felt like a new side of the multi–musician. Even though BRKN already showed us that he is capable of critical reflection and exploring different sonic territories with confidence, last on his release Rahat (2023), “Angst” rang as something different. Now, BRKN has released Tränen in its entirety. Revisiting the topics from his last EP, the artist takes on themes of love, pain and loss in greater depth, shaped by personal growth and a more open approach to both songwriting and self-reflection.
The Perpetual “What’s Next?”
BRKN’s music has always defied easy categorization, a testament to his multifaceted musical upbringing. Influences of jazz, rap, soul, R’n’B and house weave themselves into his music with ease, as BRKN mastered the piano and saxophone in his childhood and later added rapping, guitar, and music production to his repertoire. After the intensive production period of his sophomore album DRAMA (2020), BRKN was faced with a resounding “What’s next?”. Realizing his subconscious yearning for something novel he answered the call with his EP Rahat. Turning his back on grand aesthetics, the EP’s production was more spontaneous in nature. A vein he further explored when recording Tränen. “Everything happened very intuitively”, he tells me about the recording process. As both lyrically and musically BRKN opted to dig deeper and experiment more.
For the Love of Music and Growth
Diving deeper into the recording process of Tränen, BRKN reflects on how shedding inhibitions and critically examining past behaviors have helped him outgrow his ego. “I experimented a lot. I almost wanted to say that I always did but that’s not true“, he says about his new approach. He tells me that he learned to keep going and to move on—”It’s kind of like sparring”—likening this process to a sport, where practice and repetition are essential to improvement. This mentality—less planning, more doing—has infused his work with a sense of spontaneity and authenticity that expresses itself in the sound of the EP.
Photo by Jordan Jamon
“My previous album was very much a concept, because everything was created in a specific time period with the album as a goal. With Rahat and Tränen, everything was created from current moods. And from sketching songs and just going from there to actually sitting down with the intention to write a song, I allowed myself to try everything”.
No Reservations
BRKN’s versatility and joy of experimentation are evident in the arrangements of Tränen. Effortlessly merging genres, it mixes influences of house and garage with funky grooves and melancholic piano melodies. Between brass sections and guitar riffs, BRKN succeeds in crafting a soundscape that’s both accessible and deeply emotional.
A feat accomplished by a constant spirit of collaboration, as the collaborative input of producers Jakepot, Tommy Gun and Luca Starz adds another dimension to the EP. Their contributions helped BRKN break creative barriers, resulting in a broad range of songs united by a mentality of spontaneity and intensity. There were no reservations working with the producers, BRKN remembers: “When I was working with one of them on something, I knew I could send them something over because I knew they were probably doing the same thing anyways”. This collaborative creativity allowed him to experiment with his sound even more.
Photo by Ferhat Topal
“I used to hide behind my style, I think. I was afraid to leave my comfort zone and used to fear my life being judged by others. So, I didn’t dare to experiment really. I wondered if anyone would even listen to my music then.”
BRKN came into his own, with Tränen especially. Not only did the new songwriting approach transform his sound content-wise, but the artist dared to keep digging deeper.
Growth Is An Ongoing Journey
Opening with the introspective “Bitter/Sweet”, Tränen invites listeners into BRKN’s deepest thoughts. The EP spans a range of emotions, from questions of self-worth and social critique to gratitude for his achievements. The standout single, “Angst”, exemplifies this balance with its raw vulnerability and urgency. BRKN reveals that “Angst” was one of the hardest tracks to write. While the first verse and melody came to him rather effortlessly, the song stalled for six months as he struggled to rekindle the same emotional intensity. “I rewrote parts three or four times and still wasn’t happy with it,” he says.
A lesson from his therapist helped BRKN move forward. “He showed me a Parkinson’s law diagram: the idea that most progress happens in the first half of the time spent on something. After a point, you’re just spinning your wheels. My therapist could tell the song was done. He hadn’t even heard it. Just from me describing my struggles he could tell. I just had to let it be. Sometimes you have to accept that something is done.” With “Angst”, BRKN learned to let go and embrace imperfection as part of the creative process.
The track’s message of unconditional love sets the tone for the EP, threading through the lighthearted romance of “Babyduweißt” and “Crush” and the heavier themes of “Bitter/Sweet” and “Captions”. Despite their contrasting aesthetics, these songs share BRKN’s trademark mix of vulnerability and confidence, walking a fine line between softness and strength.
Mental health and processing past toxic behaviors play a significant role on Tränen, particularly in tracks “Angst” and “Bitter/Sweet”. Yet, BRKN is quick to clarify that he didn’t set out to write songs metaphorically “pointing a finger”. These themes emerged organically as part of his worldview, representing both the conscious and unconscious values he holds. BRKN is not trying to lecture anyone; these messages are simply a reflection of where he’s at and how he sees things. 
“I don’t consciously make these things a topic. If I make music, I still live my life and deal with the things I notice or encounter on my way. I do think there should be more of that in public. But then I’m more interested in how I can incorporate it into my music so that it’s not just an Insta post or going to demos, but how I can use what I do for that and also help to make it somehow cool, without it becoming such a super political intellectual pointing finger.”
The Berliner
As a born-and-bred Berliner, BRKN’s connection to his home city runs deep. When asked about this bond, his answer surprised me—not because of what he said, but how he said it. Beneath his words was a palpable love, for both the beautiful and the ugly of the city. “I don’t know what it is. But for example, when I see a run-down house on the street with a rancid betting office on the ground floor, I can’t help it. I just love it. Of course, the city changed a lot but I just love it here”. With this image, BRKN captured something I, as a fellow Berlin native, could also not really put into words. It’s this sentiment of hope and promise, and simultaneously, desperation and disappointment. A true hassliebe that fuels artists like him to celebrate the city for its imperfections. This ambiguous mix of emotions also fittingly encapsulates the artist’s own journey, which, yes, was once plagued by self-doubt but now even more so celebrates the rocky path to self-triumph.
With Tränen, BRKN demonstrates an artistic maturity that feels both deliberate and effortless. His willingness to confront difficult emotions, experiment with his sound, and embrace vulnerability has resulted in an EP that is as introspective as it is relatable.
“Tränen” is out now via RCA and Sony Music. Follow BRKN on Instagram and catch him on his “Den Tränen Nah” tour.