Their show at Berghain Kantine was clearly a milestone for AKA Kelzz. They had just released their debut album Odyssey, kicking off their first headline tour by selling out the venue. But somehow, more than a concert, it felt like a big party to celebrate AKA Kelzz—and people showed up. Maybe it was because of Kelzz’s engaging crowd work, their raw and relatable emotional presence, their new danceable bangers, or the fact that this was home ground for the Berlin-based artist. But if anyone ever told you Berlin crowds are stiff, they’re going to the wrong concerts. AKA Kelzz is one of those artists who can brighten up a grim Monday evening, even in November, and bring some beauty to that rough and grey corner of Berlin.
Release of Rage
We met up one week later, after they had more shows in Cologne and London, to talk about the tour, the album, and life. AKA Kelzz has been on a path of growth—mentally, creatively, and in their career as an artist. Odyssey is not only their most sonically versatile and multilayered project yet; creating the album was an important part of their personal development: “The story of ‘Odyssey‘ is me coming out of a very difficult two, three years in my life: friendship breakups, relationship breakups. Not being seen, not being heard, not being taken care of in spaces that were meant to be safe for people like me. It really hit me hard to the point where I had a mental breakdown this year. And this breakdown really was the catalyst to everything. I don’t deserve to feel the way that I was feeling. I don’t deserve to be let down. And I do deserve to feel desired and sexy in my own body.”
Photo by Papa De
“It’s a beautiful feeling to release rage and anger, but I was told from a very young age to not be angry. As I’m getting older, I’m realizing it’s a very powerful tool. Just understanding that I am all of these feelings, all of these emotions and tears and joy and everything that comes with existing. Creating ‘Odyssey‘ was my release to not hold on to the old ways.”
Breaking Boxes
The outcome is an eight-track journey through intimacy and passion, vulnerability and empowerment, love and self-love, depression and celebration. Most of all, the topics are extremely relatable—feelings we’ve all felt, struggles we’ve all battled, questions we’ve all asked ourselves. What sounds like a perfectly edited self-help book in audio form is AKA Kelzz’s organic creative process. “When I’m writing I just know I have a feeling that I need to get out. But I only really connect with it a few months or even a year later. I’m like, oh, I really get what I mean now! But at the moment, I just have this feeling I need to release. I write music for the future me. And that really helped me find my voice,” the artist tells me. Finding that voice however wasn’t always that easy—or at least, it was hard to overcome the expectations of others and their own. Letting go of comparisons with others and imitating idols was a challenge:
“My EP was something that I thought I had to be. This R&B/soul artist – which is amazing. I still love R&B and soul music. But is that me wholly? No! My album really allowed me to blend everything that I wanted and create this chaos. It is all the music that I love. I don’t wanna put myself in a box and I will not allow anyone to put me in a box. I make music that feels good to me and other people like it, so I am just really glad I’ve unleashed that.”
Crying and Dancing
Listening to the album, you can notice a shift in AKA Kelzz’s music. They pair rich and soothing vocals with an eclectic mix of infectious beats: from drum and bass to house to dancehall. I couldn’t help but wonder if this is a walk through Kelzz’s life, from their early childhood memories to their first times going out. A conglomeration of all the sounds that have shaped the person they are today. Like their father’s favorite artist, Jamaican reggae singer Dennis Brown, to their clubbing phase when first moved to Berlin in 2017.
Now you might be wondering, an album that focuses on self-discovery and mental health but also makes you shake your hips? Well, yes—or as AKA Kelzz had put it at their release concerts, their genre is songs to cry AND dance to. “I’ve been crying a lot this year and I’ve been dancing a lot. The connection of the two makes me feel good and helps to release. And not just me, people love to cry and dance. Let’s create small spaces for this, you know,” they tell me later.
Talking About Mental Health
AKA Kelzz is sharing, caring, and unapologetic in ways that feel brave to me. Take their mental health journey, which they openly share with the world in hopes of making others feel less alone. “I just think it’s so necessary to share about our mental health because it’s so easy just to pretend like I’m okay. For me, the other side is always something I’m gonna share because I really pride myself on that and my own progress,” they tell me. For AKA Kelzz, this openness extends beyond personal struggles to their broader identity as a queer Black artist. Their commitment to speaking their truth hasn’t always been met with acceptance. They’ve faced criticism and even hostility for their political views, particularly their support for Palestine and Lebanon. “There have been times this year where I’ve been violently silenced,” they say, reflecting on the challenges of navigating spaces that claim inclusivity but falter in the face of dissent.
Yet, Kelzz continues to push forward, sharing their story and reminding others: “You are loved. You are amazing. You are worthy. These words that I didn’t hear a lot when I was growing up. Now I have tools and want to share them with other people and hopefully, it makes some difference.” Especially navigating the music industry, there is a lot of financial pressure, lack of orientation and feelings of imposter syndrome that probably most artists can relate to. “As an independent artist, a small independent artist you have to do everything. And that’s a lot. There needs to be a lot more resources regarding mental health regarding safer spaces for artists and community and people to connect and share and not feel so alone.”
It Is Not About Perfection
Photo by Papa De
AKA Kelzz embraces their identity as a queer Black artist with a raw honesty that speaks to the complexity of representation. It’s a mantle they didn’t choose but wear with pride. “Being in a position of representation or just being yourself and therefore being representation is something that I’ve been battling a lot with this year,” they share. “As someone that looks like me—tall, fat, dark-skinned, and queer—I don’t have that much representation to directly be like, oh, that’s me. But if I don’t have anyone to look to and then people see me as a representation and I don’t feel like I have anything sorted, am I representing anything?”
Yet, they find grounding in the support of their chosen family: “Thankfully I have my friends and people around that tell me: You’re doing exactly what you’re doing in the way that you’re meant to do it. People see you.” Their openness is a reminder that representation isn’t about perfection; it’s about existing authentically and providing hope for others who see themselves in their story.
When Things Align
I asked AKA Kelzz about the perfect way to experience Odyssey for the first time if you haven’t listened to the record before. “First thing in the morning, when you get out of the shower and you moisturise your body – I hope people are moisturising – and do your hair and you listen to ‘Alignment’ and you say, ‘I gotta try to free my mind.’ When you’re getting ready, that’s the perfect time.” Take care of your skin, pump up the volume, and get in the zone. The idea of setting your day to Odyssey feels like a power move—turning the routine of getting dressed into an act of self-love and intention. Because let’s be real, if you’re going to face the world, you might as well do it with a soundtrack that makes you feel like the main character.
Odyssey is out now. Stay up to date with Aka Kelzz via their Instagram.