Results for: mos def

The Iranian singer Faravaz will release her debut, "Azadi" (meaning "Freedom" in Farsi), on May 11th. The record recounts the story of her life in exile in Germany because the Iranian government sentenced her to one year in prison for the act of singing as a woman. Choosing to not return to her homeland, Faravaz fights for women’s rights from abroad. Her music is driven by the yearning and fight for liberation from patriarchal oppression.

Once again, we have the pleasure of covering one of Berlin’s festival gems: XJAZZ!. This year, the festival returns for a bold new edition, running from May 14 to 18 at Festsaal Kreuzberg and surrounding venues. With a finger always on the pulse of boundary-pushing sound and community-driven energy, XJAZZ! 2025 promises to be a week-long celebration of everything that makes Berlin’s music scene so electrifying — and so globally relevant.

Jamila & The Other Heroes have released their new single and an accompanying music video for “LAYLA (ليلة).” Following their latest album "Bazaar Bizarre فلسطين وين انا؟" the song carries both the weight and the joy of resilience. Öykü Naz Gümüş spoke with lead singer Jamila Al-Yousef about the journey behind the song and what it means to make resilient music about painful narratives.

The Berlin-based singer Anika released "Abyss", a record oozing with urgency and the need to make one's voice heard. Following her solo albums "Eat Liquid" (2023) and "Change" (2021), she now reinvents her signature post-rock sound for the current state of the world and to deliver a gut-moving live show. Nadia Says spoke to the singer about the societal inspirations for the record's themes and whether music can be a driver for change.

What happens when the human voice is manipulated through electronic drone sounds? The London-based choir project NYX is experimenting with collective singing and digital production creating a unique soundscape on their self-titled debut. Nadia Says spoke to founder and musical director Sian O’Gorman about the power of the collective voice and the joy of playing with manipulation and distortion.

OFFKEY editor Felicia Aghaye spoke to London's own Greentea Peng about her newest project "Tell Dem It's Sunny". Embarking on a journey to the self, the new record sees the singer turning inward, moving away from the outward reflections her debut "Man Made" featured, and instead, explores the cycles of growth, identity, and acceptance.

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek recently released their new record "Yarın Yoksa". The album follows the acclaimed releases, "Dost 2" (2022) and "Kar Yağar" (2019), and was recorded in New York City. Ilo Toerkell met Derya Yıldırım and Helen Wells from the group to speak about working with Anatolian classics, folk music as resistance and the bağlama in Germany.

The Berlin-based singer Güner Künier is about to release her new record "Yaramaz". On the album, the artist embraces her heritage, singing in Turkish for the first time, and rejects societal expectation of women. Author Anna Grubauer spoke to Güner Künier about what's behind "Yaramaz".