Navigating politics as musicians
In a collaboration with Pop-Kultur Festival, we look forward to talking about different ways to relate to political struggles or navigate one's political stance as a musician. From a traditional protest song, to using one's public platform to talk about issues, to engaging in political considerations while making sound so they implicitly resonate .. there are many different ways how musicians can be political. Many artists may not consider themselves as explicitly political artists, yet by going about their work the way they do, with the sounds they are applying – it can still be political.
We look forward to a conversation on the relationship between music and politics with artists who navigate that path in different ways.
alyona alyona - According to Vogue, alyona alyona is »Ukraine’s Most Unlikely Rap Star«, a kindergarten teacher who made a splash internationally with her 2019 debut album »Пушка« (»Rifle«) as an energetic rapper who stands for empowerment and body positivity. Despite being one of the country’s biggest pop exports, Alyona Olehivna Savranenko states she’s a normal woman who raps about normal things. Since the war began, she has used her fame to collect relief supplies via Instagram, and instead of going to the recording studio has gone to her hometown pharmacy to lend a hand.
Xenia Rubinos - A »rhythmically fierce, vocally generous music that slips through the net of any known genre« – this is how the New Yorker described Xenia Rubinos’s 2016 album »Black Terry Cat«. Her latest, »Una Rosa«, is more electronic, full of multi-layered beats, bolero, flavours of nineties R&B and a driving clave rhythm along with romance, tragedy and aggression as well as emotional, theatrical vocals. Each track presents a different character – such as a rage-filled woman with a grill, a grieving party girl or a futuristic jazz singer.
Wanlov the Kubolor is a visionary musician, producer, and filmmaker. He is an Akan from the Balkans. He wants freedom, justice, and love for all.