COSMO Festival

In the organizer's words:

COSMO Festival! That means: one day and one night of global pop madness between glam and guerrilla. With unique artists in the most lovable location in the Pott.

Including:

• Ezhel, the greatest poet of Turkish rap.
• Majur, the queer pop sensation from Brazil.
• Acid Arab, the masters of French-Arabic techno.
• Treesha, the charismatic reggae queen from Kenya.
• 255, the Afrobeats specialists from Germany with their first live set.

Ezhel
Sercan İpekçioğlu alias Ezhel is currently THE defining figure of the Turkish rap diaspora. He ingeniously combines trap, hip hop and reggae to create his own sound. And he is an artist with a social attitude. In keeping with the old rap tradition, Ezhel also places socio-critical themes at the center of his lyrics. He grew up in Ankara and the city's street music scene was his college. His debut album Müptezhel catapulted him into the limelight in 2017. Ezhel became the mouthpiece of the dissatisfied in Turkey. He is arrested for allegedly glorifying drug use in his songs. In others, he addresses the attempted coup and the increasing femicides in his home country. Ezhel has lived in Berlin for five years. His latest album "Derdo" is the first to be created entirely in his new home city. Full of stories about love, excess and loneliness. Ezhel's live shows are legendary. It goes without saying that he gets one of the headliner slots at the COSMO Festival.

Majur
Embracing pop, soul and R'n'B sounds, hip hop and electronic Afro-Brazilian sounds. When Majur is on stage, the sun rises. The Brazilian trans woman from Salvador loves grand gestures. She impresses as a singer and entertainer, easily wrapping the audience around her little finger during her eccentric live shows. She is now one of the biggest stars in her home country. She was the first trans woman to appear on the cover of "Vogue Bride". She has performed together with Liniker, Pabllo Vittar, Emicida and Caetano Veloso. Her shows celebrate life. Her music is intended to make people feel what the world should be like. That alone is a political act, says Majur: "because I am Black and part of the queer community". Last year, she made her international debut at the Roskilde Festival. This performance left us completely thrilled. We are very proud to welcome Majur on stage at Cosmo Festival!

Acid Arab feat. Cem Yildiz
Acid Arab combine Arabic music with club sounds. Guido Minisky and Hervé Carvalho have been playing dancefloors and festivals for over ten years. In Turin, Beirut, Dubai or Brussels. As a band or as a DJ team. With their music, they want to give Arabic culture a place in contemporary electronic music. With many guest musicians, such as the multi-instrumentalist and singer Cem Yildiz from Istanbul. His voice has been part of the Acid Arab sound since their debut album "Musique de France" and he will also be performing live on the Open Air Stage at the COSMO Festival.

Treesha
"Pull up in the town with my crew - And u know I got the juice to make you move" sings Treesha in "Got da juice". And that's no lie. Treesha grew up in Nairobi. She has lived in Cologne since the late noughties. As a backing singer for Gentleman, Treesha has performed at major festivals around the world. She has also been a successful solo artist for ten years. "I love festivals, I love having direct contact with the audience," she told us in an interview. Reggae, dancehall, R'n'B, Amapiano - these are the ingredients for her trademark sound. She also had a real dancehall hit with "Rude Gyal Swing". Treesha's live performances are usually classically rootsy. "Love, Scars N' Attitude" is the title of her latest album. At the COSMO Festival, however, there will also be a few fresh songs from her next LP, which is due to be released at the end of the year.

255
255 is a "band of brothers" in the literal sense. The three brothers Charles, Guy and Louis Josek have made a respectable name for themselves in recent years. As producers of Trettman. As remixers for Peter Fox. As producers for Burna Boy. They produced "Dey Play" for the Nigerian world star. 255 are at home in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, but are firmly anchored in the Lagos scene. They regularly travel to the Nigerian metropolis of millions and work with big names such as L.A.X. and 1da Banton. Their album "Odabo" was recently released. And it manages without any guests. All the vocals are performed by 255 themselves. A statement, considering the possibilities they would have with feature artists. 255's sound is their own interpretation of Afrobeats: danceable and funky, but also melancholically sweet, with subtle guitar runs and bouncy log drums. At the COSMO Festival, 255 will be playing a live set on the Afrobeats floor for the first time (!) in their career.

If you want to be among the first to know who else will be on stage at COSMO Festival: Follow COSMO on social media or tune in on the radio.

Price information:

38 Euro in advance // B.O. tba.