Max Herre & Joy Denalane - Kurpark Classix 2025

In the organizer's words:

"Alles Liebe" Aachen!

Max Herre and Joy Denalane celebrate 25 years of musical partnership at Kurpark Classix 2025.

On Friday, August 22, 2025, the two formative sources of ideas in rap and soul will talk about a great love - live in the open air.

Flashback to 1999: the Stuttgart hip-hop and rap band Freundeskreis is looking for a female singer for the duet song "Mit dir". They found what they were looking for when Berlin-born artist Joy Denalane auditioned. The song becomes a summer hit in the same year. Max Herre, rapper and singer of the band, which existed until 2007, and Joy Denalane also became a couple in their private lives.

Back to the present. There are not only 25 years between "Mit dir" and their first joint album "Alles Liebe". But also: a love affair, an artistic partnership, a marriage, two sons, a separation, a rapprochement, a happy ending - even if it remains difficult at times and the end is a long way off.

A lot of epoch-making music was created in the quarter of a century they lived together. Max Herre and Joy Denalane are two of the most important and successful German musicians of the last 25 years. Joy is the great overwhelming soul singer. With long-playing records such as "Mamani", she has been a huge success. Max Herre, on the other hand, achieved number 1 success with his band Freundeskreis, their debut "Quadratur des Kreises" and his solo albums.

Shortly after the sons left home, Herre and Denalane went out into the world and left their comfort zone by working on the songs for "Alles Liebe" with a whole host of previously unknown producers and songwriters. In Vienna, they met up for sessions with producer and songwriter Yakob, they were in the Erzgebirge with producer Crada, they recorded with jazz bassist Tim Lefebvre and recorded tracks with soul musician Pale Jay. They were joined by long-standing collaborators such as Afrob, drummer Matteo Scrimali and Roberto Di Gioia. It was a constant exchange.

Being on the road brought new energy, which brought different perspectives on the question of what love means: in society, in private life, in friendships and among music-makers. 25 years after their summer hit, Max Herre and Joy Denalane have come full circle with "Alles Liebe". At the Aachen Kurpark Classix on August 22, 2025, they will perform all the music from their solo and duet years live with love and dedication.

The concert is presented by NetAachen and starts at 8 pm. Admission is from 6 pm. No picnics allowed.