In Pop-Kultur’s anniversary year, eight young musicians are once again coming to Berlin for a twelve-day residency. The cooperation program between Pop-Kultur and the Goethe-Institut offers the selected scholarship holders an intensive program. This includes studio visits, intensive jam sessions, short internships in companies in the Berlin music scene and exchange meetings with scholarship holders from Musicboard Berlin GmbH, as well as the opportunity to present their music themselves: at Acud Macht Neu on the Saturday after the festival and on the young talent stage at Pop-Kultur itself.
Some of the Goethe Talents are in Berlin for the first time, some for the first time in Europe. In 2024, they come from Argentina, China, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Paraguay and Ukraine and will primarily make music together, network with the local music institutions, absorb inspiration from various areas and take it with them, where it will hopefully also flow into their respective local scenes.
Supported by the Goethe-Institut.
To find out more about our this year’s Goethe Talents please scroll down:
Andrii Barmalii (Andrii Martynenko)
Cross-sectoral Ukrainian artist, composer, performer, researches and documents his world with music – sincere, simple, sometimes beautiful.
The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic inspired Andrii to actively create music, and the full-scale Russian war in Ukraine prompted him to reject social isolation and start a solo project. During 2023, he created a dozen performances, played music at Ukrainian and international festivals, presented his debut album “autopotrtrack”, and also released the first music video for the composition “Я нормально”. He took part in theater projects as a performer and composer: “Safe Space”, “Misto Marii: the siege diaries”, “I thought of the Black Sea too”, played music with “Yevhen Puhachov Quartet”, and also collaborated with other Ukrainian bands. In 2024 presented a large immersive artistic act “Do lia”, where 24 artists performed Andrii’s music.
Andrii creates music under the influence of jungle, jazz, drum’n’bass, rock and hip-hop – it is sensual expressive electronics that states the interweaving of machines with human destinies. Andrii’s performances are based on the research of the theme of escape from reality, struggle with fears and encounters with pain points – the artist’s reflection on social, political and personal crises of formation. It is an invitation to delve into one’s own world by interacting with an artistic act.
Andy S
Country: Côte D’Ivoire
Connect: soundcloud, bandcamp, youtube, facebook, instagram
Andy S began her career in rap in 2017, winning the “Talent Rap Ivoire” trophy after his first Mixtape Pepitrap vol.1 with titles like “Cotisez” and “Mon passé”, which quickly won over the Ivorian public. In 2019 with a new EP “Le Rap N’a pas de Sex” and a New team, in the US, she traveled to Accra and released videos of such quality that she was recognized internationally. Kojo Ebro, The Fader Magazine, Mouv’ Radio, Pan African Music, LeMonde, Griot Mag, Okay Africa, Nataal are some important media that must have talked about the talent of the young Ivorian.
She is no longer just an Ivorian rapper, she now shines in the eyes of the world. In 2021, via Platoon, she released a mini EP entitled “RDBQ VOL.1” (Good Quality Rap) followed a few months later by her mixtape Exousia, and go to France to become the first Ivorian rap artist to do a live concert in Paris. She gave a historic interview on France 24 JT.
The following years would be marked by his meteoric rise. European tour (Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium) and Canadian tour: Festival Francos de Montréal, Jazz Festival, Boiler Room Montréal, Mural Festival. Back in town, she met HE Anderson Blanc, Canadian Ambassador to the Ivory Coast. Her memorial run was also awarded by the Lili Women Festival as the best female rapper of 2023.
Antsiva
In my family, music is a story where singing and sharing the microphone is natural.
At the beginning, being self-taught, I felt that something was missing. Therefore, I have joined several music clubs in Madagascar, particularly jazz since 2011.
Passionate also about gospel, and being a singing teacher, I became choir director of several groups in 2014.
It was only in 2018 that I decided to play bass. 2019 and I created the group “Antsiva & Brona” which had its first participation in the Madajazzcar Festival. I have also participated in several jazz, world music and variety festivals and concerts….
In 2022, my first single was released called “Hanainga”
I hope to be able to collaborate with other institutions/musicians at this time from all across the planet. I believe that Goethe Talents is just the beginning of a new adventure because I really want to share my love for music around the world.
Bolun Deng aka BlackreDSpirit
Country: China
Connect: apple music, spotify, instagram, youtube
Bolun Deng, better known by his artist name BlackreDSpirit, is a Chinese musician with a focus on string instruments. He plays in various bands and focuses mainly on creative ways to use string instruments. As a member of various bands, he has been touring and performing in many countries. His own Band “Lonelsle” also offers him the change to compose and perform his own creations since 2014.
Other Bands he played with are SplashJuice (2021-now), Shanghai Qiutian (2021-2023) and Peach Illusion (2022)
Ella Baiysbayeva
Ella has been involved in music since being a kid, influenced by her musician parents and by being part of a choir. Beside singing, she plays various instruments, including bass guitar. It’s the instrument that gave her the chance to be part of various music and band projects like Lucidvox.
At the moment, she is actively studying the sound of Kazakh ethnic instruments and the possibility of mixing them with electronic music production tools.
Since 2022 she also participates in performative theatre projects as actress and sound-designer.
Emilia Ines Vega
Emilia Ines Vega was born in 1997 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She currently works in the music industry as a producer for independent female artists. She also works as a music live set designer and performer with CardinalxSur. She is touring around Latin America with mainstream artists from Argentina such as Usted Señalemelo and Perota Chingo.
She released an EP called ‘Prkchs.zip’ for piano, accordion, electronics and soundscapes. Her work was awarded in 2021 due to its contribution to the city as a geolocated music tour by one of the city’s neighborhoods called ‘Parque Chas’.
She has a synthpop project called Lara Modena since 2019 which has released two EPs called ‘Quasar’ and ‘Egotrip’, and has been supported by several state grants.
Her diverse background stands out for a degree as a music teacher and composer, and several courses in music production (at the Professorship Juan Pedro Esnaola, Conservatory Manuel de Falla and The Bass Valley Music Studios).
Julieta Morel
Country: Paraguay
Connect: youtube
Julieta Morel is a 27-year-old drummer from Asunción, Paraguay. Coming from a family of drummers, she began her studies with her father Toti Morel. She is performing actively in Asuncion’s jazz scene as a sessionist and as a member of several projects such as Majuja Trio, Band’elaschica and Trioité, with whom she had the opportunity to perform in the most important stages in the country as well as abroad. Her musical search in recent years led her to become interested in Paraguayan and South American folklore, something reflected in the projects in which she participates. Attracted by the multidisciplinary, she also pursued paths in photography and audiovisual works, a double degree in Popular Music and International Relations.
Lynn Nandar Htoo
Country: Myanmar
Connect: linktr.ee
Lynn Nandar Htoo, an eminent Southeast Asian sound artist, adeptly synthesizes the traditional musical narratives of her homeland Myanmar with contemporary electronic beats, creating intricate sonic tapestries. In her multifaceted portfolio, Lynn has contributed to Southeast Asian cinema as a queer woman Sound Designer.
Operating under the pseudonym LnHD, Lynn has produced an array of dynamic tracks and EPs that capture the energetic essence of her DJ performances in Yangon and across Southeast Asia. Her soundscapes transcend conventional music forms, evolving into complex music narratives that blends her Burmese cultural heritage with modern electronic dance music. LnHD’s discography exemplifies Lynn’s profound dedication to Southeast Asian traditional musical practices and her flair for avant-garde electronic experimentation.
Lynn’s artistic exploration extends beyond the confines of the production studio into international music residencies, where she facilitates the continual expansion of her artistic boundaries, enabling her to articulate new narratives through the medium of sound.