After a minute and a half the audience is due. At the “Sound of Munic Now” festival, Cosima Kiby asks the listeners to squat down, “including the back rows,” she says and smiles. And the fans follow her, which suddenly provides a clear view of the 25-year-old singer – something that would otherwise be difficult to do throughout the evening. It’s not just Cosima Kiby fans who party here. The nice thing about the concept of the festival is that the stage and genre change every quarter of an hour – and music lovers can get to know 20 different Munich bands in one evening.
Sometimes the sound slips by nicely, without hurting, without immediately winning your heart. Sometimes the artist immediately touches the audience with her music, like Cosima Kiby – and that’s because of the authenticity, especially in a genre like German pop. You can often hear phrases wrapped in feel-good beats. Yes, Cosima Kiby’s music also sounds like cotton candy. But you can take every word from the singer, the attitude towards life of Generation Z, “to the maximum radiation,” as she sings, “a stray in the night, I’ve lost my way, it happens to me all the time.”
The Munich show took a break for three years due to the pandemic and transformed into a successful digital festival. The return to celebrations will take place in November 2023 – but the organizers still didn’t want to do without videos. Thanks to the support of the Cultural Department of the City of Munich and the Jugendkulturwerk, the Ideal Entertainment video crew is once again in action, filming the performances of the 20 bands with six cameras. One song at a time is selected, edited, mastered – From now on, a video will be played every two or three weeks.
Wise trousers, white shirt, Chucks – Cosima Kiby is not the star, she is approachable. And all young people of her generation know their topics. Of course it’s also about love and heartbreak, but that’s rarely superficial for her because she often shows herself very personally. Also vulnerable when she sings about her late mother – a moving song where you can hear that Cosima Kiby is close to tears. The singer also advocates for female empowerment and self-realization beyond the stage. “I’m a dreamer. Even if not all dreams are always tangible and you can get lost in them, it’s always a better alternative to dream instead of just living in front of yourself or chasing some ideals,” she says about herself.
Her streaming numbers have already exceeded one million on Spotify. But it’s more important if the songs work on stage. For example with “Pull past me”. As requested, the listeners remain crouched, then Cosima Kiby begins to dance. “And now we’re jumping,” she says – and what follows is a big party for Generation Z. Of course you get out of breath, including the singer. Luckily the music comes from the tape, half playback – and so the whole chorus can be heard even in the moments of exuberance. “Thank you Munich,” she says happily and exhausted after the song.