Let us officially say: Welcome to 2025, music makers, facilitators and aficionados! It’s go-time, and we are here for it! Welcome to a year of budding creativity, of new releases, of ongoing and steadfast collaborations, of days and nights spent in studios, production and rehearsals rooms and, of course, on the road. Our January “Highlights” edition spotlights the notable number of upcoming Austrian acts on international tours, as well as the sweetest releases from our ongoing series: Release Radar. So, without further ado… 2025, here you are, and here we go…
Life is a Highway
Starting February 7th, BIBIZA hits the road, starting off in Bern, Switzerland, and from there, continuing on his Switzerland-Germany-mega-tour. Get all the info here.
Have you seen Ankathie Koi perform lately? If so, then you know the energy and elation you feel after her show and the nagging feeling of ‘I need more of that in my life, how soon can I get it again?’ Alternately, if you haven’t seen her – in a while, or, gasp, ever(?!!), then now is your moment. Don’t walk, but run to the show nearest (or farthest) to you, and get ready to dance, sing and maybe even cry a little. She and her band go on tour throughout Germany in February. All the info you need is here.
From February 5th to 15th, AVEC will play 10 days straight throughout Germany, promoting her latest album carrying the title of the same name – “AVEC” – planned for release this week (January 24th). Check out her music and our interview with her here.
Federspiel starts the year off swinging, with an international tour starting January 30th with multiple dates in Switzerland, then heading to Germany and Austria throughout February and March. Check out our latest interview with the ensemble in honor of its 20 year anniversary, and get all the tour info and more here.
Starting off on January 24th in Italy, Manu Delago will be playing shows in central Europe till mid February. The two-time Grammy-nominated composer and percussionist teams up with the vocal ensemble Mad About Lemon for his remarkable new album, Snow from Yesterday (One Little Independent Records). Together, they embark on an extensive European tour, bringing this extraordinary collaboration to audiences across the continent.
Vienna-born, UK-based artist salute will be on tour in Australia end of February thru March. Felix Navo a.k.a. salute is a perfect example of the contemporary young producer somewhere between bedroom-producing, club culture and musical self-discovery. His primary inspiration provided from a scene just a few miles away: US and UK bass-culture. Check out his music and tour dates here.
The Graz-based family band the Wallners go on tour end of February in Germany and Switzerland, with an extra date/cherry on top in Paris at the start of April.
release radar
By mica – music austria / Dominik Beyer. Translated from the German original.
Filiah – “Atlas” (Ink Music // ReleaseD: Jan. 17)
Filiah‘s “Atlas” can be described as a genuine little gem – a song that was created in collaboration with the welovemelodies collective at a songwriting camp in Croatia and is intended to deal with the disappointment of the flopped debut album. The indie-folk number captivates with a characteristic voice, extremely tasteful backing vocals and a strong chorus line that, despite its catchiness, loses none of its power even after repeated listens.
Lukas Oscar – “so romantic u & i” (Lukas Oscar // ReleaseD: Jan. 17)
Modern Bedroom Pop is the genre description of the new single by Lukas Oscar. “So Romantic U + I” is an unembellished, emotional and authentic DIY bedroom production. With a synth pad, downbeat lo-fi drums and voice, everything is said. So little is needed to touch people – at least if you’re Lukas Oscar and could probably even sell your everyday voice messages on streaming platforms for a profit.
Uche Yara – “as i left the room” (goldendays FM // ReleaseD: Dec. 20, 2024)
UCHE YARA is the latest rising star from Austria. Christoph Kregl from Redroad (Bilderbuch, Mavi Phoenix), who sent the young singer & songwriter all over Europe last year, agrees. At the beginning of this year, perhaps the most important showcase festival on the tour calendar was the ESNS Festival, where she not only enthralled the audience by her performance, but also won the coveted Music Moves Europe Award there.
UCHE produced another single just before Christmas. “as I left the room” is a melancholy ballad with bold chords and an even bolder bridge that deliberately tries to avoid classic pop song structures. Anything else would be dull in the age of Udio, Loudly and other music-producing AI generators.
Bon Jour – “A man with no name” (Morinoko // ReleaseD Jan. 10)
“God is dead,” Nietzsche wrote. Since secularization and Enlightenment, we can only find alternative hope for a better life in this world. “It tastes so sweet but it hurts.” Hunching over, instead of praying, is the credo.
To this end, we optimize ourselves and dogmatically reinvent ourselves until one day we wake up as something like a saint, ummm, resurrect. Out of respect, reverence and the danger of a heretical misuse of our positive change of nature, the holy 7 that is Bon Jour prefers not to name their superhuman inspiration. Instead, they sing their psalm with plenty of soulful choirs and the blissful lead voice of Dominic Muhrer. Amen.
Kässy – “i-i-i” (Kässy // Released: Jan. 10)
“I’m going somewhere later” is the name of the latest EP by Katrin Paucz (Sharktank) aka Kässy. ‘Milk’ has already climbed to the top of the FM4 charts as a pre-release. The rest was released just in time for the ESNS showcase. “i-i-i” is the Focus Track and provides a lot of push forward in terms of content and music. In terms of sound, the massive drum samples in combination with a very aggressive synth bass are not without significance. This gives the otherwise rather punky-grungy song an unusual touch. However, the charismatic front-woman, herself, will provide the necessary convincing nudge and drive forward.. There is no doubt about that.
Christl – “Green Blue Violet” (Ink Music // Released: Jan. 8)
CHRISTL has released an EP with acoustic versions of more or less old songs. Philipp Mülleder accompanies “Green Blue Violet” tastefully and discreetly on a muted piano. With CHRISTL’s dynamic and interpretative vocal power, nothing more is needed. In addition to the aforementioned title track from her last studio album, there are two more songs by her as well as cover versions of Fiona Apple and Wir sind Helden to enjoy.
specials
For over 40 years, the Saalfelden Jazz Festival has been a meeting place for the international jazz scene, where there is always something new and innovative to discover. The combination of a breathtaking landscape and experimental sounds attracts fans from all over the world to the small town in the west Austrian alps every year in August. In contrast to the large summer edition of the “Jazz Festival Saalfelden”, the “3 Days of Jazz” is a small but wonderful festival that is held in winter in the middle of Salzburg’s mountains. A total of nine concerts (such as Shake Stew, Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity and AHL6) at four different locations await visitors.
Happy birthday Dorian Concept! The household name in the virtuoso synthesizer and electronic music sphere, is celebrating 20 years of artistry, and everyone is invited. On February 21st, 2025, Dorian Concept marks two decades of his musical journey with a special performance in the Mozart Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus. To commemorate this milestone, he invites collaborators from across his twenty year career to join him on stage. Across two distinct sets, the Austrian keyboardist, producer, and composer will showcase the depth and variety of his repertoire, reflecting on his artistic evolution while also looking forward to new horizons. See you there?
Vogue Germany has named the top 5 female artists of 2025 from German-speaking regions, and Verifiziert is one of them!
These are the 5 most exciting female musicians of the year from Germany and Austria:
From pop to club, from rap to rock and from soul to singer-songwriter: 2025 already promises to be a musical highlight – especially when it comes to female acts. We present the five most exciting new female artists from Germany and German-speaking countries whose tracks will accompany us this year.
– Thomas Clausen (Vogue Germany, January 9, 2025)
Catch her live! Verifiziert goes on tour February 14, hitting cities like Zurich, Nuremberg, Hamburg and Berlin. Catch her on the road, or meet her at home at the end, on March 1st at Flex (Vienna).
Arianna Alfreds