Fresh off winning the prestigious German Jazz Prize for best vocalist, Sera Kalo, the Berlin-based singer-songwriter is stepping further into the spotlight.
Congrats on the win. What other recognition has your work received over the years?
Winning the German Jazz Prize was completely surreal. I honestly didn’t expect it. To be recognised in this way, especially for my voice, really meant a lot. Over the past few years, I also received the Sony Music Female* Producer Prize. Prior to that, my album eXante was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award, and around the same time, an initiative I co-founded for the Diasporic Arts Alliance received an award for Innovation in the Music Industry from the Berlin Music Commission.
It sounds like it’s been an incredible couple of years. How would you describe your music and the themes you tackle?
How do we live with integrity when the world is on fire?
It’s a hybrid of so many sounds and styles I love. It’s infinite, and I’ll switch up the dominant character of my sound whenever I feel like it.
If there’s anything that ties it all together, it’s my voice and my deep love for rhythm and bass. I often return to themes of liberation, truth-telling, identity, exile, love and survival. My music is deeply personal, but there’s a universal core to it so I think it’s still very relatable. I’m always asking: “How do we live with integrity when the world is on fire?”
How did you first go about integrating yourself into the Berlin scene, and who were your first connections?
I just started showing up and going to jam sessions and community events. I met living legend Morris Perry, who gave me a platform to perform regularly in Berlin and showcase myself as an artist. Yorckschlösschen was my first Berlin gig ever back in the early 2000s.
I became part of various communities – not just jazz, but also multidisciplinary and diasporic artist circles. Building trust and solidarity was a slow process, but it’s what gave me real roots here.
How would you rate the jazz scene in Berlin, and what are your favourite venues to play in the city?
Berlin’s jazz scene is rich and multifaceted, but also fragmented. There’s amazing talent here, but consistent support and infrastructure are often lacking. The bubbles can be hard to burst, especially for artists who don’t fit into the “straight-ahead” box, [who] come from non-institutional education backgrounds or are from underrepresented communities.
That said, I love playing places like Zig Zag Jazz Club or Donau115, especially when I want to blur genre lines. Each space brings out something different in the performance.
Who are your favourite Berlin artists right now?
Joy Frempong. Her experimental voice and electronics work is wonderful and inspiring.
Sonic Interventions is bringing back the revolutionary spirit of jazz in Berlin. Aka Kelzz – their velvety voice and groovy style are so unique. Marcioz, Y-Otis, Jo Wespel, Cara Muru, Sofia Eftychiou, plus Natalie Greffel, Igor Osypov, Dumama, Philo Tsoungui, Kingsley, Heidi Heidelberg, Alice Dee, Erik Leuthäuser…
What records and projects do you have in the pipeline?
There are a couple of singles coming out this year from my other more experimental and improvisational project, Sera Kalo’s eX.II, with an album due for release in January 2026. Alongside that, I’m working on another album for what is now my main project, eXante. And lastly, I’ve got a very cute Glitch R’n’B project in the works with a producer friend of mine that’s going to be fun.
- Keep up to date with Sera Kalo at serakalo.com and follow her on IG @serakalo_exii
