Elias

Gentle and deeply affecting, the emo R&B of German singer and rapper Elias moves with quiet intensity. His murmured, heavy-hearted lines seem to slip straight from his mouth and settle deep within us. Elias Leon Breit, to use his given name, comes across not only as if trapped inside his own mind – he openly inhabits that helplessness; it is no coincidence that his debut EP bears the title »Wie lässt man los?«. And so Breit keeps running from himself, translating the darker contours of his life into unmistakably melodic Elias songs. One telling lyric captures it perfectly: »We keep going in circles, it just goes on.« Musically, his work moves between indie pop and alternative hip-hop. The DIY beats remain understated, almost muted, while Elias layers his thoughts over them in a fragile, fractured voice.

Somewhere between Paula Hartmann and Frank Ocean, a sound emerges that feels both intimate and adrift. Again and again, Breit questions the meaning of life against the backdrop of a world collapsing around him – and with every sung word seems to edge a little closer to possible answers. On stage, the Cologne-born artist, now in his mid-twenties and based in Berlin, usually performs masked – yet enough of Breit remains tangible and visible for it to be easy to recognise something of yourself in Elias.