OLICÍA & ALMOST TWINS • Leipzig • UT Connewitz

Olicía is the band formed by the two singers and multi-instrumentalists Fama M’Boup and Anna-Lucia Rupp. At the heart of Olicía are their two voices. They take turns on lead vocals, layer their voices, harmonize, create rhythms through vocal percussion, and expand into large choirs. The instrumentation ranges from synths and looped vocal snippets to guitar and clarinet. Genre boundaries have always been fluid for Olicía—fragile folk moments, pulsating pop, avant-garde soul, spoken word, jazz... Yet Olicía’s music always has a gently futuristic feel thanks to its unique creative process involving two synchronized loop stations. The two seem to practically overcome the constraints (and lengths) of loop-based music, crafting direct songs with efficiency and elegance that do without backing tracks and leave room for improvisation and chance.

In 2021, Olicía released their debut album “Liquid Lines”—a double album that juxtaposed each song with two very different versions. Since then, they’ve released solo albums (in June) and band projects (NOUK, cocotá) on their own label, o-cetera. They were part of Sophie Hunger’s live lineup, have released music with Dota Kehr and Kat Frankie, and contributed a song to the soundtrack of Robert Gwisdek’s (Käptn Peng) directorial debut, “Der Junge, dem die Welt gehört.” In 2023 and 2024, they developed and performed the music for two multimedia performances by Jasmine Ellis Projects. Currently, the duo is touring not only with Olicía but also as part of Kat Frankie’s B O D I E S collective. Their second album, “Out of the Blue,” was released in November 2024. While “Liquid Lines” explored the boundaries of the individual song, “Out of the Blue” is now an attempt to take a completely fresh look at their own art form and to connect their music through dialogue and exchange with other art forms.

Fama M'Boup: vocals, drum pad, asalato, piano, synthesizer, clarinet, percussion
Anna-Lucia Rupp: vocals, pocket piano, synth bass, guitar, piano, percussion

With their debut album “Hands / Trees,” the Leipzig-based indie-folk band Almost Twins has already made a big splash: multiple tours throughout Germany, numerous spots on digital music platform playlists, international radio airplay, and a music video nomination for the German Pop Culture Award. Together with producer and bassist Alex Binder (Anna Erhard, Dota, Crucchi Gang, Anna Hauss), who also produced the band’s first album, they have now recorded their follow-up album, “Visions” (to be released in January 2026).

In search of a broader sonic palette, singer and guitarist Max Grüner—who originally conceived Almost Twins as a solo project—found an almost twin-like bond with his four bandmates. Laurenz Welten (saxophone, clarinet), Valentin Mühlberger (Wurlitzer, synth), Raphael Schuster (drums), and Arne Imig (electric bass) interpret Max’s songs in a way that gives his emotions the necessary expression without being melodramatic. Warm synth textures and swirling Wurlitzer patterns blend with dreamy saxophone and clarinet lines, creating a sound that feels light without losing depth—one that radiates calm yet allows itself to break free from it. A singer-songwriter’s dream reminiscent of Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience), José González, or This Is The Kit.