Ray Lozano ・ Pop-Kultur Festival 2026

August 24–30, 2026 | silent green Kulturquartier, Festsaal Kreuzberg, Kulturbrauerei, Pierre Boulez Saal, and more 

Live concerts, experimental music formats, talks, and more. You can look forward to international and local artists, world premieres, and music in all its forms—from large stages to intimate club shows.

With her latest second album, “SILK&SORROW,” Ray Lozano reflects on the emotional ups and downs that shape our modern lives—not just on social media. This interplay of lightness and brutal confrontation with reality also defines the working reality of the recipient of the 2023 Holger Czukay Future Prize from the City of Cologne. For Lozano, her music is about creating spaces that inspire reflection. For her personally, it serves as a protective shield—at least for the most part. Yet even she experiences moments when the world’s pain becomes too much to bear. That’s when it helps that she has organized herself collectively. Ray Lozano releases her music on Melting Pot Music, a label that successfully integrates many German artists organically into an international roster. A role model for Lozano is the British collective SAULT, which releases its music without a lot of promotional fanfare while maintaining a strong visual identity. In addition, Lozano is currently part of the NICA Artist Development Program—a support initiative for outstanding jazz and contemporary musicians from North Rhine-Westphalia, based at the Stadtgarten in Cologne—alongside a handful of other musicians. We are thrilled that Ray Lozano will be opening this year’s Pop-Kultur Festival—and will be performing with a full band lineup for this special occasion.