"Powerful German-language indie pop that guarantees no concert will go without dancing."

What do a quarry lake in the Ruhr Valley and the beaches of America’s West Coast have in common? And who’s still standing by Lisa, 19, while the whole internet is laughing at her? KAHRO has answers to these questions and many more. His songs sound a bit like he would’ve rather been in his late twenties during the '90s than living in today’s world… typical millennial. At the heart of it all are his distinctive voice and his guitar. Underneath, dry drums groove alongside a gritty, slapping bass, while synth notes rain in here and there. This forms the foundation for powerful lyrics that are sometimes dreamy, sometimes politically uncomfortable. True to the motto: Easy on the ears, hard to forget. And they’ll get you moving too – because no concert goes undanced.

KAHRO is the solo project of Aschaffenburg-born singer-songwriter Heiko Schmidt. That he would one day pursue a musical path was clear early on – at least to his parents. At just four years old, he turned their living room upside down to reenact concert scenes from Peter Maffay’s Tabaluga.

His career took off in 2011 when he reached the Battle Rounds of the very first season of The Voice of Germany, which has since become a springboard for talent like Max Giesinger, Michael Schulte, and Elen. In 2014, Heiko became part of the international band ZeroTwenty and moved to Amsterdam. After multiple shows in the Netherlands and England, the band signed a record deal with SONY MUSIC, releasing their first single and music video at the end of 2015. They even performed it live in the finale of The Voice of Holland.

Back in Germany, Heiko returned to making music in his native language. When he began his studies at the Institute for Music in Osnabrück in late 2017, he initially performed under his real name. In January 2019, he released his first song under the pseudonym KAHRO, titled Straßen aus Papier (“Streets of Paper”).

In 2020, he attended the Eventim Popkurs in Hamburg, where he found the band that would go on to bring his songs to life on stage. Since then, KAHRO has appeared at events like JBL Back to Stage, supported acts like Stoppok, and received various funding awards such as the POP NDS Fund and the German POP Stipendium.

In 2022, his first EP Kleinstadtflair (“Small Town Vibe”) was released, produced in collaboration with Martin Gerth and Helge Preuß (known for work with Lewis Capaldi, Silbermond, Joris). Songs from the EP remained for over 20 weeks on Spotify’s most important German indie pop playlist, Wilde Herzen.

In fall 2024, KAHRO kicks off his next release phase with the single Rot und Gelb (“Red and Yellow”). The EP of the same name is set to be released in August next year.

Admission is free.
In case of rain, the concert will take place inside the church.

Photo by Julian Wieder