Shake your ass and dismantle patriarchy: OFFKEY Newsletter

Hey there. Welcome to OFFKEY’s newsletter. We are glad you’re here. Sit down, put on your headphones, drink a glass of water, and take a moment to browse through the music and stories we encountered.

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Jamila & The Other Heroes (Opens in a new window) are back with “LAYLA ليلة”.

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As you may have noticed, we took a very long break from this newsletter. One reason for this is that we have been working on a name change. As of 2025, we are no longer Nothing But Hope and Passion, instead, the blog is now called OFFKEY. After more than ten years as NBHAP, the structures behind the scenes have evolved, and with them, so have our vision and the kind of content we want to create.

OFFKEY aims to center artists marginalized by the mainstream music industry, artists who go against the grain, and who are not afraid to take a stance.

We hope you join us on this journey.

Feli and Ilo from OFFKEY

ICYMI with Felukah, White Boy Scream, BRKN, GANNA, and Orion Sun

Over the past few months, we have had the privilege to share many interesting features by our authors. Here are four texts, you might have missed:

You should be able to shake your ass and think about dismantling patriarchy. - Felukah

Back in the fall of 2024, Ilo spoke to the Egyptian singer and rapper Felukah (Opens in a new window) about her latest release. Felukah is known for her smooth RnB grooves and her lyrics about identity, belonging, and joy. With “Qabl El Shams”, the artist turns a new page and explores a more pop-driven dancey sound, that we are used to from her. In conversation, she shares her thoughts on Arab dance music, radical joy, and building new networks of solidarity. Read (Opens in a new window).

Nadia interviewed the opera singer Michaela Tobin, known as White Boy Scream (Opens in a new window). Tobin turns the genre on its head and makes it resonate with underground drone music. Resistance to musical and societal structures is at the core of the artist's practice. Tobin doesn't just call out the eurocentricity of the genre but laces her lyrics with social and political commentary. Read. (Opens in a new window)

The title of my EP “Body Island” refers to the concept that those of us in the diaspora carry our ancestral knowledge and sense of home in our own bodies – since we did not physically grow up there.

- White Boy Scream

Back in October, the Berlin rapper BRKN (Opens in a new window) shared the first single of his newest EP Tränen (Opens in a new window), following the acclaimed album Rahat (Opens in a new window) (2023). BRKN revisits the topics from his last EP, taking on themes of love, pain, and loss in greater depth, shaped by personal growth and a more open approach to both songwriting and self-reflection. With Felicia, he spoke about new music, growth, and shedding inhibitions. Read. (Opens in a new window)

I’m more interested in how I can incorporate [political topics] into my music, so that it’s not just an Insta post or going to demos but how I can use what I do and also make it somehow cool, without it becoming a super political intellectual pointed finger. - BRKN

The Ukrainian singer and composer Ganna Gryniva (Opens in a new window)retells stories from Ukrainian folklore. Based in Berlin, she elaborates on tradition with jazz and electronic elements like loops and synthesizers. In conversation with Sophie, she speaks about her songwriting process and her ways of incorporating tradition into music. Read. (Opens in a new window)

In 2018, I travelled different regions of Ukraine. I wanted to get to know people because folklore is passed on orally. People put their souls and their lives into these stories. On this journey, I discovered a lot of things that you can’t record or write down. Every song is actually a person, several people, several generations. - GANNA

Orion Sun (Opens in a new window) released her self-titled album Orion, a deeply introspective body of work. It weaves together personal heartbreak, healing, and the undeniable connection between all things: Nature, love, and the evolution of self. The South Jersey-born, Los Angeles-based artist is known for her ability to channel her raw emotions into her music. Felicia spoke to the singer and multi-instrumentalist about self-discovery, the inner child and nature. Read. (Opens in a new window)

Earth is my favorite muse. And we’re a part of it too. As a Black woman I felt like nature always looked out for me.  And so, it’ll always be reflected in what I do, whether it’s literally, like my name, or some lyrics that are literally nature-esque. In the essence of it, too, nature reminds you to pause. I hope my music reminds you to just take a deep breath like nature reminds you about the small things or validates how you feel. - Orion Sun

You can read more new features on our website (Opens in a new window).

Have you met... Ruti?

Last fall, author Lilly got to know the UK-based singer-songwriter Ruti (Opens in a new window). Following the release of the EP “Lungs” and multiple live shows, the emerging talent has gained quite the audience with their impressive vocals and tender compositions. In the interview, Ruti speaks about musical beginnings, diving beyond the surface, and overthinking everything. Read (Opens in a new window).

In April, Ruti will go on their first headlining UK tour. You can get tickets here (Opens in a new window).

Politics of Pop

The recent elections (Opens in a new window) in Germany clearly showed that the country is shifting further to the far-right, with the AfD winning 20.8% of the votes and the slightly less but still right-leaning conservative CDU winning the election with 28.6%. This outcome is no surprise, and serves as a scary reflection of the society we live in. The effects are already being felt through harsher migration policies, increased racist police brutality and deportations, as well as budget cuts (Opens in a new window), particularly affecting educational, health, and cultural funds. Over the past year, Germany also has increasingly been violently policing (Opens in a new window), censoring, and cancelling (Opens in a new window) people advocating against the genocide in Palestine, while continuing to deliver weapons to Israel.

All this to say: We need to organize against right-wing politics and push back against the criminalization, racism, and discrimination. Music and art can be ways to do so.

In February, Falastin Cinema Week took place, uniting art and films about (cultural) resistance in Palestine and beyond. The event was organised by Refuge Worldwide (Opens in a new window) and collaborators as a counter-program to the film festival, the Berlinale, which refused to take a clear stance against the German complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

With OFFKEY, the organisers shared their insights on the event and thoughts on the future of dissident cultural spaces in Germany, alongside their favorite resistance anthems. Read (Opens in a new window).

Whether you’re in Palestine, Berlin, or anywhere else in the diaspora, when this song plays, it carries this whole history of resistance with it. It’s like each note is a thread connecting people back to their roots, their struggle, their hope. Even if you don’t understand every word, you can feel the power in it.

On Gender Representation in the Music Industry

Oftentimes, when we see the music industry making an effort to support gender diversity, it is about shedding light on cis women, with some exceptions for trans women. Apart from a few more inclusive bubbles, nonbinary, trans – especially non-passing, genderfluid, or agender folks, however, are mostly forgotten or excluded. Nadia spoke to four trans and nonbinary artists, who contributed to the “Soli Tunes (Opens in a new window)” collection. 6zm (Opens in a new window), Venusloc (Opens in a new window), Strip Down (Opens in a new window), and Mad Kate (Opens in a new window) share their thoughts on gender quality and representation in the music industry. Read. (Opens in a new window)

I especially do not think that there is enough visibility for those who are trans and non-passing, as well as nonbinary folks who blur the lines of gender presentation. – Venusloc

Favorite Lyric

For all souls that are left unseen,
falastin we will stand by your stand.
For all those who are silenced and grieved,
falastin we will stand by your side

– “Spirit Of the Soul روح الروح”

By Sedric Perry, Ahmed Eid, Yassmine Rahoui, Liaam Iman, Sadek Democratoz, Cheikh Cedric, Kechou (Kerim Melik Becker), Najib, Dylan Hunter Chee Greene, Aron Symank, Salma Alhassan

What's Next?

We have many exciting features coming up in the next few weeks. Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date and read about what the rapper Sorah (Opens in a new window) has to say about protest music and performing and demonstrations in Berlin, an introducing feature with the newcomer King Josephine (Opens in a new window), who will drop their first EP on 7th March, and a conversation with the Londoner artist and icon Green Tea Peng (Opens in a new window).

Berlin upcoming event recommendation: King Josephine is playing a release show on 26 March at Kesselhaus. Tickets. (Opens in a new window)

Show Some Love

Support your favorite artists by buying merch and vinyl on Bandcamp Friday (Opens in a new window), when 100% of the proceeds go to the artists. Next one is on March 7th.

If you enjoy our content OFFKEY, we would be so happy if you could support us by becoming a member. Memberships start from as little as 3€ a month and help us to maintain the project.

Thank you for reading and listening.

Love, OFFKEY Team

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