Aka Kelzz & Ria Boss

Music has always been part of Aka Kelzz’ life. Growing up in a musical family and in the wake of her Jamaican heritage, it was only a matter of time before their thoughts and feelings manifested themselves in songs. On her first EP, »The Drama Series«, gentle melodies meet lo-fi beats with elements of city pop as a soft yet commanding voice transports the warmth and comfort of a summer day at the lake. With lyrics that seem to deal with mental health, Aka Kelzz impressively shows that writing songs can be an effective way to manoeuvre oneself into better days.

Ria Boss, also affectionately known as Cat Mama, is a real jack-of-all-trades. She has met Kamala Harris, hosts the show »Cat Mama World« on Oroko Radio, gives workshops, promotes creative women, and organises open-mic nights in her hometown of the Ghanaian capital. She is best known, however, as a musician. Her soulful and dreamy songs have their roots in the harmonies of spirituals, the Motown sound, neo-soul and the songwriting of Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill as well as in the vocal depth and power of Jill Scott and Ella Fitzgerald. No wonder, then, that her debut live album »REMEMBER« was voted the top R&B album of 2022 by Native Magazine.

These two artists have teamed up to create an exclusive show for Pop-Kultur 2023 as part of the Musicboard’s Accra-Berlin Co-Creation Residency.