Popakademie Acts at DAS FEST

Mickela, a student on the pop music design bachelor's degree program, is known from The Voice of Germany, where she made it to the semi-finals in the top 10 as part of the Michael Schulte team in 2020. Since this experience, the Karlsruhe-based singer has focused entirely on her own German, honest and emotional music. Mickela is currently studying "Singer/Songwriter" at the Popakademie in Mannheim. In her songs, she talks about her thoughts and fears. She shows how she processes strokes of fate and negativity and transforms them into energy and motivation. Mickela was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 2019 and wants to use her openness to break the taboos surrounding cancer and illness. In one of her songs, Mickela says "Life throws the colors on the wall... and I accept it". There's a lot she can't change and the only thing left to do is accept it and make the best of it. Mickela is bursting with the joy of life and effortlessly shares this good mood with the audience in her music.

With their German-Turkish indie pop, Engin from Mannheim fill a gaping hole in the German music landscape. Drifting psychedelia and fuzzy guitars, intricate rhythms and a light-footed vibe, the vocals are urgent and full of soul. Engin's music is fed by the friendship of three musicians and documents the musical self-exploration of singer and guitarist Engin Devekiran. He is the son of a Turk who came to Germany in the 1960s as a child of guest workers. Engin's Turkish is characterized by a German accent, and he asks himself where he actually belongs. Together with drummer Jonas Stiegler and bassist David Knevels, he finds answers in the cultural richness between the worlds. For example, in the Anadolu Rock of the 1970s or the imaginative fusions of greats such as Barış Manço and Cem Karaca. ENGIN's debut album "Nacht" takes you into the hours between the afternoon and the next morning. The energetic trio delivers a grandiose condensation of life in their detailed and catchy German-Turkish indie rock sound. Raw, hypnotic and always danceable, Engin tells of all that the night reveals: Beauty and dirt, madness and adventure, loneliness and euphoria.

Paula Carolina performs with her band. Felix Burtscher (drums), Nikolaus Winkelhausen (guitar) and Jonas Schmitt (keys) are studying for a Bachelor's degree in Pop Music Design at the Popakademie. Paula Carolina is managed by Sara Holzwarth, a student on the Bachelor's degree course in Music Business.
Paula's piano is called "Olaf". This info won't explain why you'll end up in a mosh pit at her concert, but it's still sweet, isn't it? While "Olaf" tends to be used for songwriting, Paula Carolina often plays guitar at her concerts. The best song to show off at the Friendos or to get you in the mood for a trip to Berlin is "Schreien!". At least we haven't heard anyone before who has illustrated a night in the capital with run-over foxes. Perhaps you also think about these images when you switch from studying to be a teacher to a full-time musician in the middle of a pandemic or call the Allgäu your emotional home. Understandable if that was a little too weird for you.

DIE SCHLAGZEUGMAFIA are five Popakademie alumni who spread enthusiasm and fun with their fast-paced drumming spectacle. They don't do anything crooked here - they spin sticks! With technical skill, charming repartee and an astonishing wealth of ideas, every number performed by this band is a sure-fire hit. Because these are professionals at work: virtuoso drummers and captivating entertainers in one. Five humorous players who have the next ace up their sleeves after every amazing moment of surprise.