He’s nervous, the fans are freaking out: We were at Rosen’s first sold-out Berlin concert.
Astra Berlin, Friday evening. Lines of fans crowd into the cultural center under black tent roof domes and sparkling disco balls on the ceiling. On the stage, white candles flicker on white linen cloths, rumbling thunder and pulsating fog create this overcast wave atmosphere in the room even before Rosen’s appearance.
The concert hall finally fills up to the very front, even to the right and left in front of the stage, down to the last seat. Even in places where normally only the dads and moms stand, accompanying their kids as supervisory staff, teenagers are still pressed together. After the support act Steintor Herrenchor – and before Rosen’s concert even begins – one person collapses in the middle of the waiting crowd. She has to be taken out of the room by rescue workers. Then water bottles are distributed and the longing impatience in the room increases.
Is this “Singstar”?
When Edwin Rosen finally takes the stage, a deafening screech erupts that is sure to make anyone over 25 miss their forgotten ear plugs. Rosen, visibly touched by the overwhelming response, begins his concert with a withdrawn smile. What happens next surprises him. Every song is accompanied by frenetic cheers and screams. The certainty of the text gives the feeling that “Singstar” is actually being played here instead of listening to a concert, a huge karaoke party in the 2023 edition.
The 25-year-old admits between two songs that he was really nervous before his performance in Berlin: Because performances in Berlin are always more intense than elsewhere, more difficult to assess, bigger. “I was really afraid of this performance,” he murmurs into the microphone.
Cell phone memory full? No matter, BeReal takes care of it
The audience films his every word, without interruption, until the cell phone memory is full. “Memory full” flashes on some displays. Teens and adults alike then frantically try to empty a few WhatsApp chats and sometimes even delete the Spotify app on the home screen to free up storage space. Others switch to the BeReal platform and send selfies into the air.
Edwin occasionally encourages the young crowd with the words: “If there is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, regardless of whether it is about religion, body, origin: Make yourself loud and don’t swallow anything!”
During the song “Astronaut Girl” it becomes clear for the first time how impressive Edwin Rosen’s voice is – because you are hearing him for the first time. His singing penetrates the room and touches the hearts of everyone present who has fallen silent.
Watch our concert highlights in video form here:
A wave star who has outgrown the pandemic
Edwin Rosen, an exceptional artist in his early twenties, has truly earned all the hustle and bustle and the sold-out Berlin shows with his stoic, longing original productions and psychedelic soundscapes. Since he ventured into the music scene in the midst of the pandemic with his first single “leichter//kälter”, he has now moved between new wave, dark wave, post-punk and synth-pop. Only the hyperpop remix of his song “The Stars” in collaboration with the producer Sparrow is out of line: Autotune sounds waft through the room, which probably come from the producer on stage, who is dressed entirely in black. Rosen ends up playing “Vertigo” twice.