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Straight-up pop

October 15, 2010

For great, straight-up pop music from Germany, look no further than Klee. The band is fronted by Suzie Kerstgens, famous for her musicianship and intelligent songwriting - in a style personal, intimate and authentic.

German Pop Podcast

More than hardly any other German band, Klee manages to play with a lot of feeling without sounding sappy. Klee is unthinkable without Suzie Kerstgens - a singer with great stage presence that can draw in even the most jaded listener. For her, writing love songs isn't kitschy.

But after five albums with Klee, Suzie has realized there's a danger in writing straight from the heart. Listeners have to be able to relate to the words:

The band Klee, fronted by Suzie KerstgensImage: picture-alliance/Jazzarchiv

"I write everything a little abstractly. I definitely want other people to be able to take part in the songs, so they shouldn't just be about me. But still the lyrics are a little bit like a diary and very intimate. It's a diary without a key, though - you don't really need one anyway because you could pry it open with a pin," she said.

Have a listen for yourself in this edition of German Pop. Deutsche Welle recorded the band during their hometown performance in Cologne at the 2010 c/o Pop Festival.

Author: Uli Jose Anders (gsw)

Editor: Rick Fulker

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