OK KID
Corona “showed how divided we are”
Raffael “Raffi” Kühle, Jonas Schubert and Moritz Rech (from left) are back with their new album “DREI”.
© Stefan Braunbarth
OK KID are back with their new album “DREI”. In an interview, singer Jonas Schubert talks about the current crises in the world.
With their new album “DREI”, which will be released on May 13th, OK KID once again show their attitude: It’s about the current crises in the world, the division in society, toxic masculinity and mental health. The three band members have dispensed with irony and satire this time: “There is nothing funny about the current crises,” explains singer Jonas Schubert in an interview with spot on news. He also explains why communication in the corona pandemic will go down in history as a “fail” and why it would have a big effect if Helene Fischer (37) “acted actively against the AfD”.
“DREI” means that there is currently only you three. You parted ways with management, label and many in your team. Why was it time for a fresh start?
Jonas Schubert: Corona gave us a lot of time to think about how and under what conditions we want to release music. We want the ultimate freedom to market our music the way we want it to. And that implies, for example, that we are not willing to sell our music via distribution platforms where we cannot be sure that everyone in the chain is getting a fair wage for their work. That’s why we only sell directly through our shop. But you can also hear our DIY DNA through and through in music. Except for one song, Raffi Balboa produced the entire album for us.
Why did you refrain from irony and satire this time? Have things gotten too serious?
Schubert: It just didn’t feel like approaching current issues with satire or irony. Irony always means that you have a certain distance to things and make fun of them in a certain way. But there is nothing funny about the current crises. It is no longer the crisis that we see in others through the screen. We are in it skin and hair ourselves. Climate crisis, war, racism. Everything takes place on our doorstep.
The fact that such themes flow into our music is not a conscious decision. During the process of making the album, we discussed the current situation more than ever before. The album is a subjective commentary on current events, but also probably the most consistent songwriting that we have ever shown on an album. First of all we want to make good music and deliver the best in sound and lyrics.
The media is full of bad news, your songs full of uncomfortable truths. How do you find the positive in all the negative?
Schubert: We don’t have the illusion that music can prevent wars or save the world. But music can convey in every respect: “You are not alone with your feelings.” I hope that on many of the topics we address, listeners will realize that it’s okay to be weak or to doubt humanity. On the other hand, it’s also okay to make music in a completely non-political way. Personally, I don’t listen to any political music at all. For me, music is also a break out of the world, distraction, distraction. When the music creates it, that’s very positive.
Many families and friendships broke up in the Corona pandemic due to different opinions on vaccination or the virus. Did you also have such divisions?
Schubert: No. Fortunately not. But how we talked to each other or rather against each other during the pandemic will definitely go down in history as quite a communication failure. People who disagreed were sometimes rhetorically put down as if they were the greatest enemy. In general, the Corona period has unfortunately also shown how divided we all are. I think we all have to learn more again that our own opinion is not the ultimo for everyone. As long as opinions are democratic and compatible with the Basic Law, we must accept them as democrats, even if we are abysmal against them.
The pandemic has hit many people mentally. Has the pandemic affected your mental health?
Schubert: In the beginning, when I didn’t know at all how to deal with the pandemic. Then I quickly noticed how the quiet and isolation inspires me creatively. Without Corona, our album wouldn’t sound the way it sounds either. On the other hand, we haven’t played a live show for two and a half years and the constant postponement has worn us down. But what has a much stronger effect on my mood is the war in Ukraine.
In your opinion, should musicians express themselves politically more often?
Schubert: I don’t think that the situation would change if more musicians were to express themselves politically across the board. But if artists use their reach to mobilize their community, such as: “We’re collecting relief supplies for the refugee camp in Syria. Who will donate?” That can achieve a lot. If Helene (Fischer, editor’s note) actively opposed the AfD, it would definitely have an effect. It can help whenever a very heterogeneous audience collides. With artists like us, it tends to stay in the bubble because everyone knows how we think anyway and only people like us who can somehow share our opinion.
Sustainability is a topic that is very close to your heart. What are you doing to ensure that concerts and your Stadt ohne Meer festival are as sustainable as possible?
Schubert: We could be a lot better. We don’t go out and say: We are a prime example of a climate-neutral, ecological, diverse and strong festival. Rather, it should go without saying that a festival avoids plastic as much as possible, thinks about a certain diversity in the line-up and is also socially and politically committed. We don’t want any recognition for this, we just want it to be normal. There is actually still a lot of catching up to do in the festival landscape.