KOOB is the Berlin quartet led by Belarusian-born singer and composer Valeryia Dele, who possesses a voice that cuts through noise, soul, jazz and spoken word like a sharpened blade. Now, KOOB premieres Off Head, a new album that erupts with live energy, recorded in one take with no edits, no overdubs. Raw, direct and unpredictable, the album captures KOOB at full tilt: unfiltered emotion, razor-sharp musicianship, and a refusal to sit still.
Dele, once dubbed the “Soul Princess” of Belarus, channels protest, migration, and survival into music that explores themes of urban frustration, mental weight, and fleeting moments of fragile calm.
“Her flexibility is astonishing” — Wolf Kampmann, Jazzthing.de
KOOB, a singer and composer born in Minsk, Belarus, was dubbed “the Belarusian Soul Princess” by local press. After massive protests against the regime in 2020, she moved to Berlin where she began to study jazz. After grounding her band in 2023, KOOB released her debut album “That Tree” that brought her multiple awards in jazz competitions (Sparda Jazz, Jazzfrühling, Carinthischer Sommer) and concerts all over Europe .
The band alternates between jazz, avant garde and soul, blending it into a mix that disturbs, caresses and takes the listener aback at the same time.