Biography

If anyone can lay claim to being the Voice of Vienna, Ankathie Koi surely tops the list. The singer, a fixture on the Austrian music scene since 2014, possesses not only a voice that will do pretty much whatever she demands of it, she has consistently been ahead of the curve in terms of pop-music trends. She was an early adopter of the 80s-glam look and sound that FM4 now wears on its sleeve, and continues to mine that rich vein of synths and drum machines – but always coming up with something a little unexpected. A new album by Ms. Koi is cause for celebration, all the more because it’s her first release since the brusque interruption of her Prominent Libido tour in 2020. And if “Amour Fou”, the first single off the forthcoming record, is anything to judge by, it’s going to be pretty epic. After a no-nonsense percussion intro and a chorus tease for the TikTok crowd, it’s down to business. The lyrics are about unbridled passion, a love that dare not speak its name – it would rather scream it, broadcast it, scratch it into subway windows, paint it on the side of the Parliament building. “Amour Fou’s” sound is a little lusher, less stripped-down – dare we say more grown-up? – than cult classics like “Kate, It’s Hunting Season” and “Little Hell”. The structure is classic; sultry verses and ecstatic choruses build on one another, leading to a climax all the more satisfying because you knew it was coming. Crazy? Crazy in love. (Phil Yaeger)