Joining the Dots with rising star Cosima Ehni
- Text by Michael Fordham
- Photography by Tara Darby
Recorded in Don Letts’ creative bunker at the bottom of his West London garden, Joining the Dots traces the way artists, athletes, activists, and subcultures have interacted across decades and continents without even realising.
Across the course of this first season, Don sat down to talk with guests as diverse as big-wave surfer Andrew Cotton, skater and artist Ed Templeton, writer and journalist Hattie Collins, and emerging musician Georgia.
In this episode of Joining the Dots, Don Letts meets South London vocalist and artist Cosima Ehni. With a background that bridges London, Germany and the African Diaspora, she channels the work of singers from Sade all the way back to Billie Holiday and Nina Simone but Cosima’s work is impossible to categorise. The 25-year-old swaps stories of what it’s like to be young, gifted and black in a Peckham rapidly changing in the face of gentrification. Growing up in similar neighbourhoods generations apart, Cosima and Don find plenty in common.
Joining the Dots was produced in association with Size?. Listen to Joining the Dots on acast, Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe to get each new episode delivered straight to your feed.
You might like
American Football: The One With The Feelings
Many moons — The Midwest emo architects transformed a college experiment into a coming-of-age soundtrack. 25 years on, their latest iteration sees them bottle the same magic for the ups and downs of middle life.
Written by: Tracy Kawalik
Joe James: “I will never be absent in my children’s lives because I know it doesn’t feel nice”
Hard Feelings — As the silky MC prepares to release his debut album ‘The Ends Never Ends’, he joins our column on fatherhood and masculinity to discuss leaving his childhood home at 16, the manosphere and his risk-embracing approach to life.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian
Analogue Appreciation: mary in the junkyard
Role Model Hermit — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s art rock fabulists mary in the junkyard.
Written by: mary in the junkyard
Kibo’s compendium of Kwengletarianism
Kwengletaria:Ragamyff — As UK rap’s latest prodigious MC announces his most ambitious project to date, Rob Kazandjian spends time with Kibo in a north London pub to chat about his rise, as well as the inspirations and ideologies underpinning his music.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian
Celebrating the art of making out on tour with Tove Lo
The Kiss Book — In the wake of the pandemic, photographer Kenny Laubbacher travelled around several countries with the Swedish pop star, capturing the joy and desire of kissing fans.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
The dreamy, surfy sounds of Cactus for Breakfast
Vitamin B — The Berlin-based band blends eclectic lyrics and influences spanning The Ventures, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Fela Kuti into a swirl of garage psych. We caught up with them as they brought their jubilant live show to Huck’s showcase on the final night of SXSW London.
Written by: Roxana Diba
