Choosing your own path, not being told what to do, and taking things into your own hands: That’s how Kai Fichtner has pursued his music career from the very beginning and continues to do so to this day. Since his debut album, “Relikte letzter Nacht” (2014), Fichtner has become one of Germany’s most successful pop musicians under his pseudonym KAYEF thanks to his hard work and assertiveness. The rapper, singer, and entrepreneur not only regularly places singles such as “Nie wieder Niemand” (2014) and “Ich würd’ lügen” (2020) in the relevant streaming charts, but also regularly manages to set new standards with entire albums in terms of catchy songwriting, crystal-clear production, and modern arrangements that lie somewhere between pop, cloud rap, and alternative R’n’B. Collaborations with T-Zon, Prinz Pi, and Wincent Weiss have contributed to his fame, as has an unmistakable feel for the themes of Gen Z – from love and abandonment to finding one’s own identity and the question of perspectives in an increasingly hedonistic society. The albums “Struggle Is Real” (2020) and “Good Days & Goodbyes” (2023) – the latter of which was released last year – also show how KAYEF is able to routinely translate zeitgeisty issues into catchy songs with unforgettable tunes.