C’est Karma

Discussing the release of her 2020 album Farbfilm, C’est Karma (born Karma Catena, 2001) reveals in an interview with Luxemburger Wort that punk has had a significant influence on her songwriting (see: MEDIA). The pugnacious song-writing qualities of punk are clearly represented in her alternative pop music. C’est Karma’s music combines sharp social commentary with elements of melancholy and nostalgia, supported by indie-pop elements. This synthesis is apparent in her 2020 song Pool Party, where she writes: “She’s four years old / Never walked her to school / So now she grows / Into a woman you’re scared of.” The lyrics emphasize the consequence of parental neglect, suggesting that a father’s absence from a formative aspect of a child’s life can generate and sustain feelings of distrust and more importantly emotional distance. C’est Karma presents here a distinct gendered dynamic, as a daughter’s mistrust towards her father may translate into a broader distrust towards men in general and also arguably in a disregard for authority. This gendered critique is sustained throughout the song. The opening lines “You would be a nice man / If you learned how to swim,” employ swimming as a metaphor for the capacity to engage in a reciprocal and caring relationship. The image illustrates an inability or unwillingness to navigate emotional responsibility towards his daughter, respectively women in general. “If” implies that the criticism stems not from an inherent flaw of the man himself, but from his failure to develop these qualities in the first place. Pool Party can ultimately be interpreted as a feminist critique of patriarchal attitudes – an eerie echo of Lou Kosters operetta An der Schwemm [In the Swimming Pool], written one hundred years earlier.

Text: Cosimo Suglia; Curation of the webpage: Cosimo Suglia, Céline Schlesser, Sonja Kmec (upload 15 October 2026) 

Whereas Farbfilm is closely bound to indie-pop, C’est Karma’s second EP release Amuse-Bouche (2022)embraces the experimental facet of hyperpop. A rather recent genre, pioneered particularly by artists such as SOPHIE, Charli XCX, and A.G. Cook (who played a key role in the rise of hyperpop, as well as one of the founders of the PC Music collective), hyperpop is in a sense an extreme: It takes conventional pop elements and distorts them into an almost melodic parody, and thus becomes a critique of consumerism. Elements in sound-design, such as the heavily processed vocals or the metallic sound contrast are recurring in this second EP, but C’est Karma’s storytelling is persisting.

            Her debut album How to peel an orange (2024) then is the synthesis of her prior work. Alternative-pop, hyperpop, elements of EDM and the inclusion of her trademark indie songwriting is further expanded and mixed with new experimentation, such as a going back to her roots (born into a Portuguese-Italian family), C’est Karma takes inspiration from the traditional Portuguese folk-genre of fado. In doing so, she not only navigates and politicises gender-dynamics, talks about environmental anxieties, and queer topics, but includes fundamental (inter)national and cultural ties ever-present in the local scene. Her music is reciprocal and dynamic, constantly challenges patriarchal and national norms, and essentially explores fragmented identities through constant evolution and experimentation. 

Text: Cosimo Suglia; Curation of the webpage: Cosimo Suglia, Céline Schlesser, Sonja Kmec (upload 15 October 2026) 

In 2018 C’est Karma opened for the German indie band Milky Chance at Rockhal. This, however, did not happen by chance: C’est Karma developed her musical skills through busking. Even before she had released her first EP, she won the Luxembourg Music Award for Best Upcoming Female Artist (2019). Following the release of Farbfilm, C’est Karma developed an international following by playing concerts in Germany. Her international presence unfolded by participating in the ARTE Concert Festival 2021 and the M for Montreal festival in 2022. Following the release of her album, she was the 2024 Global Project Grant Laureate selected by Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg, because “C’est Karma kicked off the year in style by performing tracks from her upcoming debut album, How to peel an orange to a captivated audience of music industry professionals at the ESNS Festival in Groningen (NL),” and further, “[t]he performance was made even more special by being filmed by the iconic German live music platform, WDR Rockpalast.” (see: MEDIA). Success breeds success. But Karma remains unpredictable. At the age of 25 she decided to put her musical career on hold to venture into different artistic fields.

Text: Cosimo Suglia; Curation of the webpage: Cosimo Suglia, Céline Schlesser, Sonja Kmec (upload 15 October 2026)