The British-born Nigerian artist, now based in Sweden, performs at Congés Annulés on Sunday, August 16th, bringing his extraordinary mix of spoken word and uplifting electronic music to Luxembourg – and RTL Today Radio has tickets to give away.
Idehen has been writing and performing poetry for almost two decades, with a career that has taken him through London's spoken-word and jazz scenes and into collaborations with some of the UK's most adventurous musicians.
His voice features on two Mercury Prize-shortlisted albums: The Comet Is Coming's Channel The Spirits and Sons of Kemet's Your Queen Is A Reptile. He has also worked with Los Angeles electronic artist Daedelus.
More recently, however, Idehen has found a sound distinctly his own.
Working alongside Swedish musician and producer Ludvig Parment, he began combining his poetry with joyous, often house-influenced electronic music – creating songs capable of carrying serious ideas while still making a room move.
As Parment puts it, the aim became to make music with "depth" that could tackle the themes in Idehen's writing while remaining firmly danceable.
A major breakthrough arrived with Mum Does The Washing, which began life as a Twitter thread before becoming a witty spoken-word examination of society set against Parment's spacious production.
The track went viral and helped introduce Idehen to a much wider audience, leading to sold-out shows, packed festival appearances at Glastonbury and Green Man, an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland and a European support tour with Baxter Dury.
"In a nutshell, the song has changed my life," Idehen says.
That momentum has carried into his latest album, the wonderfully titled I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try, released in March.
The new record doesn't ignore the anxiety, grief and relentless bad news of the world around us. Instead, Idehen and Parment attempt to find something hopeful within it.
Uplifting choirs, warm samples, saxophone, flute and exuberant electronic beats provide the backdrop for Idehen's observations on friendship, family, morality, self-worth and human connection.
The record also features a number of collaborators, including Shabaka Hutchings, Amanda Bergman, Pete Fraser, Leone Ross and Charlotte Manning.
At its heart is a belief that even when immediate change seems impossible, trying still matters.
"There has to be light at the end," Idehen says. "Something to hold onto."
It's a philosophy that makes his music particularly suited to the live environment: thoughtful enough to make you stop and listen, but euphoric enough to make standing still rather difficult.
RTL Today Radio has tickets to give away to see Joshua Idehen live at Congés Annulés.
For your chance to win, simply send us Joshua Idehen's name, along with your own name and email address – to the RTL Today Radio WhatsApp on +352 621 52 5000.
Good luck!
Joshua Idehen – Congés Annulés
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Rotondes, Luxembourg
20:30
