"ORA BLU" is the Italian term for the blue hour, the moment at dawn or dusk when the sun is just as far below the horizon, that the world is bathed in a soft, blue light.

The Berlin-based Newcomerband ORA BLU named itself after this phase of the day, matching their dreamy, danceable sound.

The three band members Marlene (vocals and bass), Kai (vocals and guitar) and Henrik (drums and production) combine Pop, Hip- Hop, Funk and R'n'B with Indiemusic- Elements. Like this, a unique soundscape is created which invites you to dance to it, groove with it and feel it overall.

Kai's distinctive and emotional voice complements Marlene's warm vocals, guitar solos and driving Basslines are surrounded by perfectly formed drum elements.

The result is a tonal roadtrip at dawn, a humming evening on a rooftop at twilight or the sound of a warm summernight between trees.

ORA BLU provides the proof, that different styles and approaches don't have to result in differences, but can actually complement each other. With a sure instinct, you can create something completely new out of diversity. And so ORA BLU might sound a bit like MY BABY, occasionally like Bonobo or Chet Faker – but mostly like their completely own creation of sound and style.

In 2016, the three musicians got to know each other in their first semesters on the hallways of Berlins SRH School of Popular Arts. Kai, Marlene and Henrik have studied music production and popular music together, and tried out a wide variety of constellations, styles and projects over the past few years.

Sometimes it was Kai who invited multi-instrumentalist Marlene and the drummer/ producer to a festival stage with his solo project, sometimes it was Henrik who involved the singer, songwriter and guitarist Kai and Marlene in his Berlin-based studio project TOLLKÜHN PRODUCTIONS.

In 2021, in the midst of the corona pandemic and after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, the time had finally come and the three musicians merged their styles and experiences and started something new:

ORA BLU.


The band released their first single „On Repeat“ along with a music video on July 15th 2022. In the months of summer the trio played various festival shows like the Fête de la Musique or MIT DIR Festival in Brandenburg. Three additional single releases followed and on November 25th ORA BLU published their debut EP „On Repeat“.

The newcomers are facing an exciting future, that’s for sure. As listeners, we can look forward to road trips with suitable background music, moody concert experiences and mild summer nights, accompanied by the versatile sound of ORA BLU.

- Vanessa Sonnenfroh