BOY

Formed in Hamburg in 2007 by Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass, Swiss-German duo BOY – who release their first new music for six years this spring – have released two albums to date, Mutual Friends (2011) and We Were Here (2015). The former was certified gold in Germany, where it reached the Top 10, and its follow-up charted Top 3 in both Germany and Switzerland. Notable for their distinctively bittersweet, sometimes deceptively upbeat style, evident from the moment they released their debut single, ‘Little Numbers’ – whose charmingly improvised video has received over 21 million YouTube hits – they’ve also won fans far beyond their respective homelands, with ‘Little Numbers’ itself an unexpected Top 5 hit in Japan. With their songs so far racking up 250 million+ streams around the world, they’ve toured the globe, from Brazil to Belgium, winning particular praise in the US, where they debuted in 2013, including a series of shows at SxSW. Lauded by NPR for their “warmth, breezy effervescence and lyrics shot through with the deeply human desire to be remembered and cherished,” BOY have also been admired by the New York Times, who highlighted their “tuneful, friendly, forthright pop-folk songs about life and relationships...cradled by melodies with a comfortable lilt and by Ms. Steiner’s sweet, unfailingly precise lead vocals.”