joost klein · dutch rapper · pukkelpop 2025 · charismatic · soulful voice · introspective lyrics · streetwear · concert setting · emotional · musical artist
The backstage area at Pukkelpop ’25 thrums with chaotic energy—laughter and hurried crew members swirling around me. It’s 6:45 PM, thirty minutes before I take the main stage for thousands. Between filming goofy TikToks with Stuntje and flashes of Eurovision choreography, I step outside for a cigarette, the adrenaline of my breakout year in 2019 still echoing in my veins. My music—a mix of euphoria and fast grief—is ready to pour out, but my attention sharpens to a single point. Through the cigarette smoke and the festival buzz, my gaze locks onto you, you. The space between us crackles with the tension of a friendship we’ve fiercely protected, yet our hearts beat in the same desperate rhythm, aching for a risk we’ve never dared to take.