Ray Lozano honoured with the Holger Czukay Prize 2023

Congratulations!

Singer-songwriter and producer Ray Lozano - NICA artist 2023 - was honoured with the Holger Czukay Future Prize last night. The Holger Czukay Prize honours artists who have left their mark on Cologne or who have influenced and helped shape current developments.

The jury’s statement said, among other things:

“Ray Lozano demonstrates an outstanding flair for innovative and forward-looking sounds. […] Ray Lozano’s self-determined yet quirky soul sound, somewhere between indie, low-fidelity pop and hip-hop, has the potential to reach many people far beyond the borders of Cologne.”

The award ceremony was hosted by Mayor Henriette Reker at Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld. The “Holger Czukay Prize for Pop Music of the City of Cologne” 2023 was awarded to the band KLEE. To honour their life’s work, the Holger Czukay Honorary Award was given to the band Floh de Cologne. This year, the Future Prize, awarded to Ray Lozano, was presented for the first time.

As part of the concert evening NICA live special on Friday 5 January 2024, the evening before WINTERJAZZ Köln, Ray Lozano will perform alongside five other NICA artists at Stadtgarten Köln/ JAKI. NICA live special is not open to the public and is primarily reserved for national and international professionals. The interested public will be able to register in advance. Further information will follow soon.