“We Both Think I’m the Hottest”: Leah Kate on Her Journey, Her Fans, and Her Connection to Cologne

After two years, LA‑born and raised pop star Leah Kate returns with another Headline Tour to Europe to present her sophomore album, Genius, alongside earlier tracks. Supporting acts Mimi Foxx and Ana Sky set the tone for a night full of dancing and singing, keeping the energy up from start to finish. Before the night officially begins and Cologne’s venue, Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld, fills with cheers and anticipation, we have the opportunity to quickly sit down with pop star Leah Kate and ask her our burning questions.

You can read the interview below the review.

Mimi Foxx and Ana Sky Kick Off the Night

The lights of Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld dim at 7:30 pm, and the first opener of the night, Mimi Foxx, enters the stage. During her set, she mistakes the crowd for Berlin, where she played the night prior, and laughs it off with a “can‘t you tell that it is my first time on tour?” The crowd chuckles with her, loving her honesty. The room settles into an easy, welcoming atmosphere. The crowd claps along throughout her set, cheering loudly after every one, making Mimi smile as she shares that she has dreamed of being on stage since she was a little girl, thanking Leah Kate for bringing her along and the crowd for being so kind to her.

Her songs “Best Mistake” and “Spiral” not only showcase her vocals and harmonizing talent, but also have the front row going wild, dancing and singing along. "Bulletproof" is a highlight of her set, as fans hold up stars with handwritten notes for her. Mimi looks visibly touched at the gesture, holding the hands of a few fans throughout her song.

Please come to the merch table after the show and meet me. Thank you again to Leah Kate for taking me with her. This is the best night of my life,

she shares excitedly, smiling brightly at the crowd, and then saying “Ich liebe dich” to a crowd that falls even harder for her in the moment.

Before she leaves the stage, she looks around once more into the crowd, taking it all in, “Guys, can we take a picture together?” Approval roars to the room, and after figuring out where to get a phone, two fans offer her their own phone so she can take the selfie with the crowd. Mimi’s bright stage presence and vocals open the night perfectly.

Shortly after 8:00 pm, Ana Sky steps onto the stage wearing a white veil adorned with pearls, which she takes off midway through her song. Her voice is supported by her guitarist, Anton Popov. After a roar of applause, she leans into the mic,

Thank you so much. I’m Ana Sky. We’re coming from LA. Just two years ago, I was a scientist. And now I’m on the stage. And how iconic is it to open for Leah Kate?

The crowd responds instantly: clapping, screaming, and whispering in surprise at the revelation that Ana Sky had once been a scientist instead of a performer.

Besides her own tracks, she surprises the crowd with two covers. The first was a stripped‑back version of Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” on the keyboard, which leaves the crowd speechless. Soft sing‑alongs are heard when her vocals shine; other than that, it is eerily still compared to the prior moments. The crowd seems speechless for a second, silently appreciating and taking in the song, before Ana Sky transitions into a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”, bringing the venue back to life, as they sing and dance along.

Ana Sky smiles, leaning into her mic, “How are you feeling tonight?” The crowd answers enthusiastically. “It’s so much fun.” Smiling, she sings two more of her original songs, and her closing song, “King of Hearts,” has the crowd dancing along to her voice and her own dance moves for one last time on stage. With an “I love you,” Ana Sky closes her set and leaves the stage. The artist captivates the audience with her soulful voice, reminiscent of the early 00s and Lana Del Rey‑esque in its dreaminess, yet with a personal signature.

Leah Kate Brings Cologne to Life

The woman of the night enters the stage with her song “Genius”, and fans instantly hold up heart notes to start off her set with a project that reads “We love you, it doesn’t take a genius.” From the very first lyric till the end of the night, Leah Kate has the crowd singing, dancing, and partying along as if they had never done anything else. Cologne welcomes her back with open arms.

“I love you, Cologne. Holy shit.” She beams at the crowd multiple times throughout the night, letting them know a handful of times how much she loves Cologne and this crowd. The setlist has the best of both worlds: older and newer songs. One of the newer tracks from her sophomore album, Genius, is “Not To Be Dramatic”. The brunette leans into her microphone and shares, before launching into said song, that she is “weirdly obsessed with a mediocre man,” making the crowd chuckle.

The crowd engagement is there from the beginning, from taking phones from fans, filming herself singing, letting them finish the lyrics, to pushing the audience to scream even louder: “Make some noise, Cologne. I can’t hear you. Even louder.” Leah shares that Cologne has a special place in her heart, as it is the most “lit” and always “the best show,” and has been “since the Madison Beer tour,” when she was the opener during her European leg of the Life Support Tour in 2022. To highlight her appreciation for Cologne, she lets the crowd know she has played there six times, whereas she has played only two times in her hometown, Los Angeles.

Tonight is going to be the most memorable show. And if not, then we’re going to lie and say it was. Are we ready to party, Cologne?

And the crowd does not disappoint, singing and dancing along. “Can you finish this next sentence for me?” She asks the crowd and continues, “We’re not just done, baby.” She points the microphone to the crowd, awaiting the next lyrics, and they scream back, “We’re super over.”

“You passed the test! A+!” Leah congratulates the crowd, grinning brightly, while cheers echo through the club.

At one point, Leah takes the crowd back to one of her messiest times, but also to a time that changes everything for her and her career: the Alive and Unwell era. The screams of every lyric prove that the fans have been at her side for years now. And Leah takes notice of that, acknowledging the crowd, “Yeah, you guys really like Alive and Unwell.” With a shaky but happy exhale, she looks over the crowd, taking it all in. “I want to see from what era and tour you’re all from, or if you have never been to a show before.”

“What about the Madison Beer tour?” She asks first, and a few hands go up. “Ahh, some OG’s! What about Alive and Unwell?” More hands and screams echo. Slightly more resonance with the Hayley Kiyoko Tour, Anne‑Marie Tour, and the Super Over Tour. However, the loudest cheers come from those who see her for the very first time. “Oh my god, so cute!” she exclaims.

One of the standouts of the night is when Leah Kate sings her song “Twinkle Twinkle”. A song that caused her a lot of trouble online, but it only made her keep singing it. The song quickly proves a crowd favorite. At times, it is hard to hear Leah’s voice above the crowd’s singing. After the final tune, Leah shares a fun fact that she and her guitarist had beef over that song, as he wanted her to take it off the setlist, but that they’re past that now.

Smiling gratefully at the crowd, Leah repeats,

I really love you, guys, truly. I know I have said it a lot tonight, but I really mean it. It’s not a filler. I promise.

Hearing the crowd’s reaction to her older tracks, she exclaims she is “not allowed to sing more songs than one and a half hours,” and that she therefore had to cut songs from the setlist. “Should I have an Eras tour like Taylor Swift?” Leah asks the crowd, and they instantly reply with cheers. “You guys would come, right? Maybe we will do that next year.”

“I’m sad, but the setlist is about to come to an end.” The venue briefly quiets at the realization that the night is nearing its end, but gets upbeat again when she promises that her next EP is almost finished and coming soon. “I’m not waiting another two years to come back.”

Cologne feels like home to me. I feel like you guys are really my friends and family. I should move here. You know I’m half German, right? So, maybe it’s a sign.

She says after a round of applause, and launches then into “10 Things I Hate About You,” the track that went viral four years ago and introduced her to a global audience.

One thing is certain: Cologne did not forget pop star Leah Kate over the last two years. If the night proves anything, it’s that their love for Leah has only grown stronger.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

Leah, thank you so much for taking the time today to speak to us.

Leah Kate: Of course.

If someone only listened to one of your songs to understand you, which one would you choose and why?

Leah Kate: Hmm. Wow. That’s a good question. I would choose '10 Things I Hate About You' because I feel it sums me up in one song. I know it’s the classic old smash that everyone knows, but if someone doesn’t know who I am, I probably want them to hear it because I’m recognized for that, and the lyrics are still... They’re the most unhinged. I feel like they’re very in your face and bold, and that’s what I’m known for. Yeah, I would play them '10 Things'.

Sabrina: Yeah, that’s a great song and explanation. It fits you really well.

You actually played your first headline show in Cologne on November 17th, 2022, in this exact same venue. What does it feel like to be back here now?

Leah Kate: So crazy and full circle. It feels like home. I’ve been like, “Oh, my God. I’ve done this before.” It truly feels like home. I feel I recognize all the faces here, because everyone has come back. And I feel I know you guys at this point. So yeah, it feels like coming home.

So, this city and this venue are like a happy place for you?

Leah Kate: Yes, a very happy place.

We noticed you mix some of the newest songs with older ones, going all the way back to 2020. And honestly, we think that is very Genius. What made you decide on that setlist setup?

Leah Kate: It was very hard. I originally had 30 songs on the set list, but I can’t do a two-and-a-half-hour show, because it’s literally not allowed. I feel the old music is so nostalgic and fun to listen to, and people want to hear it. And it makes me really happy to listen to it. It reminds me of the old times in Europe on the Madison Beer tour and the Anne Marie Tour when I would play those songs. So I chose this setlist because I want music for everyone, whether you found me in 2020 or this year.

Sabrina: I really like that view. A bit of everything for everyone.

Leah Kate: Yeah, exactly.

Your career really took off in 2022 after supporting Madison Beer on her European leg of her Life Support Tour. If you could go back and talk to your 2022 self, what would you say to her?

Leah Kate: I would say, don’t listen to anyone, just follow your intuition. There are so many voices in my ear at those years, such as the record label and managers. I was so confused and had trouble with all the people in my ear about what to do and how to shape my career. When in reality, I think my intuition is maybe the most powerful.

Sabrina: I hope it is better now.

Leah Kate: Yeah, for sure. So much better.

Sabrina: Glad to hear that.

Your music is so energetic and danceable. Who are artists that make you want to hit the dance floor?

Leah Kate: Hmm. Hit the dance floor. Oh, I love 1975. I love Dua Lipa. I love Sabrina Carpenter. I love Olivia Rodrigo. And I really like the new Bella Kay song.

Sabrina: Oh, yeah.

Leah Kate: Who else do I love? I love Fletcher. Yeah, those are some of my Favorites.

Sabrina: Those artists definitely fit your aesthetic. Especially Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter.

Leah Kate: Yes, I love them.

Sabrina: And Dua Lipa. She fits some of your more upbeat songs.

Leah Kate: Definitely. Yeah.

You have built such a strong global fan base over the past few years. What’s your favorite thing about your fans?

Leah Kate: Oh, my God. They’re just... I feel they understand me, and are just so sweet and kind. I’ve been on tours where the fans are not that kind. And I feel at a Leah show, everyone’s so welcoming, sweet, and kind. I feel my fans are my friends and are there for me. And I would say that’s what I appreciate the most.

Sabrina: It’s really sweet that you have this special bond with your fans.

Is there anything you’re very excited about on this tour, as it just started yesterday?

Leah Kate: Yeah, I think playing the new songs. I haven’t toured here in like two years. So yeah, just being back is so nostalgic and fun, seeing all the European cities, reuniting with fans, and just being out here. Europe is my happy place.

Sabrina: Love that!

Which song is your favorite to perform? It can be any song from your discography.

Leah Kate: This unreleased one I might be playing tonight.

Sabrina: Oh, please do.

Leah Kate: I might be. We will see.

Is there a lyric from Genius that has stuck with you ever since you wrote it?

Leah Kate: “We both think I’m the hottest.” I just feel like that one sums it up. I love that lyric.

Sabrina: And it’s so true.

Leah Kate: Stop, thank you. I love you.

Looking back at your career so far, do you have a favorite era? The ‘Alive and Unwell’ era, the ‘Super Over’ era, or the ‘Genius’ era, right now?

Leah Kate: A mix of 'Genius' and 'Alive and Unwell'. Because 'Alive and Unwell' was so crazy. It was a crazy time for me, but so fun. But then 'Genius' is new, so it’s exciting.

Sabrina: I like the mix of both, and that you look back at it as a nostalgic thing. Thank you so much again for taking the time today.

Leah Kate: No, thank you.

Sabrina: We have one last final question.

Leah Kate: Yeah, of course.

At THE UNSEEN Magazine, we curate an "artists' favorites" playlist. Are there any songs you’d like to add?

Leah Kate: Mmm, from my songs, I would add “Genius,” “Salty”, and “Not To Be Dramatic” from the new album.

And from any other artists. What are your favorite songs?

Leah Kate: Oh, wow. Okay. Favorite songs right now or, like, in general?

Sabrina: Honestly, any songs you want to share. They can be new or old.

Leah Kate: I have a bunch of songs on this week's playlist. I've been listening to a lot of Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo lately. So, definitely add "drop dead" by Olivia Rodrigo. And I love that new Bella Kay song.

Sabrina: You mean her song "Promise?"?

Leah Kate: Yeah, exactly that one. You should add that one.

Sabrina: We'll definitely add them. Thank you again for having us.

Leah Kate: Of course. Thank you for coming. You’re so talented.

Sabrina: Thank you. Have so much fun on stage later tonight and on the rest of the tour!

LISTEN TO LEAH KATE'S FAVORITES HERE: