Cobrah Shares NYC Tour Diary

Cobrah struts into view at New York’s Knockdown Center, fishnets on, mug beat, bodysuit bedazzled. She recalls, of the moment, that she was “on [her] way to make history.”

“Good Puss” has become an essential soundtrack to a good time since the Swedish pop phenom first broke onto the queer music scene with “IDFKA” back in 2018. Any event with her, no matter the city, is a can’t-miss one for the girls and gays within a hundred mile radius. Cobrah’s a bit more humble about the impact that night: “Me and 3,000 fans really went hard.”

Cobrah released an EP last October, Succubus, and it’s about all I listened to this dark and stormy winter. In a landscape of pioneering artists of the post-hyperpop variety, her music has a preternatural edge that sets her apart from her peers. This isn’t to dismiss others in the landscape, of course, but who else is delivering words of wisdom quite like: “I just wanna feel good/ Gotta lay down with some good kush/ Got a good girl, a real good bush/ Come and go get a real good puss.”

Out with sexual undertones, in with those overtones! Pulling from fetish subcultures, one will often find Cobrah adorned in latex, or even suspension hooks, as seen in the art from Succubus. With songs like the single “FEMININE ENERGY,” Cobrah told V last year: "I always wanted to avoid being a sexy girl or a beautiful woman [just] for the sake of being beautiful. I always want it to have the texture of being a little bit disgusting or a little bit aggressive.”

It’s easy to see how that singular approach has led to the burgeoning success of her music.

The PAPER fav kicked off a world tour in February to support her Succubus EP, and the Knockdown Center is just one stop of many. We’ve got all the exclusive backstage photos of Cobrah and snaps from the exceedingly energized crowd. Ready? Check them out — with Cobrah's commentary — below.