Sweden-born singer-producer COBRAH has been building her own glitchy, genreless universe since 2018 – one in which fetish fashion, hedonism and sweaty pop chaos all collapse into each other. “Genre-typical is boring,” she shrugs. “It’s predictable. People know how it’s gonna end.” So she doesn’t bother.

Her sound exists in a world of its own – equal parts dark club energy and hypnotic pop hooks, cranked to max volume. From the beginning, COBRAH’s been more interested in raw exploration than polished presentation. Her first live show? At a sex club, she cold-emailed with just a SoundCloud demo.

Since then, she’s steadily infiltrated the underground, collaborating with provocative electronic trailblazers like LSDXOXO, VTSS and Ayesha Erotica. But she’s not here for the mainstream co-sign. “I’ve turned down big-name features from artists I don’t even listen to,” she says. “Why would I do it? For money? For what? That’s not the point.”

Instead, she treats collaboration like alchemy. For the Succubus remix EP, COBRAH entrusted her songs to friends, giving them free rein to reimagine her work. The result? A genre-bending, entirely reimagined body of work. Speaking of the recent EP, COBRAH shares, “I want people to feel free with my stuff. It’s about inspiration, not rules. VTSS’s remix is like a whole new track – new verse, new energy.”

Set to ignite the Wide Awake Festival on May 23, 2025, at London’s Brockwell Park, COBRAH vows to unleash pandemonium. She teases Dazed about what the UK crowd can expect: “It’s very intense, very sweaty. I go upside-down on a cross. The whole thing is just... fast.” Having set stages ablaze across Europe and US festivals, this marks her first UK festival debut.

Below, COBRAH tells Dazed about the borrowed catsuit that influenced her visual identity, her fashion week escapades, and why she’ll always choose chaos over comfort (whether that’s screaming obscenities in the studio, or dangling from crosses onstage).

Your sound is this explosive blend of hard techno and pop. Was that always the vision?

COBRAH: Yeah, I think so – that’s pretty accurate. But I didn’t have a goal when I started making music; I just wanted to create. At 20, I didn’t know shit about genres. I’d just think, let’s make something exciting, and it turned out how it turned out. It wasn’t calculated – it was naïve. I’d be like, ‘Oh, let’s do fun sounds!’ That’s still how I approach music. If something feels too genre-typical, I get bored. Like, people know how this song ends… where’s the surprise?

What genres would you say you lean into now?

COBRAH: I still don’t really know. I think I’ve shifted from experimental to more pop lately. After the Succubus EP, making avant-garde sounds wasn’t as challenging anymore. Doing something more structured and pop-leaning now feels like a new experiment for me.

How did the aesthetic – latex, fetish, all that – come into play?

COBRAH: I was in school, making music but still searching for my expression. I met this fetish photographer who shot stuff for food fetish TV shows and things. At 20, I was like, ‘This is fucking wild.’ She invited me over, and turns out, her whole house was a latex shrine – she made everything herself. I’ve always loved dark, goth, alternative shit, but this was next level. Within 10 minutes, I was naked in her catsuit, and it felt like a second skin. I remember Snapchatting my friends like, ‘This is my life now.’

And your first live show was at a fetish club?

COBRAH: Yeah! I asked my friend, ‘Where do you even go for this?’ She told me about this club that hosted events every few months. I emailed them like, ‘Hi, I’m COBRAH – no music out yet, but here’s a SoundCloud demo. Can I play?’ And they said yes. My debut was at a sex club. 

Your visuals are just as bold as your sound. Do they come before or after the music?

COBRAH: They come together. I don’t have synesthesia, but I always start seeing things when I write – like, are we in a club? A cave? A pool? For “Record Deal”, the bass felt rocky, so I imagined visuals around that. I worked with an artist I’ve admired for years to build on that vision.

You collaborated with artists like VTSS and Ayesha Erotica for the Succubus remix EP. What’s your approach to collabs?

COBRAH: I gave them total freedom. I didn’t want to be like, ‘Here’s what I want’. I admire their work and trusted them. That’s why there are three versions of “Tequila” – I wanted each artist to feel free to reinterpret the song completely. You can really hear how personal and different each remix is.

Speaking of collaborations, you recently released a single with LSDXOXO. What draws you to certain artists as collaborators?

COBRAH: With LSDXOXO, it was pretty natural because I've always listened to his music a lot. Then we started seeing each other at the same festivals and meeting backstage, and he's such a nice person. I vibe with the punk energy of what he creates.

I really just connect with people who do their own thing, because then you're on the same wavelength. You just do whatever you want to. So when he approached me about the song and sent it to me, I immediately thought, ‘Oh yeah, I definitely see myself doing something on this.’ It was pretty natural.

Do you need a specific headspace to create?

COBRAH: Only work with friends. It’s like singing in the shower – you gotta scream ‘Suck my clit!’ and have no one flinch. That’s the zone.

You’re performing at Wide Awake Festival next. What can the UK crowd expect?

COBRAH: It’s gonna be intense – very sweaty, very live. I’ve got this cross I go upside down on. It’s a full high-energy experience.

You blend fetishwear with high fashion. You recently attended Dilara Findikoglu’s show at London Fashion Week. What was that like?

COBRAH: It was so fun because I’m the biggest fan of Dilara. When we started planning our collaboration, I was like, this is gonna be absolutely wild, because Dilara’s one of the most daring and unique designers out there, and her aesthetic totally vibes with my style. I’ve been following her since 2018. Fashion on your phone doesn’t compare to seeing it live. I feel so privileged to attend Fashion Week – it really inspires me as an artist to witness these creations in person.

As you evolve, what remains sacred in the COBRAH universe?

COBRAH: I always write my own songs. That’s non-negotiable. I could never put out something someone else wrote for me. It wouldn’t feel authentic.

You encounter a hostile alien race and sound is their only mechanism for communication. What song would you play to them to inspire them to spare you and the rest of the human race?

COBRAH: “All Is Full of Love” by Björk. I think they’d vibe with that.

Favourite corner shop snack?

COBRAH: Anything licorice, if I can find it, which is very rare. 

What conspiracy theory are you secretly into?

COBRAH: I literally just saw this on the news this morning – I’m not sure if it counts as a conspiracy theory, but apparently there might be aliens on another planet, and they only live in the sea. Like sea monsters. I’m kind of into that right now.

COBRAH is performing at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park on May 23, 2025.