Azahriah is the 22-year-old phenomenon whose catchy Hungarian tunes have earned him a dedicated global fan following. After selling out his European tour last year, he’s back in London armed with new music and a few special surprises.
Real name Attila Baukó, Azahriah first found fame on YouTube where he made videos discussing paranormal and urban folklore. Half a million subscribers later, he shifted to making music in 2019.
However, any assumptions that usually accompany an influencer dabbling in music are shattered within the first ten minutes of the show.
Opening the show with introvertált dal (introverted song) followed by casa de papel, the artist is comfortable switching between playing guitar, drums and keyboard; an impressive feat as he is entirely self-taught. Whether shredding electric guitar riffs with his band or effortlessly rapping at a breakneck speed, his easy confidence and charisma on stage is infectious.
Last year, Azahriah became the youngest artist ever to sell out Budapest’s 14,000-capacity Papp László Sport Aréna and played his debut London show later that year at a sold-out Islington Assembly Hall. He’s back in a bigger venue this time, and pretty much the whole of the UK’s Hungarian diaspora has turned out to see him, most of them hardcore fans dressed in bandanas and bucket hats in homage to their favourite artist’s style. A case in point, I don’t hear a word of English in the audience all night.
Between songs the artist chats exclusively in Hungarian, sometimes ironically proceeded and followed by tracks sung in English. This is a show for the fans, not the casual Brit with a fondness for reggae and rap. He is a passionate storyteller, and his often theatrical performances are mesmerizing, even without understanding the lyrics.
Azariah’s output is impressive, and he has no trouble filling his set time with back-to-back hits. Since his 2021 debut EP camouflage, the young artist has put out several EPs and four acclaimed studio albums spanning rap, reggae, folk, and heavy rock. There’s never a dull moment.
It seems the international press is finally taking note. Earlier this year, The New York Times profiled the artist in a piece about the irony of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claiming to be a fan of an artist who “raps about the joys of cannabis”, as part of his misguided attempt to attract younger voters. Although he claims not to talk about politics, Azahriah’s songs – written in a mix of Hungarian, English, and Roma – alternate between the relatable personal struggles of finding your identity (such as mind1) and criticism of his country’s curbing of freedom of speech (e.g. Four Moods 2). Whether he likes it or not, Azahriah has become the figurehead for the anti-government youth movement.
For the final part of the show, he brings out frequent collaborators DESH and Young Fly, and then Lord Panamo of Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra joins them on stage. The music takes a turn into hip-hop, then morphs into a feverish Hungarian folk dance. The energy is electrifying.
The image of all the artists on stage is life-affirming, a snapshot of a new generation of Hungarian artists making their mark and Azahriah is leading the charge.
