Known for his genre-bending songs and mischievous stage presence, Kevin Johansen has spent decades dancing across musical borders. His latest live album, Desde que te Madrid, was recorded at Madrid’s iconic Teatro Albéniz and brings that playful energy to vinyl—complete with comic strips by longtime collaborator Liniers. The duo’s creative chemistry is undeniable, blending music, art, and humour into a show that’s part concert, part cartoon. We caught up with Kevin Johansen ahead of his upcoming London date to talk Bowie, banter, and the joy of live performance.
Your new live album Desde que te Madrid was recorded at the iconic Teatro Albéniz. What made that venue the right space for this intimate, multi-sensory performance?
Well, it was the end of our tour and Madrid is like a second home for us, so it was just a logical beautiful space to frolic and do our thing.
You’ve worked with Liniers for over a decade now. How has that creative partnership evolved, and how do your two artistic languages continue to inspire each other?
We feed off each other constantly, although I’m tastier. But seriously, it’s quite comfortable and I think we’ve evolved in the best way, just trusting each other more and more, I’ve learned to kind of be the straight man although he’s not necessarily the jester, we’re both searching for various layers. But sometimes the shoe fits. Liniers can also get people emotional with a drawing and that’s always enjoyable too.
Each track on the physical release is accompanied by original comic strips from Liniers. How did the idea to merge music with illustrated storytelling come about for this album?
He was kind of baffled regarding putting out this record together (“but I draw”!), so I guess he felt the urge to specially illustrate each song, a gift for me and the audience.
From Gainsbourg to Bowie, your covers on this record feel both bold and deeply personal. What drew you to reinterpret those particular songs?
Both Gainsbourg and Bowie are what I call some of my unavoidable influences, just masters of song and it’s always fun to discover their architectural abilities regarding the genre.
There’s a lot of humour, playfulness, and audience interaction in your live shows. How do you strike that balance between musical depth and comic spontaneity?
I try to simply think about the Greek Theatre, comedy and drama and all the layers in between, to me, both can have depth and a critical and constructive creative force.
With a London show on the horizon, what can fans in Shoreditch expect from your performance — and how does the city’s energy influence your work?
Two friends with different disciplines on stage, sharing their thoughts, feelings about trying to celebrate the differences between us all. And enjoying the ride, of course. And London is so full of history, references, both musical and visual, it’s an honour and a thrill for both of us, no doubt.
You’ve toured across 16 countries and 37 cities on this project. Have any unexpected moments or places left a lasting creative impression?
Places that speak other lances than Spanish or English, like Brazil, France, etc., are always exciting and a challenge to prove ourselves “universal”!
Your work feels like a dialogue — between genres, between cultures, and now, between music and visual art. What do you hope audiences take away from that conversation?
Well, I do like calling myself a “de-genreate” and I believe our audience is pretty “de-genreate” as well, with a broad palate, so to speak. So, we just hope they enjoy and get it, which fortunately happens quite often…
