Klemen's 'Golden Hour' steers his softer side
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
For years, Klemen has existed in disguise.
He has worn the faces of presidents and pop stars, slipped seamlessly between political caricature and musical satire, becoming one of Europe’s most recognisable comic performers in the process. Hundreds of millions of views later, he is known for transformation: for precision, timing, control.
Golden Hour asks a quieter question: What happens when the mask comes off?
Following his emotionally resonant appearance at Eurovision 2025, Klemen returns to his debut album Golden Hour with renewed intention, ahead of its physical release in early 2026 and a London headline show at Notting Hill Arts Club on February 17. It feels less like a reintroduction and more like a reframing - a chance to be seen clearly, without costume or character.
Where his viral work thrives on sharp edges and instant recognition, Golden Hour moves slowly. The 11-track album is tender, patient, unguarded. It doesn’t chase punchlines or spectacle. Instead, it sits with feeling - vulnerability stretched across warm arrangements, quiet honesty allowed to linger.
At the emotional core of the record sits “Is Anybody Out There?” A song born not from concept, but conversation. Written during an intimate session with Shelly McErlaine and Michèl Vedère, the track emerged organically from a shared discussion around emotional weight and the universal search for connection. There’s no grand performance, just openness. A hand reaching out, unsure who might reach back.
“It’s about searching for connection, finding hope, and believing in a silver lining when life feels overwhelming,” Klemen explains.
That emotional language first reached a global audience through “How Much Time Do We Have Left,” the deeply personal ballad Klemen performed at Eurovision 2025. Written for his wife Mojca, the song reflected on the years following her diagnosis with what was once believed to be an incurable illness. Her full recovery, and the couple’s shared appearance on the Eurovision stage, transformed the performance into something collective.
Seen through that lens, Golden Hour feels like revelation. The emotional architecture beneath the humour finally brought into focus.
Internationally, Klemen’s satirical music videos - from “Putin, Putout” to his viral Eurovision winners impersonation medley - have been featured by BBC, Reuters, DW, Newsweek, Euronews, Rai, and more. These works showcase an artist fluent in observation, impersonation, and cultural commentary. Golden Hour reveals what happens when observation turns inward.
That duality will shape Klemen’s upcoming London show. At Notting Hill Arts Club on February 17th, the performance moves fluidly between satire and sincerity: beloved impersonations sitting alongside the intimate songs of Golden Hour.
Get tickets for his Notting Hill Arts Club show, February 17th here
Klemen’s creative life has always resisted singular definition. With an acting degree, eight years at the Slovenian National Theatre, television hosting, and more than 150 impersonations across music, politics, and popular culture, his career has been built on adaptability. Comedy taught him timing, character, and control. Golden Hour explores what happens when control is loosened, when presence replaces performance.
In an era where artists are often introduced through algorithms, caricatures, and moments divorced from context, Golden Hour offers something rarer. A quieter self, shared at full volume.
As Klemen steps back into the light as himself - Golden Hour becomes less about arrival and more about permission. To feel deeply. To be seen fully. To exist beyond the mask.
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