Boo Hoo is Bernhard Karakoulakis’s folk project, named after a quirky Nintendo ghost character. His music is a mix of personal tales and introspective tunes, kind of like what you’d hear from John K. Samson or Sufjan Stevens. Having grown up between Greek and German cultures, Bernhard’s songs are about the in-between states of everyday life and their inherent sadness and hopefulness.

When he moved to New York in the early 2010s, he found his groove in the city’s antifolk scene, where blending cultures and exploring identity through music was the norm. This vibe heavily influenced his music. After returning from New York and extensive touring around Europe, he went back to Frankfurt. There, he started working on original pieces for Schauspiel Frankfurt and ran several successful crowdfunding campaigns to finance the making of his albums.

His latest release, „Fray Willy“ (2024), shows a shift from his early DIY sounds to something more polished, mixing folk and pop but still keeping the introspective lyrics that make Boo Hoo stand out.