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30 years in the music business across different experiences like Arabesque, a collaboration with the Enigma project and above all a great solo career.
Is “Back to life” a new starting point or another stimulating experience in making music? |
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| I'm thrilled of having enjoyed a life of music with so many different colours, every album and project is a new challenge - and life changes all the time. i'm full of positive and fresh spirits with my new love, I think you can definitely hear that in the music. It's very 'pop' and accessible by the listener - after the more 'introverted' last album. So in way my life has a new start by my career goes on and on and there is no change in sight. |
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Tell the truth ! 
Making it clear first that we all love your old hits and we find that they are a piece of the eighties history, we ask you, are you bothered to be sometimes remembered for your smash hit “Maria Magdalena” and the other past greatest hits?
Would you like to have a new voice in? |
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Good question - but deep in my heart I'm so proud and thrilled that a song like 'Maria Magdalena' has touched so many people's hearts that I feel a lot of respect for my fans when they want to hear it again and again. I will always do my best to interpret it for my audience, I would never be where I am now without these big 80s hits, I will never forget that.
I also like them how they are, my 'more innocent' 80s voice is part of the songs' vibe and shouldn't be changed. |
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In the new album, through the blend of rhythms and ballads, you sound more experimental: it’s a pleasure to discover echoes of salsa, hip hop and rap and long time fans appreciate it so much. Anyway, do you fear fans reactions and judgements each time you drive into a new dimension of sound? |
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No - I know that I can trust my fans and they know that I will never disappoint them.
Human beings have to evolve and my music has to develop and I will never stop trying
new styles and directions. The american touch of the new album kakes it one of my
favourite ones, it's the music I would buy myself. It was also my big wish to record in New York with my writers/producers Jens and Toby Gad (Beyonce, Fergie). This made the new album very authentic sounding. |
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“Back to life” seems to wink at the american market. Is it just a coincidence or the sound was conceived to smash in the US? |
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As I said earlier this was actually planned because it's the music me and my kids listen to a lot ourselves. We'll see how my fans accept this direction but I'm very very positive. We already have concert bookings in the US, so I would never say never to the 'american dream'.
But I'm actually pretty happy with the success I have, so let's watch it. |
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In “Back to life”, unlike your previous works, there is not a single producer.
How was it to interact with different minds and different ways of working? |
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Although the main part was done with the Gad Brothers I always enjoy new collaborations
and will never stop experimenting. It was a pleasure and there is always something to learn. |
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Another testing is the digital distribution of the album. Exclusively for I-tunes we can hear two bonus tracks: “Redis moi” and “Echo of my life”. Fans appreciated them so much and they would like them to be part of a “physical” special edition.
How is your point of view about those new ways of spreading music? |
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I'm very optimistic about the new possibilities the internet gives us. It's somehow clear that
we all earn less money because there is so much more music and so many ways to download
it online. But - honestly - I'm not doing it for the money. It's my way to express myself and the more possibilities and freedom i have the more optimistic I am - and I must say that we live in great times. Without the internet the NYC/Ibiza collaboration would have been impossible. |
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In a short time a second single “The Night Is Still Young” will be released. This latin-flavoured dance summer track is enriched with Modern Talking’s Thomas Anders’ voice.
Why Thomas? Can you tell us: have you ever had a rivalry with your fellow countrymen Modern Talking in topping the european charts?  |
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| We both had amazing success with our music and always respected each other for what we achieved- since back then. Of course everybody wants to be number one but I get along very well with all my colleagues. It's more like an inspiration - as you can see in this latest collaboration with Thomas, I really like how our voices fit together. |
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After 7 years, you released a promo video and that’s for “The Night Is Still Young”. We can hear several excellent single hits in the recent years without a visual supporting. This is a great thing for the fans. The promo is about a big party on a yacht, there is people dancing and having a good time. Do you feel like that actually?
Will have people the chance to see it on the web or on DVD? |
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| We just went ahead and shot the video with my producer's videocompany 'gadimages' - the vibe we show there is exactly how i feel, the party on that boat really happened and I'm happy to have such a natural and pure fun video for a change. We will also sell it on DVD eventually, please support the new song, the more we can count on the fans the bigger the chances for future video shoots. |
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Actual music sounds aggressive: you can hear hard percussions and electronic distortions. Lyrics often incite homophobia, racism and violence. How is your point of view about it?
What kind of arguments fill the lyrics of “Back to life”? |
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| Well - life writes all kinds of stories, it's definitely not always fun and I don't fear to show that in my music. The new album feels very positive though - my life has lately become very enjoyable and filled with joy, so the party tracks like "The Night Is Still Young" or "These Moments" are very authentic, there's a lot of romance happening, too, but let's not forget the edgy "Kiss My..." or "What If" - check out the lyrics for yourself, they are worth reading.. |
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In your musical past, dance tracks were your diamond points but your whole discography has mighty and emotional ballads as the marvellous “Just like diamonds”, “Steady me” and “Son of a time machine”.
Your songs have something special within. Did you ever image something suggestive in the mean you recorded them, in order to make them so special?
Stepping back in time, for example, have you ever wished to sacrifice a dance hit as “In the Heat Of The Night” for a soft and relaxing track as “Change Your Mind”? |
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A friend of mine once told me that he was in Fellbach, near Stuttgart in early 1992. Many teenagers used to listen to “Close To Seven” that was brand new at that time. The curious thing is that almost everyone went crazy for the track “No Taboo” and that was never released as a single.
Is there a non single track in your discography that you wished to see as a hit? |
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Oh yeah, I really liked this track too, also 'don't be aggressive' or 'I need love' are big favourites. But through the years of being part of music business I've learned that so many different aspects make a song a hit, in the end you still need about 40% luck to have a number 5 hit, so I've stopped thinking about it and purely follow my heart and emotions.
On the new new album I really like 'I want you' and 'Just like breathing', 2 very heartfelt ballads, I wish they would become hits... |
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Your music often has a strong erotic connotation: Enigma’s “Age of loneliness” is in the soundtrack of the sexy thriller “Sliver”, tracks as “Don’t be aggressive”, “Footprints” or simply your whispering in French in Enigma’s early tracks recall sensual suggestions. Even some fans confess that listening to some tracks from “The art of love”, have mighty moments of incredible passion.
Do you enjoy the fact that your voice and your rhythms can suggest powerfully erotic horizons in those who listens to? |
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| This is totally left to the imagination of the listener, my voice is just as it is. Enigma had an erotic touch in the early albums but even that was not done on purpose. It's more about what people want to hear, it's a trick to leave a lot of space for the listeners' imagination, we worked a lot like that on "The Art Of Love" too.
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Infact the fans are fascinating and sometimes raptured by your voice, even if just a whisper as in your “Mea Culpa” performance. In an old Italian interview you said your voice was unique and that no one could imitate it. Is it the reason for your great record selling? There are other reasons? |
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| In the end it's all about the uniqueness of a voice - especially if you look at such a lasting career, it's a gift from god and I'm very thankful, but also cannot totally rely on that gift - music business is mainly a lot of constant and extreme work, you need to continously write, record and release music, otherwise people will forget about you. |
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In Italy you collected great positions in single charts and you were often guest in tv shows. The fans now request you loud! Would you like to be welcomed back in our country? Do you have fine memories of Italy? |
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| I love Italy and have amazing fans there, I can read it on the websites and remember my performances with great joy. I really want to come back soon, I see possibilities to tour to Italy with the newly planned BTL tour, it again depends on your support. |
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In the Eighties, pop icons shone with intelligence, stylishness, independence from masculine sexism. We mention the great Kim Wilde, Belinda Carlisle, Samantha Fox and above all Madonna. Often it was said that you were the European answer to Madonna, although each singer had a personal and brilliant style and there was no rivalry at all.
Your image today is bright as ever. Can you tell us why? Nostalgia, gay icon, femme fatale or simply a lot of very good music? |
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| I'm a very honest artist and take my audience very serious, I think you all know that. But again - I have never stopped working, I cannot spend a day without creating music, no matter how successful my hits were, it's more a relief of my spirit, and that's what long careers are made of. |
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Your fans celebrate you with several styles and many discussions on the net. Some quarrel for a song, for a different combing, etc. 
How do you feel your audience?
Sometimes, after your shows, you meet and greet them, you also get lots of mails and letters. What do people wish at most from you? Which way do they communicate with you? |
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| It is the thing I am living for - the reaction towards my music. It's my biggest pleasure to read that people like a song or what kind of special moments they had when they heard a certain track. I have a strong and intimate contact to my fans, I hope this will even get better now with my own website which will be launched together with thw next single. |
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| The highest dream a fan can have is a great live event with bands, performers and video filming to impress on an unforgettable DVD. Could you fulfill this dream for us one day? |
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| You can read my mind - Since several weeks we are setting up a completely new multimedia liveshow that will tour throughout Europe. Of course this event will be filmed and released on DVD at some point. I cannot wait to see my fans in the concerts and show them new versions of my big hits but also the new songs. It will be amazing and I would love to start tomorrow, the place I feel completely at home at is the stage. |
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| Thank You for this Interview and greetings to Italy!!!!!! |
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| © 2009 SON OF THE CRETU MACHINE - Sandra/Cretu/Enigma/T.A.A.W.
Virtual Fan Club |
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