BOXER SHORTS AND GROUNDED MUSIC: THE "SCHLAGERPINZ" AND HIS BAND ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY WELL-KNOWN IN GERMANY

Just under two years ago, the "Schlager Prince" made his very first appearance in Würzburg. A lot has happened since then. A conversation about unusual autograph sessions, amazing encounters, flying boxer shorts, and great gratitude. The wind whistles across Laurentiusberg in Tauberbischofsheim on that frosty January evening when the FN meets with the "Prince of Pop" for the second time since the band was formed.

In the cold neon light of the rehearsal room, there is no trace of the brightly colored sequin glamour that usually surrounds the troupe. Everyone is wearing warm anoraks. Band leader Sven Schwab turns up the heating. We quickly get down to business. Sebastian Kelhetter has one thing particularly close to his heart: "Please write in the text that we are incredibly grateful to the people who come to our concerts. Without them, none of this would be possible." The band can hardly believe what has happened in the meantime, where they have performed, who they have met.

THE PRINCE OF SCHLAGER MUSIC & BAND

Almost 3,000 people at the "XXLSchlagerparty" in Streutal near Mellrichstadt, 2,000 at the brewery festival in Bayreuth, and always 600 at the gigs in their "home base," the Posthalle in Würzburg. The musicians rave about "encounters on equal terms" with stars such as Michael Holm, Ross Anthony, Beatrice Egli, and Guildo Horn. Reality TV star Hubert Fella has declared himself an absolute fan of the band on his social media accounts. On Instagram, he listed five reasons why people should definitely check out the "Schlagerprinz." Among other things, he writes: "The band offers a unique stage show with great attention to detail. Their performance is simply thrilling."

The most important man in the band just listens during our conversation in the studio. "That's typical of Manu," say the others. Front man and singer Manuel "Manu" Both holds back as usual, letting the others talk and nodding when they talk about humility and gratitude. Sven Schwab recalls how his dream of founding a high-quality pop band intensified during the coronavirus pandemic: "As a singer, I always had Manu in mind. I had a hunch that this could be right up his alley." When Sebastian Kelhetter says today that the band works so well mainly because of Manu, who gets people going from the very first song, he finds it rather embarrassing: "I have a hard time dealing with praise. I do my thing, but it's nothing special. Every band member is just as important as I am." None of the nine members have quite realized their success yet. But it didn't just fall into their laps. After all, they don't want to be labeled as a slapstick group and are doing everything they can to make sure that never happens. Steve says: "In terms of the quality of our performances, we are at a level that none of us has ever been at before. Everyone has played in other bands before, but this is something completely different and very challenging." Sebastian Kelhetter adds: "When something looks easy, there's often a lot behind it. We have songs with seven or eight key changes in our repertoire. That's not easy. Nevertheless, we never want to lose our lightheartedness."

The band's repertoire includes hits such as "Eine neue Liebe ist wie ein neues Leben" (A new love is like a new life) and "Ein Bett im Kornfeld" (A bed in the cornfield), as well as "Am Tag, als Conny Kramer starb" (The day Conny Kramer died) and "Über sieben Brücken" (Over seven bridges), which was celebrated in particular at the end of December in the Baltic resort of Boltenhagen. They traveled there in a nightliner, because the "Schlagerprinz" had played in Würzburg the evening before. Cruising through the countryside in a tour bus was also a completely new experience for the nine friends. And a few other unprecedented experiences were added in 2023. For example, Manuel Both is now recognized on the street: "Before our show in Düsseldorf, I was walking through the city. Suddenly, a group of girls came up to me and one of them said, 'You're the Schlagerprinz, aren't you?'. At first, I thought they were pulling my leg. When they added that they were from Hamburg, I was really stunned, because we've never played there." "Extreme" experiences The experiences in Mellrichstadt were just as extreme, where the band was allowed to sign the city's Golden Book in the presence of Mayor Michael Kraus: "After the show, security guards came and asked us to come to the autograph session. They cleared a path for us through the crowd. There were lots of people waiting for us at our fan shop. It was so unbelievable for all of us."

Sven Schwab adds: "We didn't know that people wanted pictures with us. And it was so funny how people pushed past Burkard Schäffner and me to get a photo with Manuel, one of the most modest, reserved, and therefore atypical singers ever. Sebastian Kelhetter believes that the stage persona and the private Manuel are two different people. Manu Both, who loves Michael Holm's "Mendocino" just as much as his father, laughs and says: "When I sing '...und es war Sommer' (And it was summer), I might look deep into a woman's eyes. That's just part of it. On stage, I'm the 'Schlagerprinz' (pop prince), and I'm there for everyone." In an interview with the FN, he also reveals his secret for when he forgets the lyrics. "It just happened to me again in Boltenhagen with 'Ein Bett im Kornfeld' (A Bed in the Cornfield). I've sung it a thousand times, but suddenly I forgot a verse." And what does he do then? "The keyboardist always has the lyrics. I then dance over to him at the back. The band already knows what's going on and makes room for me."

Flying bras are nothing new for the band, but the black boxer shorts that landed on stage at the Posthalle in Würzburg in December were a different experience altogether. "I picked them up, twirled them around a bit, and on the way to Boltenhagen we hung them up in the bus," reports Manu Both, and everyone laughs. "When we're on stage, we forget everything else around us. And that's how it is for the audience, too," says André Ditzenbach. Stephan "Steve" Hohnerlein adds: "All of us, the band and the audience as the 'tenth man,' break out of reality. We slip into different roles and become someone else. But when we put our normal clothes back on after the show, no one is interested in us anymore. Only Manuel is still recognized." "Decent and nice" It's important to the band to be "decent and nice." "We don't act like idiots, we clean up after ourselves, for example, or bring the security guards a coffee. The security guards told us that no artist had ever brought them coffee before," says Steve, adding after a short pause: "We're not artists either. We're just from Tauber." Of course, the friends could tour with the nightliner more often, but everyone has a job and a family. "Besides," says Gabriel Bauer, "when we put the band together, we didn't plan to play 120 times a year. We're just friends who make music and enjoy what we do." Steve thinks, "The past year has gone better than we ever dreamed. But just because we drove around in a tour bus once doesn't mean we're going to lose our footing. After our huge success in Mellrichstadt, we all had to go back to work on Monday. That grounds you immensely."

By Sabine Holroyd Franconian News Tauberbischofsheim.