I have been working very hard, and haven't had the time to catch up on blogging. At one stage a few years ago, I was an avid blogger and had written on a range of topics. Since my last post and now, I have changed jobs twice already - and have experienced much more. Now that I have had more experiences in my life, and even more interests - I shall write about them again, and inflict my views on the world. As I said, this blog is all about what interests me.
I have recently fallen in love...
...with Schlager.
Schlager (German for "hits") is a genre of music in Germany (and in other parts of Europe) that is catchy and easy to understand, with lyrics that help Auslaender like me understand German. It's often happy-go-lucky and sentimental lyrics, with emo topics like love and longing, relationships, and feelings, the kinds of stuff that I like to listen to when I am in the mood. (And as some of the Generation X people may controversially say, the type of music that may appeal to Millennials like myself.)
Well, I am at the stage where I don't really care about what people think about me or my tastes. I recently had the privilege to learn about two top Schlager singers, among others - one apparently a foreign talent in Germany, and the other is Swiss. They are Helene Fischer and Beatrice Egli. While there are many Schlager singers in German pop music, these two are by far my favourites.
Lifting some lines from Wikipedia - the world's resource to fast but not always reliable information - Helene Fischer (born 5 August 1984) is a singer, entertainer, television presenter, and actress. Since her debut in 2005 she has won numerous awards, including seventeen Echo awards, four "Die Krone der Volksmusik" awards and three Bambi awards. These have to count for something!
I especially love her songs, Atemlos Durch Die Nacht ("Breathless Through the Night", but don't take my word for it as I'm not German, I'm Asian) and "Ich Will Immer Dieses Fieber Spueren" (literally it means "I want to always feel this fever", but I am pretty sure that she is talking about love and not fever, though what do I know - I am Asian). I am quite sure that she is a big star in Germany, not just because she appears frequently in the German media, but also because she was featured in one of the miniatures when I visited Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland (which is all about amazing miniatures, which I will talk about in future when I can find the time).
Not to be outdone, Beatrice Egli (born 21 June 1988 in Switzerland) is a Swiss female singer and the winner of season 10 of the German music competition "Deutschland Sucht den Superstar". Both of these ladies are foreign talents. According to trusty Wikipedia, Beatrice - bless her soul - has sold over a million records in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, making her more than just a Swiss star.
I especially love her songs "Mein Herz" and "Verrueckt Nach Dir" ("My Heart" and "Crazy About You" respectively, if my German language abilities have lasted the test of time).
In fact, I am listening to these two singers right now as I write. They entertain me, even though they are quite culturally different from what I am experiencing here in Singapore. They're easy to understand, help me keep in touch with the German I have learnt over the years, and they are nice to listen to, and soft on the eyes and ears.
So one of the things that interests me now is Schlager music. Try it for yourself if you are learning German - you might learn something interesting.
Thanks for reading, and cheers.
Anything that interests me!
P.S. I am back, hopefully for the long haul, with more on what interests me. I hope these topics interest you too. Thanks for reading.
