interview
Musician
Michael Schulte on the social climate in Germany: “Gives me a headache”
Singer Michael Schulte has released his new album “Remember Me”.
© Universal Music
He started as a candidate on “The Voice of Germany” and made his breakthrough with the ESC: In an interview, musician Michael Schulte talks about his new album “Remember Me”, his children and his worries about the social climate in Germany.
By Alexander Nebe
Mister Schulte, in the lyrics to the song “Remember Me” on your new album, you ask yourself the big question of what remains of you at the end. Why are you so thoughtful at the young age of 33?
I’ve always been like that and by nature I’m a very melancholic person. I wrote this song two years ago when I was thinking about my dad, who died when I was only 14 years old. Since then, themes such as transience, letting go and personal legacy have always been present in my mind.
How regularly do you still think about your father today?
Unfortunately, not as often as I would like! But as a young father with two small children and a job that is both great and demanding, I often don’t have the peace and quiet to think about him as regularly as I did in the first few years after his death. As a result, some memories slowly fade.
So the question is, what will it be like after your death?
Exactly! The big question is what will happen when I’m no longer in this world and how long my children will still think of me. But also the question of whether my music will still be heard or will it be forgotten.
“More To This Life” is an album track that you recorded with Max Giesinger, who you have been friends with for years. What defines your friendship with Max today?
We met twelve years ago in the first season of “The Voice Of Germany” and at that time we were both in similar phases of life: We both still lived at home with our mother and both had the same dream. At the latest, life in our men’s shared apartment in Hamburg finally brought us together. Even though we can’t see each other as often anymore, which is simply because I live in the country with my family, Max is still one of my few really close friends, whom I trust blindly and with whom I always communicate without saying a word 100% understand.
Was there a phase in which you considered giving up everything before your final breakthrough by participating in the ESC?
No, I always wanted to make music – even if I didn’t make any money from it. But of course there were very frustrating moments after the initial euphoria after “The Voice Of Germany”: For example, when I had to cancel my tour because not enough tickets were sold or people told me that they thought I was one of the best singers in Germany – But I had absolutely no commercial success.
How did you stay afloat financially during this time?
In addition to studying media and communication sciences, I helped set up an influencer agency, which I had a lot of fun with and also made a lot of money. Back then I was completely at peace with myself and no longer worked so doggedly towards a breakthrough. I was fine with the thought that it might not even work anymore. Maybe it was important and good to let go. Because then I took part in the ESC in 2018 and completely turned my life upside down. It’s like I sing in the song “Waterfall”: Surrender to the flow of life – then everything can be okay in the end.
Keyword family. How quickly did you grow into the role of family man?
At the beginning I was a little overwhelmed because I was catapulted into a completely new life situation. But my wife and I settled into the new roles pretty quickly. Being a father is at the same time the most beautiful and most stressful thing in the world! You have to say goodbye to old habits, make a lot of compromises and two small children are of course a stress test for every relationship. But now the four of us are a well-coordinated team.
How do you deal with it when the kids want to test their limits?
I try to take it with the necessary calm. Although Luis is usually really nice and sociable anyway. Lenny, on the other hand, has a lot going on. He’s sometimes a real little troublemaker who rarely misses the opportunity to annoy his brother. In general, dealing with explosive family situations is of course sometimes a particular challenge. I’m not a trained teacher and I first had to find out for myself how best to behave.
What do you think of gender-neutral upbringing, where children grow up free of gender stereotypes?
I have never dealt with this topic in detail, so I can only say something about it to a limited extent. Overall, the tone on such topics – including gender – is a little too harsh and proselytizing for me. Basically, my wife and I are completely relaxed and just let our boys try things out.
And what exactly does that look like?
Luis loves to do crafts and things on his craft table can be very colorful and very glittery. And Lenny wanted to have a small stroller with a baby. This is a toy that is more commonly associated with a girl – but Lenny just wanted it. He found the baby and stroller really exciting, but only for a month. We don’t think too much about it and I think we should all loosen up a little and not overdramatize it.
How do you feel about the current social climate?
Luckily, I live in the country, where the world is actually much more orderly than in the big city. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing division gives me a headache. This latent aggressive mood, emotional charge, this doggedness, this camp formation… I find it difficult that fewer and fewer people dare to express their unfiltered opinion – out of sheer fear that they might say something wrong or something that other people will think is wrong is recorded.
What are your hopes for the future?
It would be nice if people would learn again to tolerate other opinions and attitudes without everyone immediately verbally beating each other up if their opinion does not correspond to their own narrative. In this context, I also found it difficult how people were treated during the Corona period who questioned some of the government’s decisions and guidelines. Just because you may have a different opinion doesn’t mean you are a Corona denier or conspiracy theorist.