Ben Zucker, Beatrice Egli or Roland Kaiser - they live for hits and inspire the masses with it. The special thing: the number of fans – especially young ones – is growing all the time. There is no longer any question of prejudice against German songs, because the current hit has nothing to do with the outdated classics from the 70s.
Her perseverance pays off: almost everyone in Germany knows Jürgen Drews, Andrea Berg and Howard Carpendale. They are still big names in hits - each in their own area. But alongside them, something new has emerged in recent years: new artists sing about new themes with new beats. With incredible success – especially with the ever younger fans. Current stars such as Andreas Gabalier, Kerstin Ott, Ben Zucker and Beatrice Egli have given the hit a new image. But how do these artists manage to captivate the masses of all ages so strongly?
One singer who has been around for 25 years, has witnessed the changes in the industry and has managed to remain at the top is Andrea Berg. VOX accompanies the singer in the preparations for one of her big "home concerts" in her home town of Aspach and also lets her fans have their say.
Unlike Andrea Berg, ER is brand new to the hit business: Giovanni Zarrella. The Italo-Swabian is the current high-flyer in the industry. VOX visits the singer and his parents exclusively in the recording studio, where the family talks about a turbulent past and the unexpected happy ending.
The documentation takes a very close look at the Schlager world. In interviews, some of which are very personal, a large proportion of the stars and starlets in the industry tell us how the business works, what sometimes unforeseeable challenges artists have to face and what it looks like behind the scenes.
"Old hands" like Roland Kaiser and Howard Carpendale also report exclusively on the ups and downs of their long careers. And current newcomers like Sarah Zucker and Ramon Roselli let the viewer get up close and personal with their first steps in a musical world that was new to them.
Außerdem plaudern unter anderem Stars wie Wolfgang Petry und sein Sohn Achim, Mary Roos und Michelle aus ihren persönlichen Nähkästchen und über den neuen Aufschwung des Schlagers. In dem auch seit langem bekannte Musikgrößen eine Chance bekommen, sich neu zu positionieren und an alte Erfolge anzuknüpfen.
Der Schlager feiert allerdings nicht nur hierzulande Erfolge: Anders als in Deutschland ist auf Mallorca schon vor vielen Jahren ein Hype ums deutsche Liedgut ausgebrochen. Die Insel hat nicht nur eine einmalige Schlager-Kultur, sondern mit Entertainern wie Jürgen Drews oder Mickie Krause ihre ganz eigenen Stars. Sie funktioniert größtenteils unabhängig von den Entwicklungen im Schlager-Mutterland. Die Dokumentation zeigt, wie die Welt der Sänger/-innen, die dort auftreten, aussieht und geht der Frage nach, ob es eine Verbindung zwischen dem momentanen Schlager-Boom in Deutschland und auf Mallorca gibt.
Von „Atemlos“ über „Die immer lacht“ bis „Hello Again“: Neben den vielen Geschichten der Stars erleben die Zuschauer alle großen Schlager-Hits der vergangenen Jahre und Jahrzehnte.