Schlager is back! Whether "Atemlos" by Helene Fischer, "Verdammt ich lieb dich" by Mathias Reim or Nicole's ESC success "Ein kleines Stück", everyone knows these hits! Even young people today party to the music with German lyrics and catchy melodies and no longer have any prejudices against Schlager.
What used to be considered music for grandmas and grandpas, as a dusty wish for "Friede Freude Pancakes" and the call for an ideal world, today hits the nerve of the times again.
Huge hit parties are held all over the country. The popularity is huge, and the audience is getting younger and younger.
Helene Fischer fills entire stadiums on her tours. At breathtaking speed, she went from a hit starlet to Germany's hottest show act and tumbled records. In the meantime, the German Helene has even reached the top 10 best earners among international musicians - ahead of mega-stars like Celine Dion and Britney Spears.
After the Schlager drought with the Neue Deutsche Welle in the 1980s, the new Schlager cult came at the end of the 1990s. Guildo Horn describes how he was sent to the Grand Prix by the nation in 1998, complete with nut corners, and caused a sensation there. And with Helene Fischer and Florian Silbereisen, Schlager even found his dream couple. Unfortunately, after 10 years in the fast lane, the two went their separate ways at the end of 2018. However, their influence on the Schlager remains.
The 90-minute documentary "Pop Giants - Schlager" explores the question of why hits are so popular again today. Many stars have their say and tell how they experience the current boom and which people are behind the hits.
In addition to the many stories of the experts and artists Maite Kelly, Kristina Bach, Jürgen Drews, Jürgen Milski, Eloy de Jong, Jonathan Zelter, Ross Antony, Guildo Horn and Marie Wegener, there are all the big hits of the last few decades.
