Alex Diehl has experienced many health setbacks in recent years. Now he tells how he survived the time.
Alex Diehl (32) has been through a lot since his album "Bretter meine Welt" (2016). Due to illness, he had to retire from the stage for some time. Now the singer is better, he can perform again and is also releasing the new album "Laut", which will be released on Friday (September 4th). In an interview with the news agency spot on news, he talks about the past few years, his renewed love for sport and the topic of family planning.
Four years have passed since your last album. During this time you had to take a break due to illness. What happened and how did you get through this tough time?
Alex Diehl: In terms of health, I got a good shot across the bow. Over 100 visits to the doctor, dozen therapy attempts and absolute despair have been my constant companions in recent years. It was triggered by sudden pain when speaking and singing. For someone who brings their rolls home with music and singing, a very bad situation. I traveled from Hamburg via Munich to Freiburg and Salzburg and had myself examined by the best ENT doctors and phoniatrics professors. Everything without diagnosis. Many suspected cases and further investigations and therapeutic approaches, all of which came to nothing.
I also went to a psychiatrist to find out whether my pain might be of a different nature. But after a few sessions he only prescribed St. John's wort to help me sleep better. Nothing definite could be found here either. It's been two years with lots of tears and helplessness. In the end, what helped me a bit was a lot of sport, shedding a few pounds and changing my diet a little. Lots of conversations about my private fears and worries with other people and not hiding. That was what brought me back on stage and into the recording studio with now bearable pain. The best therapy was to perform again. The people out there who share my love with me at my concerts have worked wonders.
What effects do these changes have on your life today?
Diehl: You just feel more comfortable with yourself. I am still overweight, but I discovered a love for sport. I play tennis a lot and I like to go to the fitness center and on days off I just walk at a good pace through the forest. When I eat, I really only pay attention to the amount of carbohydrates per serving. For me, the big belly was largely due to too much carbohydrate content per meal.
I'm a pasta, pizza and burger lover. The habit has become the exception and I've made some compromises. I don't have a weight goal or long-term nutrition plan for me. I just want to be healthy and enjoy things again that I was "too heavy" to do for a long time. For me, enjoyment is and remains a large part of my quality of life, even if it is now more and more "easier".
One song on your new album is called "Meine Angst". What has been your biggest fear in recent years?
Diehl: To lose my partner. She has type 1 diabetes and we have been in life-threatening situations several times over the past few years. Calling the ambulance in the middle of the night because my partner is suffering from severe hypoglycaemia in bed next to me and has a seizure and is not breathing for minutes is not a pretty sight. When the emergency doctor came, she often had no idea who I was or what was going on here. I was always at home during these severe attacks, which is not always the norm as a musician. She passed out every time and couldn't help herself anymore. I was scared to death the next time I was home it would happen.
At about the same time the pain in my voice came, which made it impossible for me to perform and drive away. To what extent these have to do with each other is not yet clear to me. But I've discussed this with professional people. We now have technical aids with a warning system that help us as a couple and foresee severe hypoglycaemia through a small sensor under the skin and warn us about it via the smartphone. Over the past time I have learned to deal with fear better. My partner has now also adjusted her blood sugar massively better and so I can go on tour with a little more peace of mind.
You once said that you are glad that the "classic" division of roles between men and women is becoming increasingly blurred. How is it with you and your girlfriend?
Diehl: If you look at it in a classic way, then I would probably be more the woman in the relationship. I shop, cook and am responsible for the decoration. I have to smile a little. I gave her a cordless screwdriver for her birthday and she gave me a raclette. I am then probably the generation "emancipated to the end". I think everything is "normal". Some want family, others don't want children, they want to travel around the world and make dreams come true. Others want both and a lot more.
If I'm being completely honest, the only difference between us is our sexuality. Everyone can and should be whatever he or she wants. For the future, I wish that any injustice against women that still exists will finally be erased. What really makes me angry are the issues of women's quota and salary differences. What kind of pathetic system allows a woman to get less wages for the same job?
Could you imagine getting married and having a family?
Diehl: I have no fatherly feelings in me and my partner also has no desire to have children. We talked about it several times and in detail and just got to the common denominator that we don't want to start a family. The two of us are as it is and very satisfied with the dreams and visions we have for our lives. With my music I indirectly take care of many people by telling them about myself very openly and nakedly. My partner helps wherever she can to bring this to the outside world. Maybe I am not made to take care of one individual, but I am very passionate about taking care of many people in other ways with my music. Packed with courage, strength and passion in music that should make a difference.