Bosse talks about his new album “Übers Traumen”, good love songs, his social commitment and his discipline on tour.
Bosse (43) will release his ninth album entitled “Übers Traumen” on October 27th. He will present this on a club tour this November as well as an indoor tour in April and May and open airs next year. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the singer reveals why he worked with singer Lea (31) and author Düzen Tekkal (45) on the record, what relationship he has with dreams and with what feelings he currently looks at the world. The singer also talks about his gratitude for his parents and his strict discipline on tour.
The album is called “About Dreaming”. Which dream type are you?
Bosse: I’ve been a heavy daydreamer since I was a child and that’s still one of the reasons why I like writing things. My childhood memories are of sticking my cheek to the bus window, looking out and having time for my thoughts. After spending so much time on the topic for the album, I believe that dreaming is a source of strength for most people; it is the power that you get to master everyday life.
Do you remember your nightly dreams well?
Bosse: I’m not one to pick apart my dreams and most of the time I can’t even remember them well. The older I get, the better I sleep and I don’t get half asleep, which I think is a good thing. Maybe I’ve become more balanced.
Düzen Tekkal lays her thoughts on “German Dream” over the sound of the song “Tagtraum”. How did the idea come about?
Bosse: I have known the Tekkal family for quite a long time and have often taken part in their activist activities, for example playing in front of the Russian embassy on International Women’s Day. I first wrote lyrics for the song myself and then asked myself: Why should I do that? I am not an activist and am in a much more privileged position. It became clear to me that Düzen, of course, stands for this “German Dream” with her book and I thought it was great to invite her when it comes to dreaming and society. Also to have a female perspective on the matter, that should be the be-all and end-all at the moment, both in films and in music and art.
And how did you come to work with Lea on “Just another song”?
Bosse: The theme of the song, an interstellar end of the world, was part of the dream concept for me, but at the same time I was missing a good love song. Lea and I have known each other for a long time and have already sung two songs together at the 1Live Krone. We both realized that we understood each other very well and that our voices fit together well. Then I actually just waited until I could call her at some point. Lea thought the concept of dreaming was great and we wrote together. I learned a lot and gained a lot because she is simply as talented as I have rarely seen, in the studio, but also in such a collaboration.
How do you approach love songs, how do they not get too sappy?
Bosse: “Just one more song” shows it quite well. It’s actually a love song with strings, that’s all there is to it (laughs). You have to be really careful. But I always asked Lea what she thought about it and whether it wasn’t too cheesy. I think the trick is that when you sing about feelings, there’s always something hard about them. In this case it is the collective feeling of helplessness at the moment, with the climate, Corona, the wars and much more. The song also expresses that in addition to the love song aspect.
Do you often have end-of-the-world thoughts like in the song?
Bosse: I have a very colorful mix of feelings. Sometimes I feel super hopeful, other times I just find it terrifying, disgusting and devastating. I think it’s important that you create small worlds and oases disconnected from everything in order to recharge your batteries and then be able to read the news again or perhaps become active and participate in society.
How do you gain strength?
Bosse: I have always enjoyed getting up and have a high energy level compared to friends and family members. Otherwise, of course, I am in the privileged position of simply having a job that is my professional love. I get a lot of strength from concerts and the people who come to my concerts. That’s what makes everything so exciting. When I play concerts, I’m away from the window for two and a half hours and right in the middle of my little world.
How do you currently experience the protest culture?
Bosse: I recently played at Fridays for Future in front of the Brandenburg Gate and thought it was just crazy how many people were there again. These are important performances for me. I think that the topics are still being delayed, not properly addressed and in some cases being ignored. There you see the generation that is definitely worse off than we are now. That makes you sad, but also hopeful because she is committed. That’s why I support it. I also have the feeling that when I post and spread things, it has some impact and I reach people across different generations. That’s how I see my role. On the one hand, I’m a musician, but on the other hand, for a few years now I’ve simply seen it as my duty to be loud because I have a fan base with an audience of five to 75 year olds.
But you don’t see yourself as an activist.
Bosse: Activists lead a completely different life than I lead. I am first and foremost a musician and can also support or encourage things that are socially relevant. But that’s not activism.
What do you say about extreme actions and the opinion that protest has to disrupt and attract attention?
Bosse: I have an opinion and somehow not. On the one hand, time shows that sometimes you have to overshoot the mark in order to stay in the conversation. On the other hand, you always have to find a balance so that you don’t lose a lot of people who find such actions stupid and confuse them with the fact that the climate is no longer an issue. Protest must not stand in its own way.
Another song is called “Learning to Let Go.” Do you find it difficult to let go?
Bosse: I still have many situations where I just have to let go, whether on a very small or very large scale. The song is about the fact that I think I already know from my own experience that you have to face the things of your childhood and all that so that you can move on with some freedom. It’s about peace in your head and peace for yourself. This big picture that you shovel through the dust and yesterday’s snow to get to the root of the problem. Actually, there should be a prescribed number of psychological services for all citizens, where this can be done for free. Speaking really helps.
I’m now noticing, the older I get, that most people between 30 and 45 have problems and I can see in my circle of friends how badly this is happening right now. Maybe it’s the time again when you deal with deeper things and, above all, with yourself. I am in the wonderful position that, for example, my childhood was just so great and I am really very grateful to my parents for this real love and for this lack of problems. Luckily I don’t have anything to work on.
With the club tour in November, the indoor tour in 2024 and the summer tour with open airs, you have a lot planned…
Bosse: I’ve been doing this for so many years now and I don’t even know how many concerts I’ve played in all these years. But I’m always happy when I know that the album is finished and I’ll be on stage again soon. I like to write, but I also like to dance with my boys and girls on stage and with the people in the audience. The club tour is great, I like these shops. It’s November, December, it’s so hot inside that everyone is exhausted and I have to say: Please everyone put on a scarf, otherwise you’ll all catch a cold. I love that (laughs). But I also now like touring in large halls with this great sense of community. And then summer comes, which is always beautiful anyway.
Has your everyday touring life changed?
Bosse: That has already changed since the card costs more than €4.90 (laughs). It’s no longer like it used to be, where you sit in a sprinter, drink three beers, go on stage and then drive on again. There are a lot of people who buy a ticket six months in advance and look forward to this concert for six months. When I play concert number 17 in the dead of winter in some club where it’s really difficult to stay healthy, I’m really good now. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, I do sports in the morning and on stage in the evening. I sleep well, I go to bed early. That’s your own expectation, but it’s also fair that when people pay money for me to be as fit every night as I was on night number one.
Are you already thinking about your tenth album?
Bosse: I’m sitting in the room where I always write and there’s a piano next to it. I just don’t stop at all. I get up in the morning and play a little and see what happens. And something is definitely coming. I’ll still make the tenth album (laughs).