Claudia Jung
Pop star turned down sex for career boost
Sat in the Bavarian state parliament for five years: pop star Claudia Jung.
© ddp/Kerstin Joensson
Claudia Jung reveals a dark secret: she was offered career advancement in exchange for sexual favors. But she refused.
A great career in exchange for a little sex? There are always whispers behind closed doors about the so-called casting couch in the entertainment scene. Cases like that of the fallen In recent years, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein (72) has finally made the misconduct of powerful people in the industry public. But does such behavior also exist in the tranquil German pop music scene?
Yes, at least says singer Claudia Jung (60) in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”. She too had already been suggested to have sex to boost her career: “It (the casting couch, editor’s note) has already been offered to me, but I’ve never tried it out.” After her rejection, she heard the sentence: “Then I probably won’t be able to do anything for you with your career.”
Claudia Jung: “These are power games”
Years later she met the person who made her the immoral offer again and only showed him a smug smile: “Ah, we’ve had the pleasure before.” That was embarrassing, but not for her. In general, she has never done anything for her career that she later regretted. She doesn’t allow herself to be bent: “I decide for myself what I wear and how I perform on stage.” She refused, especially when “higher authorities” demanded that she wear “this or that” outfit. “These are power games that I’ve never wanted to play before,” says Jung. Of course, you have to be aware of the consequences: “If you refuse to do the appearance one way or another on a show, then you won’t be there next time.”
Jung, who celebrated her 60th birthday a few days ago, pursued a parallel political career for many years and even sat for the Free Voters in the Bavarian state parliament from 2008 to 2013. In contrast to politics, however, the hit industry is a goldfish pond. Honest friendships would still be formed there; in politics there would only be companions. Her real friends from the hit scene include Peggy March (76), Patrick Lindner (63), Ireen Sheer (75) and Mary Roos (75). She gets along “greatly” with them: “We old hands don’t have to prove anything to ourselves anymore, and we don’t have any form of competition.”