Singer Knappe recently got engaged and is about to start a family. “I will be a strict father,” says the 36-year-old.
Alexander Knappe (36), who recently as an artist can only be called by his last name, recently made a big decision: He got engaged to his partner Henny. “I’ve never been as nervous as on that day,” he said in an interview with the news agency spot on news about the marriage proposal. Starting a family is also on the agenda. “Time will tell if I’ll be a good dad,” explains Knappe.
The 36-year-old singer will release his self-titled album on August 13th, which includes a song for his mother, with whom he has had no contact since he was 13 years old. In an interview, he also reveals how she received the song, what he thinks about his “X Factor” participation today and what he thinks of the Corona restrictions in the music industry.
You have saved your first name in your stage name and only call yourself a squire. How did that happen?
Knappe: Oh, I had planned to do that for a long time. Everyone used to call me squire and somehow it was always my nickname. I find it crisper. In addition, many people often confused me with Alexander Klaws. I thought that was funny because we are very far apart musically.
The time is shaped by climate change and the corona crisis. Does this situation affect your lyrics?
Knappe: Well, not consciously. More subconsciously. Most of the time you always write and sing about what you don’t have. During the pandemic, I lacked the feeling of freedom, love of life, and travel. There are songs like “Alles geht über” and “Tschau” on the album. That says it all. There are no songs without chaos, so Corona played into my cards.
“Mama” is a song about your mother whom you haven’t spoken to since you were 13 years old. Why did you choose this time to write a song about her? Did she react to that? Would you like to be in contact again?
Knappe: The song was in my drawer for six years. The moment had now come to bring the song. My relationship with my mother is special, I can’t even say exactly why. At some point in our life we got lost. The song is actually supposed to symbolize an offer of peace or something to hand. But unfortunately it didn’t work. My mom doesn’t think the song is that successful, I learned that from corners. You don’t always get love back. That’s just life.
You are about to start a family yourself. What would you like to convey to your children that you might not have been able to do in your childhood?
Knappe: To be honest, I’ll let that happen to me. I will be more of a strict father. I think children have to grow up with love, with honesty and sometimes with resistance. Just like me and many of my friends. Time will tell if I’ll be a good dad. Luckily there is still a mom.
You recently got engaged to your friend Henny. Do you already know when you are going to get married?
Knappe: The idea for the application was very spontaneous. But the process, whether yes or no, had been blazing for a year. I was at a crossroads: Will I go alone until the end of my life or will I go with Henny? Such a decision shouldn’t be made overnight. Also out of respect for the partner. I don’t do things by halves, either completely or not at all. I’ve never been as nervous as I was that day. She said yes. That counts.
It was more than ten years ago that you participated in “X Factor”. How do you feel about casting shows today?
Knappe: Time is part of my life. I made a lot of wrong decisions back then, for which I really bled, paid the hardship. My lie back then was seldom stupid and very embarrassing for my family. But I fought my way back, never gave up.
On the show, you faked a cruciate ligament rupture, which you regretted afterwards. Do you think deception is justified in advancing through it?
Knappe: Lying is never enough. The truth always comes out. In hindsight, you’re always smarter. Lies have short legs.
Your road to success has been tough. What put the biggest obstacles in your way?
Knappe: Life likes to throw stones. But it was and it is good as it is. I know where I’m from, I’ve worked every inch of it hard. I never got my ass powdered. The will and the fighting spirit come from my time as a professional footballer.
What is your advice to newcomers who are dreaming of a great music career?
Knappe: Never take part in a casting show. Many can sing. But only a few write stories and songs. Do your own thing, let people talk You can tell for yourself whether it is enough or not. Every artist has to tell his own story!
In 2018 you were the opening act for a-ha. Did you get to know Morten Harket and Co.? How was it to be on tour with you?
Knappe: Of course it was awesome. Huge halls, everything around. Outstanding. But honestly, and you know that, a-ha as a band aren’t so green with each other anymore. It was relatively difficult to get a photo together with the band. But regardless of that, I learned a lot. After rocking the first shows, I first realized: Okay, you have what it takes to be a star, now all you need is good songs and a pinch of luck.
“Crises are there to change something and to use the time to emerge stronger from it,” you say in the press release on the new album. To what extent does this statement apply to you personally after the Corona crisis?
Knappe: You can only see how good you are when you face a headwind. This is how I see it. The world doesn’t need snappers, it needs doers. In retrospect, I shifted up a gear rather than down in the pandemic. But everyone deals with crises differently. I don’t have a patent for it. I haven’t moved my album. I booked a tour for 2022, set up the Lusatian Drive-In Festival and wrote songs for many artists on the side.
Sarah Connor, among others, recently spoke out critically about the Corona measures at concerts. How do you see the restrictions on the music industry?
Knappe: Well, I can speak from the perspective of the organizer and the perspective of the artist. None of this is cool, but it is necessary to protect people. I can no longer hear that howling. The rules are like that. The good times will come back soon. Until then, we’ll hold out. But it is also a fact that the music industry does not have a serious lobby. Everyone fights for himself.
As a teenager, you had a promising football career ahead of you. Are you sometimes sad that it didn’t work out?
Knappe: Sometimes you can see the salaries. Seriously, I have no regrets, everything is fine as it is. I experience things that you don’t experience as a professional footballer. Life does what it wants anyway.
How do the music and sports businesses differ? Are you happy that you ended up in the music industry today?
Knappe: Well, what does happy mean? The music industry is a shark tank, you always have to be careful not to get eaten up.