Nino de Angelo
The pop singer wanted to quit after "Jenseits von Eden"
Nino de Angelo made the breakthrough in the 80s.
© (c) Franz Schepers
"Gesegnet und Verflucht" is the name of Nino de Angelo's new album. In the interview he looks back on the ups and downs of his career.
With "Jenseits von Eden", Nino de Angelo (57) stormed the German charts in 1983 and became a celebrated star. But shortly afterwards there was a kink in the career of the pop singer with Italian roots. Although he continued to release albums, the great success did not materialize. Instead of his music, de Angelo made headlines with private problems. But now the singer is back brilliantly with his new album "Gesegnet und Verflucht", which will be released on February 26th.
In the rock songs, the 57-year-old sums up his life with sometimes dark lyrics. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Nino de Angelo talks about his failures after "Beyond Eden", his fiancée Simone and how he managed to stay alive.
Their new album is called "Gesegnet und Verflucht". How do these two words apply to your life?
Nino de Angelo: Absolutely. My life is blessed on the one hand and cursed on the other. Blessed with beautiful things, like talent. I was very lucky and had a lot of beautiful experiences. On the other hand, the other side of the coin: I was unsuccessful for a long time and had to cope with many diseases. Lots of people have cancer once – I've had it twice, almost three times. Then the heart surgery and the lung disease COPD.
In your album you give deep insights into your soul. Did it take you to be so open?
De Angelo: No. This album is very important to me. It's a summary of my life and very autobiographical. What did you achieve What did you do wrong and what did you do well? These are all things that I wanted to write down. However, I had to pack the lyrics in a different musical guise, Schlager is not suitable for this. That's why the music is much more rock and dark. Simply because the topics are dark. I was lucky enough to meet a producer who pulled this off with me.
You have had many ups and downs in your life. Are you grateful for all of these experiences?
De Angelo: Of course. Even if you are not proud of some things. For me, life is a learning process and there are ups and downs. Maybe not as much as I've seen it. But it also made me wise because you can pull something out of anything. Even if you come out of hell with your wings burning, life goes on. I am grateful that I am still alive and can sing about it.
Where do you get this positive attitude from? Others might have broken from it.
De Angelo: I was often close to it. But it is the unshakable belief in the good, in love and in myself that keeps me going. Of course, many people who are very close to me also play a role: my children, my parents, my fiancée Simone. It was also very important to me. Simone gave me the necessary support. You can't do it alone.
On your album there is the song "Romeo & Juliet". The song is about great love. Did you dedicate the song to your fiancé?
De Angelo: Yes. I wrote the music for this song in the 90s. Originally an English text was intended. When I was writing the album, this song came back to me. However, I couldn't think of a German text that really touched me. One day Simone was sitting in the studio and it sprayed out of me. The song was ready in an hour. Simone had tears in her eyes. She was so happy.
Your 40th stage anniversary is not far away either. Have you ever thought about quitting?
De Angelo: Very often. Actually right after "Beyond Eden". I still remember sitting next to Trio's drummer, Peter Behrens, at the hit parade and saying to him: "Actually, I would like to quit now." Because it couldn't get any bigger. And I realized early on that because of my indomitable nature I would get into trouble at some point. I also rarely listened to managers. I just wanted to live and not let myself be locked in a gold cage. Even when the failure came, I considered withdrawing.
"Jenseits von Eden" can also be found on the new album. What does your biggest hit mean to you?
De Angelo: This is the most important song in my life. With that everything started. What came after that wasn't ideal. One should have built on this success. My managers probably only had dollar signs in mind and wanted to send me out with them as often as possible to make a lot of money. They didn't really care about my development as a musician. I had just nonsense in my head and was busy spending my money. I took care of my future career way too late.
In March you will publish a book with ten tips to avoid going to the dogs. Which is the most important?
De Angelo: I can give you tips on how to survive certain situations. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and not give up. I've often had situations in life where I wanted to give up – including with life. But you have to stick with it. One should believe in good and in love, including self-love. Just accept yourself, with all flaws. You don't have to regret anything in life. Just don't make certain mistakes too often.