Peter Maffay will premiere on August 18 as the new “TVOG” coach. In an interview, the singer reveals details about his new TV job.
Peter Maffay (72) will fight for the best talents as the new coach on “The Voice of Germany” from August 18 (Thursdays on ProSieben; from August 19 on Fridays on Sat.1). In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the singer reveals why he initially had prejudices against the music show, what friends and family said about his new TV job and what strength he had against fellow coaches Stefanie Kloß (37) and Mark Forster (39) and Rea Garvey (49) wants to play off. In addition, the musician talks about his 73rd birthday on August 30th and tells what he wishes for the new year.
How did you experience the first time as the new “TVOG” coach?
Peter Maffay: What’s going on there is a tight program and the atmosphere is often very emotionally charged. It can be funny, but it can also be sad when someone has to drop out. That hurts me a bit myself and then you try to patch it up somehow when it’s all over. The last time we coaches stood together for quite a while and comforted each other.
Why did you make yourself available as the new coach?
Maffay: Everyone is incredibly nice to the candidates, which I see as an important prerequisite. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it in other formats of a similar kind in the past, that you’ve made a name for yourself on the backs of talent. I found that horrifying, to say the least. That’s why I made the big mistake of throwing everything into one pot. With regard to “The Voice” I was totally wrong. The people here are in a good mood and there is a machine running in the background that is totally well oiled.
How did the other coaches welcome you, did you feel a certain awe?
Maffay: There is no reason for reverence. I don’t do anything different than the others, I’m just there a little longer. I knew all three, I had already worked together musically with Rea and with Stefanie on the animated film “Sing 2”. I knew Mark the least, now of course much better. He is a very informed person who knows a lot about music. Sometimes your jaw drops and I wonder where he gets all this from (laughs). As a musician he is also very confident and good. These are experienced “The Voice” caliber and there the dirty things just fly back and forth. This wooing of talents needs to be learned and the three of them are really good at it. I’m a career changer, which also corresponds to my age (laughs). I had to watch them closely to learn a few tricks. But I can offer something, or I think I can offer something that the others may not have to the same extent.
What are your strengths as a coach?
Maffay: “The Voice” is a good platform for a young artist to start with, if they later find in the industry a similar willingness to embrace it, shape it and carry it. Unfortunately, that has become difficult today. Musical life has become so dynamic and short-lived – if there’s something that doesn’t bang straight away, it’s thrown out. That’s something that really gets in the way of a long career. You can get around that if you have the tricks up your sleeve to skirt those cliffs. And I can offer that on “The Voice”. If you want to make good music, you go to Mark, if you want to know how to find a good lawyer, then come to me (laughs).
Looking back, what were your mistakes?
Maffay: If someone is lucky and succeeds with the first steps, then this can cloud the view of reality and then you start to take off. One no longer pays attention to the environment, which may no longer be the right one. You really have to be careful who you meet and how they treat you. That’s how it is in a band, in a partnership or with a recording company. You have to be able to see through the events that affect you and deal with themes that may be uncomfortable, take time and have little to do with music. Saying I don’t care, I make music can lead to an early end. Getting into a car without checking the oil, the tire pressure, can be fine for a while, but eventually you get stuck.
What was it like just listening to the voices on “The Voice”?
Maffay: When we listen to the radio, we only listen and yet emotion arises. In this case, however, we are required to react to the acoustics. It is a truism that we usually associate a certain image with a voice. And there it is, when we press that tantalizing red button and the chair swivels, we’re looking at someone very different from what we’d imagined. For example, a very powerful voice approaches you, you turn around and there is a small, delicate person who brings this power, dynamism and passion with him. I find that very attractive.
What did friends and family say about being part of such a big TV production?
Maffay: Many friends, including my partner Hendrikje, said: Don’t be so rude, throw your prejudices about these formats overboard and jump over your own shadow. “The Voice” is a veritable club. That’s what I did then.
How do you gain strength in a stressful time?
Maffay: There are moments when I’ve really had enough and say: That’s enough. But that doesn’t last long, then I sleep for a few hours and when I get up I tell myself there’s nothing to complain about. It’s a privilege to be able to do all this. And for such a long time too. So, thank God, I regenerate very quickly. I may have a slack tomorrow because I didn’t sleep all night. Three hours later, that’s yesterday’s news again.
At the end of August you will be 73 years old. Do you like celebrating birthdays?
Maffay: Yes, especially when it happens like this year: I’m on stage that day.
What do you wish for the new year?
Maffay: I wish that the people who are close to me, my sweet little daughter who is three and a half, my well-turned son Yaris, my partner and my friends, get through this time healthy. My wish is that we do not see an escalation beyond what we are currently experiencing in terms of the threat of war. I hope that prudence is not the loser and that this conflict will end as soon as possible so that more people don’t die. I hope that the gaps in society don’t widen even more and that we have to experience how the wrong way of dealing with one another leads to us losing the strength we need to answer existential questions. Every day we get more written in our logbook and for that we need strength, for that we need unity. I wish that we have peace on this globe. Then we have the prerequisites to be able to master everything else in the first place.