The princes
There is no celebration for the 30th anniversary
Party with the princes? Not for the 30th birthday, reveals front man Tobias Künzel (3rd from left) in an interview.
© (c) Sven Sindt
The princes will be there for 30 years in 2021. However, they won’t be celebrating their anniversary: ”We don’t do that,” says Tobias Künzel.
The princes will celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2021 – or not, because there won’t be a big party within the band. “We only celebrate when it happens,” says front man Tobias Künzel (57) in an interview with the news agency spot on news. On May 28th, the Leipzig formation released their new album “Krone der Schöpf”. In an interview, the singer looks back on 30 years of Die Prinzen and reveals whether chart positions are still important for the band. He also talks about the right time to retire.
Die Prinzen has been around for 30 years. How do you look back on your career? What was your best moment so far, what was the greatest low point?
Tobias Künzel: The orchestra tour was a big milestone for me. Standing alone in front of the orchestra was great. The promise that was once made in the St. Thomas’ Choir was thus fulfilled. In the choir we always stood behind the orchestra. There were also concerts that shaped us. In the early 90s, when we were screamed at by girls and in the “Bravo” had a star cut, those were unique experiences and times. But there is nothing that I really miss now. That was part of my life. I have experienced a lot that others have not experienced and now I am experiencing other things that others do not experience.
Have you ever thought of quitting? When would you be at the point where you would be retiring as a band?
Künzel: Each and every one of us has definitely thought of quitting at some point. There were certainly moments when you thought: “I don’t feel like it anymore, how much longer?” We’re not a sect you can’t get out of. We all do this voluntarily, for as long as we want. Personally, I will do it until there is no longer any genuine interest in the prince, both on my part and on the part of the audience.
Due to the pandemic, it has not yet been possible to celebrate the 30th anniversary with concerts with the fans. Did you at least celebrate your 30th anniversary as a band?
Künzel: No, we don’t do that either. We only celebrate when it happens. We don’t have any band rituals either, I’m often asked about that. This romanticization of some bands does not apply to us. It’s our job and our work. You can’t think about partying every day. We’ve been around for 30 years, I think only bands have rituals that don’t know each other very well and somehow have to reassure each other that they really want to be part of the gang.
How important are chart positions to you after 30 years?
Künzel: That is a purely economic question. Where you are in the charts has nothing to do with how much you actually sell. It’s about how many others there are and how much is sold in total. It is important that there are as many people as possible who willingly spend their hard-earned money on a prince’s product. In that sense, the chart placement already plays a role, because we live from it. As an artist, I can’t stand up and say: “I don’t care at all, my art is more important to me than people’s reactions.” I am interested in as many people as possible taking an interest in our music, enjoying it and giving something back to me of what I give them. It’s a give and take. Emotionally and also monetarily.
The music industry has changed a lot since the beginning of your career. What do you think of streaming services?
Künzel: I think the record labels have very good deals with the streaming services. What they then give back to the artists depends on the contracts. I have a huge CD cabinet and I often forget that there are streaming services. When I’m looking for a song, I look through my CDs. But nowadays you can’t ignore streaming services and you can’t demonize them either.
I just like to have something to touch. I want to know who played the guitar or drums and I also like to leaf through the booklet and look at photos of the bands. When an album comes out, I want to buy that too and not listen to it on Spotify. But that is very different. Nowadays kids listen to music very differently. We used to listen to entire albums. Today you listen to a verse and a chorus and say, “Go ahead.” Listening to music has become very short of breath.