Vincent Gross
His success makes him "very grateful"
Vincent Gross will release his new album "Hautnah" on January 29th.
© Jörg Kressig
Vincent Gross rides the wave of success. In an interview, he reveals how he spends the Corona period without concerts.
After his albums "Tailwind" (2017) and "Möwengold" (2018), Vincent Gross (24) has new music in his luggage: On Friday (January 29th) his new long player "Hautnah" will be released. The pop singer celebrates one success after the other with his lively songs and has even had his own talk format "Stars um 10 up close" on YouTube for some time. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the Swiss spoke about how he was spending the Corona period, how he stayed in contact with his fans despite the lockdown and why he was so grateful for his success.
"Up close" describes exactly what you are not allowed to do during the Corona period. How did you come to choose this title?
Vincent Gross: In fact, the title was created before Corona. I am a person who really enjoys being with people, I need contact. This is also what I miss most at the moment. The new songs should bring joy, happiness and quality of life to my listeners and get under their skin. I wrote 13 of the 15 songs myself and put a lot of passion into it. I wanted to present the album "Hautnah" to my fans up close. That's why we postponed the publication for the time being. Now you still can't be close together, but I don't want to keep my fans waiting any longer. I am making the best of the situation.
You have planned many lockdown activities for your fans, some of which you have called personally, for example. What's next?
Gross: The very first digital autograph session. In a live stream, people can tune in and then everything goes like a conventional autograph session: We can talk to each other briefly and they can ask how and for whom I should sign the album. This way I can stay in contact with my fans despite the lockdown situation.
You have a very close bond with your fans. Have you ever had an unpleasant experience?
Gross: There are always a few things that cross borders. Once I was kissed and completely smooched. That was also very surprising for me. Otherwise I have very polite fans. The majority are really nice and courteous. It's great fun.
What are you missing the most at the moment?
Gross: The stage. I'm a live artist, I live for it. For me, the appearance is like a reward for everything else around it, the traveling and the many appointments. I also really miss singing the songs with my fans. It's a lot more fun because it creates a sense of community.
How do you spend the free time you have through the lockdown?
Gross: I bought a piano and rented my very first studio. I'm very proud of it because I've been planning to do it for a long time. So I can develop myself further and have already written a lot of new songs. Above all, however, it became really clear to me in the past year that I am on the right track and that hopefully music is what I get to do for the rest of my life.
I am incredibly grateful that I have the chance to turn my passion into a career. In addition, playing the piano has become a new hobby. Before Corona I could only play a little, now I've really deepened it. I can also make music for myself again, which has been neglected in recent years due to the many appearances.
Have you been spared the coronavirus so far and have you stayed healthy?
Gross: As a public figure, you'd have to think that I would have been one of the first. I was always careful and slipped past it. At least to the best of my knowledge, I haven't been infected yet.
In 2020 you reached number two in the airplay annual charts in the "Conservative Pop" category. What does that mean to you?
Gross: That means a lot to me. Knowing that all three harbingers of the album have landed at number one on the airplay charts motivates me and is a confirmation that my music makes people happy. It's an incentive for me to keep going and write more songs. I am very grateful for that. I fondly remember how many years ago I would sit in my children's room, play the guitar and imagine that one day a song of mine would be played on the radio. Now I'm the second most performed artist in the past year. That leaves me speechless.