Biography of Dieter Bohlen
Dieter Bohlen is a German musician, the legendary founder of the duo Modern Talking and the band Blue System, a songwriter and music producer, and an author. In his homeland, he's known as the "Pop Titan," and fans around the world still enjoy listening to his Euro disco tunes. In 2024, the incomparable singer turned 70, and to celebrate, he gifted his fans a new song "Fuer Alle Eure Jahre" at his anniversary concert in Berlin.
Childhood, Youth, Family
Dieter Günter Bohlen was born in the winter of 1954 to Hans and Edith Bohlen in the city of Berne, Lower Saxony. His father worked for the Road Construction Administration. Later they moved to Oldenburg, where the head of the family founded a road construction company.As the business developed, his parents moved several times, and the boy changed three schools: in Göttingen, Oldenburg, and Hamburg. For a time, Bohlen stayed in a boarding school for troubled teens, but he was a good student and graduated with honors.
Speaking about his ancestors, the singer noted in one of his interviews:
Inspired by the music of the Beatles, Dieter decided to learn to play the guitar while he was still in elementary school. To earn money for the instrument, the boy worked as a potato picker for a neighboring farmer and as soon as he had the necessary amount, he went to the music store.My grandmother was from Königsberg, which is now called Kaliningrad, and my mother is from there too. So there's a bit of Russian in me, the sadness of the Russian soul, this melancholy. I had a very pious grandmother who taught us to pray. I pray in the morning and evening. Always, constantly, since I turned ten. And in every prayer I have spoken so far, I said that I wish for peace and justice for all people.
Soon Dieter wrote his first composition, which he remembers to this day and believes it is still relevant:
Music became Bohlen's serious passion, and during his school years, he was a member of two bands – Mayfair and Aorta, for which he wrote about two hundred songs. He was 14 when Dieter joined the left-wing organization "Socialist German Workers Youth" (later the youth wing of the German Communist Party).One of the lines of my first song went like this: 'Lots of bombs are falling, but nobody is changing anything/ It's useless to make noise, something must be done.' I wrote it in my childhood. When I was born, World War II had ended only nine years ago, people were scared, and I felt that fear and absorbed it. For 50 years, I didn't have to worry about war. But now our Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands up and says: 'We will defend every inch of NATO territory.' And the fear comes back to me.
First Steps
By the time Dieter finished school, his parents strongly advised him to graduate from the University of Göttingen, named after Georg August, and study business administration. Not wanting to disappoint his parents, Dieter earned a degree in this field, but while attending university, he worked part-time in nightclubs.After graduating from university, the young man bought himself a car and a piano, which he had long dreamed about. He persistently sent his home recordings to various production centers, and after completing his studies, he got a job at Peter Schmidt's music company, where he tracked new releases in the music market, compiling lists and reports.
He adopted the pseudonym Steve Benson and under this name released three singles. However, his vocal talents were not outstanding, and he recorded the songs in German. To become rich and famous, however, he needed hits in English.
Modern Talking
In 1983, Dieter met Thomas Anders and recorded two German-language songs with him, which topped the national charts. Naming their duo Modern Talking, Dieter and Thomas recorded the English-language song "You're My Heart, You're My Soul," which made them world-famous.The project brought Bolen long-awaited popularity and incredible productivity: from 1984 to 1987 (and after their reunion, from 1998 to 2003), the duo released 12 studio albums. They set a record by releasing one multi-platinum album after another: "The First Album," "Let's Talk About Love," "Ready for Romance," "In the Middle of Nowhere," and the "Cheri Cheri Lady" album sold around two hundred thousand copies in Germany within just two weeks of its release.
The musicians reunited in 1998. This time, the collaboration lasted about five years. Over these five years, Dieter Bolen and Thomas Anders released albums with remixes of old hits and new singles. Their musical style changed slightly, but their duo was recognized in any city in the world. Nevertheless, their duo split again in 2003 after releasing their last joint album, "The Final Album."
Speaking of the second breakup of the band, Bolen reported:
Anders saw the breakup of Modern Talking differently, stating in his interview that the creative split between him and Dieter was final and beyond repair. Furthermore, the lead singer expressed his happiness at no longer having to see his partner:Thomas and I came to a mutual decision to end our collaboration forever and announced this to the fans at one of the concerts. We have worked together too long. We had disagreements, but before Christmas, during the bright holiday of reconciliation, I left all negativity in the past. I want to live in peace and harmony with everyone and feel no animosity towards anyone. I wish everyone well.
Dieter Bolen and I are very different people. We truly achieved success on stage, but each had his own personal life: we finished the concert – and went our separate ways. We weren't childhood friends, which is when you really have the chance to become close. We simply had the opportunity to fulfill our dream – to make music, write songs, become famous. And we've come a long way together. But that's it, it's over. Even if some record companies try to bring together two people who haven't talked in many years, the likelihood of such an endeavor being successful is extremely slim.
Blue System and Other Projects
Following the initial disbandment of Modern Talking, Dieter Bohlen focused his creative efforts on forming a new band and collaborating with other stars, such as Chris Norman, C.C. Catch, and Engelbert Humperdinck. As a composer, Dieter wrote music for various TV shows and series.His main project became Blue System, which he founded in late 1987 and only disbanded to reunite with Thomas Anders. During the band's existence, the musician released 13 albums and produced over twenty music videos. Songs like "Twilight," "Obsession," and "Forever Blue" were particularly well-received by audiences.
In the first season, Bohlen's song "We Have A Dream" topped the national charts. He signed collaboration contracts with finalists – Alexander, Natalie Tineo, and Yvonne Catterfeld. With the fourth season's winner, Mark Medlock, he recorded three albums and the song "You Can Get It," which went platinum in 2008.
While collaborating with many artists, the composer did not forget about his own interests. In 2017, he released a greatest hits collection "Die Mega Hits," which included three discs. Two years later, fans were thrilled to hear that the artist was returning to the stage and embarking on a grand tour not only in Germany but also in other countries.
In the summer of 2019, the singer delighted fans with a new album "Das MEGA Album!," compiling the best songs from all his projects.
Dieter Bohlen's Personal Life
Women have always noticed the musician, and he reciprocated their attention. At the beginning of the eighties, Dieter married the poetess Erika Sauerland, who had written numerous texts for pop songs. Two boys, Marc and Marvin Benjamin, and a girl, Marielin, were born during this decade-long marriage.When Erika found out that her husband was cheating on her with the TV presenter and singer of Arab descent Naddel, whose real name is Nadja Abd el Farrag, she filed for divorce. The affair with the singer continued.
In 1996, the musician stunned Naddel with the news: he had married Verona Feldbusch, a relatively unknown actress of Bolivian descent. This was the shortest marriage of his life: a month later, his wife accused him of domestic violence and filed for divorce.
During this period, there were "swings" with Naddel, as the musician called Farrag. He wavered between two women and eventually left both. Later, the TV presenter stated that her relationship with Bohlen was the biggest mistake in her life.
At the beginning of the new millennium, Paraguayan model Estefania Küster entered Dieter's life, and in 2005 she gave birth to their son Maurice Cassian.
A year later, the couple split up, and the former Modern Talking leader struck up a romance with hotel administrator Carina Walz. A vacation in Majorca ended with a passionate affair and living together, although Bohlen did not rush to officially formalize the relationship with the mother of his two other children—Amelie and Maximilian.
Perhaps the thirty-year age difference is noticeable, but the family still lives in a villa in the suburbs of Hamburg. At the very beginning of their life together, the couple survived a robbery attack, during which Carina was treated roughly, being pinned face down to the floor. To protect his beloved, Bohlen handed over all the cash he had in the house—about half a million dollars. The culprits were caught a year later.
Dieter Bohlen Now
In 2024, the main events in the life of the world-famous celebrity were his grand Berlin concert celebrating his seventieth birthday and the announcement that he is ready to officially marry for the third time. The name of his fiancée is known: it is Carina Walz, the mother of his two youngest children.Regarding the concert, it was a spectacular show of hits from the 80s and 90s, written by the composer for Modern Talking and Blue System. Special guest performers at the disco legend's anniversary were Pietro Lombardi, Alexander Klaws, among other artists. The birthday celebrant himself presented his fans with a new song, "Fuer Alle Eure Jahre."
Interesting Facts
- In 2003, the final breakup of Modern Talking sparked discussions, speculation, and disappointment. Thomas Stein, President of BMG for Germany/Austria/Switzerland, stated: "The duo Modern Talking has sold over 120 million records worldwide. Their releases have topped the charts in more than 50 countries, and their popularity is an unprecedented example of true success under the 'Made in Germany' brand. We will continue our successful collaboration with Dieter Bohlen going forward."
- In his home country, Dieter Bohlen faces criticism for his views on the conflict in Ukraine. He believes that none of this would have happened if Western countries hadn't continually imposed sanctions on Russia and instead had engaged in negotiation talks: "If we truly want peace, then we must proceed with diplomacy, not by demonizing Russians. Unfortunately, we may have to try and involve Putin in the negotiation process in some way. How do you expect to achieve peace without taking Putin into account?" The artist then clarified his position slightly: "What Putin is doing, I find terrible, nightmarish." He doesn't know how to stop the fighting but is certain that "according to the laws of physics, 'for every action, there is a reaction', using force and sending more tanks to Ukraine will not ensure peace."
Zoomboola
