First sanger and songwriter stoppok (63) got a shitstorm, now he can rejoice. With his 18. Studio album "jubel" made it to position four on the charts.
It’s the highest chart entry of his four-decade career and his debut in the top ten. "Only when the title was already written, did it occur to me that it’s been 40 years since my first record release," stoppok told the german press agency in hamburg. "With the album title i actually only had in mind that i can really cheer for myself: i do what i love, i am creative and independent from musical and social currents. There are no break-ins. There one must also cheer oneself sometimes!"
The artist, who was born in hamburg and grew up in essen, received a shitstorm on youtube for his pre-release single "lass sie rein" (let them in): the song and video are a statement for the mediterranean sea rescue effort. The line had "flown" to him like all his songs. "I had this image in my head: when i see people dying, i don’t discuss in this situation who i let in and who i don’t let in. Then I shout from the back to the front: "let them all in!" and then we look further. That was the story," says stoppok, who was surprised by the vehemence of the reactions from the right-wing camp: "if I as an artist no longer do a song because I’m afraid of the reaction, then germany is really lost. That’s why at some point it was clear: i have to do this, risk it."
From 4. In march stoppok is on an extended "jubel" tour, with his band he will perform in berlin, munich, frankfurt, koln, hamburg and other cities.