It would make sense to reformulate the popular title “People of the Week” for a given reason. Namely in “People of the Past Two Decades”. It should be given to a team from the TV broadcaster RTL, namely the makers of “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”, DSDS for short.
Not only does it deserve credit for announcing the 20th and final (!) season of the format this week, but for taking so long, so bravely, and undeterredly looking for potential superstars. Because one thing has become clear over the past two decades: Superstars don’t grow on trees. And without wanting to offend title holders like Beatrice Egli or Alexander Klaws – the show has not quite lived up to its title so far.
When the format was launched, the world was different: Gerhard Schröder still had friends, Angela Merkel, as parliamentary group leader, had sent Friedrich Merz into the desert, the euro was called expensive and the Internet, many believed, would never catch on.
So while the term “superstar” today includes everyone who is on stage at three, 20 years ago it also needed that certain something. At the time, Ozzy Osbourne (“Dreamer”), Las Ketchup (“The Ketchup Song”), Robbie Williams (“Feel”) and a few pieces from Herbert Grönemeyer’s “Mensch” album were bustling in the charts. Okay, superstars here. Florian Silbereisen, who is now leaving DSDS again, has only just been released to the television audience. Helene Fischer was still a teenager.
But no matter which lists of the most popular and successful German musicians of all time you go through, there are only men in the top ranks: Grönemeyer, Campino, Maffay, Rammstein, Westernhagen and yes, also Xavier Naidoo and Michael Wendler. And these men (target audience or not) were all already in the business 20 years ago. Except for Helene Fischer, strictly speaking, no superstar has been discovered in Germany in the past two decades. Also bitter for the DSDS crew: The fishermen were discovered by someone else anyway …
But instead of sticking your head in the sand, the DSDS team really gets everything out again. And bring in what’s possible. Keyword Dieter Bohlen. Bohlen, actually THE guarantee of success for commercial mass entertainment, returns to his old place of work. The candidates are allowed to take cover: “If I wasn’t allowed to be the Dieter that I am, I wouldn’t have agreed.” other music casting show in Germany has managed: DSDS has been around for 20 years. “Chapeau! The only thing missing is a superstar. Andreas sieler
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