event.: Clueso, because I see that you're drinking ginger shots right now: Do you live a very healthy life otherwise?
Clueso: I can't say that I do. But I don't live as blatantly as others, especially when I go on tour, I'm like a boxer, I want to function, there are no excesses. Because when people give up their children to come to my concert and there are 10,000 people there, I don't want to disappoint them by losing my voice. That's why I eat well and exercise. And when I'm in the studio, it's all about cheering myself up. Because I want to do the take that lasts forever. As I've also had a lot of features with other people, I've sometimes gone out for a meal or a drink together, so I've been carried away a few times.
... for example with Udo Lindenberg, who is known as a night owl?
I've often been to parties with him, but he doesn't drink. He swore off alcohol a long time ago. He doesn't go to bed until 5 a.m. anyway - he sends me pictures of the sunrise on my cell phone that I missed.
Behind the pseudonym Clueso is the German singer, songwriter, producer and former rapper Thomas Hübner, who was born in Erfurt on April 9, 1980. His last tour attracted over 100,000 visitors and his albums regularly top the charts - his ninth was released at the beginning of October and is simply called "ALBUM". We met Clueso in Zurich.
What was it like during the corona lockdown? Were you able to concentrate on your work?
In the beginning, yes, but then it shifted so much that I thought: oh, now I have a lot more to do, because people thought I had time now. Everyone thought that now was the moment when we could do something, some kind of action and promotion. Even before the pandemic, we had the idea of releasing a lot of songs. I had a new song to promote every two months. I've been making songs, shooting videos and doing promo since the beginning of the pandemic.
Is that exhausting - or are you really in the flow now?
I'm writing really, really well at the moment - and I'm not afraid of the blank page at all! The engine is so fired up! With the album, with the way I write. Something new has just happened and it has a signature: Back to the roots, that I have double rhymes again. Lots of double meanings in the lyrics too. But I also dare to make big choruses, which was never my thing before. I was always afraid of pathos, because it can sound very sticky and very ponderous in German. That's why I became more private with "Gewinner" and moved closer rather than doing the big chorus. I wasn't afraid of that with this album and I wanted to try it out.
The instrumentation is also very interesting and special. There'sa flute on "Tanzen".
We thought we already had a similar beat on Achterbahn, let's incorporate something "controversial". Flute techno is actually out, but we had a sample like that. We altered it a bit and incorporated it - and had to laugh at first. It's funny and strange, and at some point we couldn't imagine life without it. After a week, we couldn't do without the flute.
What are you planning to do live?
The new album has a very unique sound - something new has really happened. We used very few cymbals and very few live things in the production. If we do use hi-hats, then only artificial ones - and no crash cymbals. I'm currently implementing that with the band, which is very difficult. Because of course a drummer automatically wants to put a crash cymbal on the one. I've stopped that, but this restriction does something to the whole sound. You have to try to generate this impact in the same way, and the minimalism that's in there. The productions have something tidy about them and we play very loopy, very repetitive. I would never have thought that, it works incredibly well.
You played live again in September - how was that?
It was unbelievable! Yes, a concert with 6000 people - in Apolda. I had a bit of a release from all the pressure and these two years. It does something to you when you're on stage and people applaud like that when I play my first new song! That really touched me. The second thing I didn't think I would miss is the fat bass on stage. You just forget about listening to loud music. We had no idea what it was like - and sometimes we played barefoot because the stage vibrated so much. The bass player said: "Wow, I press the notes and it vibrates!" I'm looking forward to that and also to the response from people. There's not much fear at all, and everyone's up for bumping into each other a bit and celebrating. But it was also an open air.
You prefer your hometown of Erfurt to sophisticated Berlin - why is that?
"Off the beaten track", you can do your thing there. I also have the song "Leider Berlin", but I don't really want to rail against Berlin like that. I experience a lot of good things there too. But sometimes I also think that people only ever make music for their surroundings and the big city - you're so close to the times. I also noticed this when working with graphic designers who are so close to the pulse that after four weeks I had the feeling that the picture was already out of date again. I don't have that problem in Erfurt. I try to create something more cinematic there, also in the music, so that it doesn't date and the song is still cool in a year's time.
How do you like it here in Switzerland?
I've already had some wild parties here. I just can't remember most of the things and clubs so well (laughs). We went to Kaufleuten in Zurich, and then we ended up in some bar. The bar owner had a CD of us - and said: "Come in, everyone, we're going to throw a huge party here" and then he bought us a drink. And I went for a walk here on my days off, it was wonderful with the lake.
I hear you're staying in Zurich for a few days after today's interview to relax. What are you planning to do?
I'll probably go for a walk and eat something nice, I'm not the shopping type.
Have fun then - and thanks for the interview! We are looking forward to the Clueso concert on October 5, 2022 at Volkshaus Zurich.