Bosses: That’s why he sings about mental health

With “Sunnyside”, singer Bosse (41, “The Last Dance”) will be releasing his eighth studio album on August 27th. Relaxed pop music meets sometimes melancholy lyrics. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Axel “Aki” Bosse tells us that socially critical content is important to him. The German pop musician also processes personal experiences and memories, including uncertainties, doubts and weaknesses, in his new album.

In your song “Off-Season” you sing about “if only emptiness comes out of me”. How are you in your off-season? And how often are you in that mood?

Bosse: The song is about the mix of the human off-season and that at a vacation spot. The curbs are up, the shops are being nailed up. That is a beautiful, bitter picture and perfectly applicable to humans. I often have a personal off-season, always a phase in which I’m just all.

I am usually really tired when I have experienced a lot and the body is overwhelmed. That happens at the end of a tour, when you are completely exhausted. When I come home and just let go, then things go relatively quickly in this direction – into the off-season. Then I just want to be like God made me or lie down in Lodder pants and do nothing because I can’t give anything at the moment. That happens to me even after such long, ugly days at work, and sometimes just like that.

Mental health is a central theme on your album. Unfortunately, this is still often taboo. Other countries are further ahead than Germany. Why is it important to you to address this issue?

Bosse: Uncertainties, doubts and weakness are a matter of course. That is why I think that the topic of mental health should also be addressed. Sometimes I’m super powerless, have tough times. It has always been important to me to sing about these things too. My music is always a complete mix of how I feel about myself.

You dedicated the song “Father” to your father. It sounds like a goodbye. Is that correct?

Bosses: Yeah. Sounds a bit like saying goodbye to life at first. My father is not getting any younger. The song is a personal thank you to him. It’s about my memory from almost zero until today and about the relationship between children and parents. I can only give credit to my parents for always letting me do it, for trusting me, that they always communicated well and that they really loved me unconditionally. And still managed to let go.

In the song you also sing about lies your father forgave you. Which were there in your childhood and youth?

Bosse: For example, in typical party situations at the age of 13 or 14, where you said “I’m just three doors down” and actually you were four villages further or even somewhere completely different. And then at some point I called on a phone booth and said: “Can you pick me up? I drank too much and I don’t know how to get home.”

You also sing on the album about the injustices of our time. What do you think is the greatest injustice right now?

Bosse: Socially, I don’t even know where to start. We’d need more time. That’s why I prefer to say something positive. What I find really fascinating and great is the generation that is growing up. So are people between 12 and 22. Bodyshaming or diversity are topics they really talk about. It’s super open, they want a diverse life. It doesn’t matter who you love. It doesn’t matter if you celebrate Christmas. Somehow that’s all normal for this generation. And I think that very, very many people can cut a piece of it. There are many injustices. I am into communication and I believe this is the way to go. That is why young people have to vote.

As a musician you are usually on the go a lot, Corona made that impossible. You are now away from home more often. Does it make you sad that you are separated from your family again?

Bosse: I can already see – I never had that before – that when I’m gone for three days, it hurts more than before. During Corona we got used to always being together. But because I’m a vagabond and travel a lot, my daughter can handle the many little farewells well anyway – and so do I.

Your daughter is now 15 and is (probably) in the middle of puberty. How does that work?

Bosses: We are up for each other, but she always goes her own way. That is also exactly right. I took my parents as a role model because I moved from a small village to Berlin when I was 16, and they just let me do it. It’s just always about communication, trust, love and letting go. Exactly that, and I am also very good at letting go.

Your daughter can be heard on “Behind the Moon”. Do you encourage her to get started as a singer or are you cautious?

Bosse: My daughter makes a lot of music and she likes to sing. She sang a lot of choirs on “Sunnyside” and the lead part of “Behind the Moon”. Otherwise she can do whatever she wants to do professionally. I don’t interfere with that.