People: Schlager musician Michelle: “I was never a child”

Pop singer Michelle has taken stock of her personal situation on the occasion of her announced retirement. Music gave her stability because of her difficult childhood, says the 52-year-old, whose real name is Tanja Hewer, in an interview with “Zeit”. “Michelle was also a kind of refuge for me,” she says. “My mother was an alcoholic, my father was violent. I lived with a foster family, then on the streets for a while and worked in a bar. There I met a couple. They gave me a room and in return I looked after their two children. The couple had a band and when the singer dropped out, I took over. That’s how I was catapulted from the streets to the stage.”

Stroke and dog grooming

She released her first single in 1993. Her new album “Flutlicht”, which was released today, is set to be her last. The artist, who was born in Villingen-Schwenningen, reached the top of the charts, was a regular guest on TV shows, filled concert halls, and collected gold and platinum for album sales. She represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 with the song “Wer Liebe lebt”.

In the course of her career, she has announced her retirement twice. Once after she suffered a stroke. She then opened a dog salon. “Many people laughed at that,” she says. “But for me it was the chance to do a job that fulfilled me and to be in contact with animals. That healed me.”

“Trusted the wrong people” – words about her personal bankruptcy

In 2008, she was personally bankrupt. Her conclusion: “If money had been a decisive factor for me, then the bankruptcy would never have happened to me. Then I would have taken care of my finances. Instead, I trusted the wrong people.”

She is currently engaged to 27-year-old musician Eric Philippi. The couple lives in Saarland. Hewer has been married twice. She has three children, including a daughter with pop musician Matthias Reim. She is on good terms with her ex-partners.

Good relationship with ex-partners

“We stay in touch, just because of our children,” she says. “It’s a responsibility. Even if the journey together has come to an end, you have to part on good terms. Don’t hate each other. And above all, don’t use the child to get back at your partner. I’ve always managed to maintain a good relationship with my ex-partners. I’m very grateful for that.”

Many things become easier as you get older, says the musician. But she doesn’t know “what it’s like to be old. I was never a child, but I’m not old either. I feel like I’m 32. I still do cannonballs in the pool.”