Dieter Bohlen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dieter Bohlen
Bohlen in 2019
Born	Dieter Günter Bohlen (1954-02-07) 7 February 1954 (age 71) Berne, West Germany
Occupation	Songwriter producer singer television personality
Years active	1973–present
Spouse(s)	Erika Sauerland ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1989)​ Verona Feldbusch ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 1997)​
Partner(s)	Nadja Abd el Farrag (1989–1996, 1997–2001) Estefania Küster (2001–2006) Fatma Carina Walz (2006–present)
Children	6
Musical career
Genres	Pop Europop synth-pop Eurodance Euro disco Schlager
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards

Dieter Bohlen (born Dieter Günter Bohlen on 7 February 1954) is a famous German songwriter, producer, singer, and TV star. He became well-known in the 1980s as part of the pop duo Modern Talking. Since then, he has produced music for many German and international artists. He is also a judge on popular TV talent shows like Deutschland sucht den Superstar and Das Supertalent.

Life and Music Career

Early Life and First Steps in Music (1954–1984)

Dieter Bohlen grew up in East Frisia, Germany. He is the oldest son of Hans and Edith Bohlen. He started writing music while he was still in school. In the late 1970s, he worked as a songwriter for many Schlager singers. Schlager is a type of German pop music.

In 1978, he formed a short-lived duo called Monza. Their first songs were not very successful. Later, in 1980, he started working for the record label Hansa. He also released some solo songs in English under the name Steve Benson, but these songs did not become big hits. In 1982, he joined the band Sunday and appeared on a TV show called ZDF-Hitparade.

Big Success as a Producer (1984–Present)

After producing a few songs for singer Thomas Anders, Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders formed the pop duo Modern Talking in 1984. They became incredibly popular! Their songs like "You're My Heart, You're My Soul", "Cheri, Cheri Lady", and "Brother Louie" were huge hits. They reached number one on the German charts five times in a row. They were also very successful in other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In 1987, Modern Talking split up. Dieter Bohlen then started his own music project called Blue System. He continued to write and produce music for other artists too, including C. C. Catch and the boy band Touché.

In 1986, he wrote the hit song "Midnight Lady" for Chris Norman, who was the singer of the band Smokie. This song was very popular in Central Europe. Dieter Bohlen also wrote songs for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1989, two of his songs were in the contest: "Flieger" for Germany and "Nur ein Lied" for Austria. In 1992, another one of his songs, "Zusammen geh'n", was performed by Tony Wegas for Austria.

Modern Talking got back together in 1998 and had more hits like "You're My Heart, You're My Soul '98" and "Win the Race". They split up again in 2003.

Bohlen (left) and Thomas Anders performing as Modern Talking in 2003

In 2002, Dieter Bohlen became a judge on Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), which is the German version of Pop Idol. He has been a judge on every season of the show. He has produced many hit songs for the winners of DSDS, like "We Have a Dream".

He also wrote books about his life. His first book, Nichts als die Wahrheit, sold over a million copies in Germany! In 2004, he won an ECHO award for being the best producer of the year.

Bohlen performing in Moscow in 2006

In 2006, a cartoon movie called Dieter: Der Film was made based on his first book. Dieter Bohlen wrote all the music for the movie.

Since 2007, he has also been a judge on Das Supertalent, which is the German version of Got Talent. Just like with DSDS, he is the only judge who has been on every season.

From 2010 to 2018, Dieter Bohlen worked with Schlager singer Andrea Berg. All the albums he produced for her became number one hits in Germany and Austria.

His Music Style

Dieter Bohlen's music often has simple song structures. In the 1980s and 1990s, he created many Euro disco and Eurodance songs for Modern Talking, Blue System, and C. C. Catch. These songs often had high-pitched choruses. For the winners of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, he often focuses on pop ballads, which are slower, emotional songs.

There have been some claims that some of his songs sounded very similar to other artists' songs. For example, it was claimed that Yvonne Catterfeld's song "Für dich" was similar to "What If" by Babyface. An investigation was started, but it was later dropped.

Other Activities

TV Talent Shows

Dieter Bohlen has been a judge on Deutschland sucht den Superstar since it started in 2002. He is known for his direct and honest comments. He has helped many contestants become successful singers. He has also been a judge on Das Supertalent since 2007, making him the only judge to be on every season of both shows.

Products and Endorsements

Bohlen signing autographs at a Camp David store opening in Oldenburg in 2016

Dieter Bohlen has worked with many different companies to advertise their products. He has been the face of the clothing brand Camp David for many years.

He has also released his own products. In 2005, he launched a perfume called Provocation. In 2011, he started his own clothing label. In 2013, he even released a line of wallpapers!

Personal Life

Bohlen in 2013

Dieter Bohlen has been married twice and has had several long-term relationships. He has six children.

From 1983 to 1989, he was married to Erika Sauerland. They have three children: Marc, Marvin, and Marielin. He was then in a relationship with Nadja Abd el Farrag for several years. In 1996, he married model Verona Feldbusch, but they separated quickly. He later got back together with Nadja Abd el Farrag for a few more years.

From 2001 to 2006, he lived with model Estefania Küster. Their son, Maurice Cassian, was born in 2005. Since 2006, he has been in a relationship with Fatma Carina Walz. They met in Mallorca, Spain. They have two children together: a daughter named Amelie (born 2011) and a son named Maximilian (born 2013).

Dieter Bohlen lives in a village called Tötensen near Hamburg. He is naturally left-handed but learned to write with his right hand in school. However, he plays tennis with his left hand!

Discography

Solo Releases

Albums

Singles

With Modern Talking

With Blue System

No. 1 Hits in Germany

Artists Produced by Dieter Bohlen

Awards

Books by Dieter Bohlen

• Dieter Bohlen, Katja Kessler: Nichts als die Wahrheit, Heyne, Munich 2002, ISBN: 3-453-86143-4
• Dieter Bohlen, Katja Kessler: Hinter den Kulissen, Blanvalet, Munich 2003, ISBN: 3-89830-698-4
• Dieter Bohlen: Meine Hammer-Sprüche, Heyne, Munich 2006, ISBN: 3-453-60045-2
• Dieter Bohlen: Nur die Harten kommen in den Garten! Der Weg zum Superstar, Heyne, Munich 2008, ISBN: 978-3-453-60101-7
• Dieter Bohlen: Der Bohlenweg – Planieren statt Sanieren, Heyne 2008, ISBN: 978-3-453-15535-0; also as audio by Random House Audio, spoken by Bohlen, ISBN: 978-3-86604-965-9

Books About Dieter Bohlen

• Frank Farian, Reginald Rudorf, Dieter Kaltwasser – Stupid Dieser Bohlen. Die Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit über den Pop-Hochstapler, Franks Kleiner Buchverlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN: 3-9809531-0-6

See also

In Spanish: Dieter Bohlen para niños