Bavarian musicians find success with dialect – a look at their rise in the music industry

The 21-year-old musician Jonas Sempert plays the guitar and sings in a bar in Passau – in Bavarian. Some guests nod their heads to the beat, the innkeeper behind the counter sings along. Jonas Sempert regularly appears in “Wahnsinn”. He has host Alex Weirethmayer to thank for that. Two years ago he saw him at a performance and spoke to him directly. “Since I’ve owned the restaurant, he’s been making regular appearances at my place, and the feedback from guests has been nothing but positive,” says Weirethmayer. It is also noticeable in the reservations; many guests come precisely because of Sempert. Dialect works well – on Bavarian stages. “Elsewhere it’s a niche,” says Sempert.

“Dialect is limiting”

This is also confirmed by the popular music commissioner for Lower Bavaria, Michael Hofmann. He is the contact person and advisor for musicians and bands in Lower Bavaria. And observes: “Dialect is limiting. It is difficult to make it big and become known throughout Germany.” At the same time, however, he sees a great opportunity in dialect: “The advantage is that the target group is easier to grasp. I am of the opinion that dialect in the lyrics often opens doors – both for fans and for musicians.” A common language connects.

Bavarian at “The Voice of Germany”

Tobias Enzl knows what it feels like to sing in dialect in front of more than 600,000 TV viewers. Last year he was a participant in the 13th season of the casting show “The Voice of Germany”. The 33-year-old from Untergrießbach in the Passau district performed the song “Bierle in da Sun”. The audience celebrated like they were at a folk festival. However, the buzzers of the five-member jury were silent. Tobias failed in the first round of the show. Jury member Giovanni Zarella explained the decision as follows: “Dialect is of course for a smaller audience overall. We are looking for someone who can best make music for a broad audience.”

Dialect as a matter of the heart

“For The Voice, I consciously chose dialect,” says Enzl. The dialect may not be very promising for getting on the big stages. Nevertheless, he continues to write his songs exclusively in Bavarian. “I grew up in Bavaria and have roots here. The dialect is part of it, I just feel comfortable with it.” He can live with leaving the talent show. “Because I stayed true to myself and that’s authentic and real.”

Hype about Bavarian music

But great success cannot be ruled out, says pop expert Michael Hofmann. “It started with Bavarian artists at the end of the 70s,” he remembers. “But in the years 2008 to 2010 there was a real upswing – thanks to bands like LaBrassBanda, Django 3000 and Claudia Koreck.”

LaBrassBanda and Dicht & Grabbing, for example, are still on the road throughout Germany. “The dialect scene is huge,” he says. However, the bands are not at home in the mainstream pop genre. They are a good example of how musicians can also become big in other genres.

2024-03-07 12:19:03
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