Singer Sasha (51) is venturing into new territory: together with his wife Julia Roentgen (43) he has developed a children’s book. “Toto and the Man in the Moon” is available from tomorrow (July 28). In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the couple talks about how the collaboration went, why their son Otto (4) has not yet read the book and what plans they are still making.
Sasha: I’ve been involved with children a lot through my work on the wonderful show The Voice Kids. I also contributed music to “The School of Magical Animals” and collaborated with Rolf Zuckowski on “Vogelhochzeit”. It’s just great to do something for or with children. We’ve been wanting to do something together for a long time. But somehow we always lacked the right idea. And then one evening there was the click moment for the book – but my wife can tell you about that in a moment.
Julia Roentgen: Our son Otto still asks a lot of questions when he goes to bed. He then wants to know from me, for example, how an engine works and things like that. So I said, I think we need help. Then I thought of the man in the moon, because he has always been there and is wise and knows and sees everything. On the third evening, when the man in the moon Otto had answered all of the questions, I thought: That’s really good! After Otto fell asleep, I went down to Sasha and said: Oh God, I’ve got it!
Julia Roentgen: We have a creative table where the two of us often review the day and come up with new ideas. We then sat there and spun the world for the book – until three o’clock in the morning! Then I simply wrote everything down in a Word document. By contacting Carlsen Verlag, we asked them if they were interested. So one thing led to another, and now our book is here.
Sasha: We work very well together and are a well-rehearsed team. Of course there are differences of opinion, but we always make up quickly. We tend to get upset about others together when something doesn’t work the way we think it will. Julia is also my manager and she knows exactly what makes me tick. It’s definitely not that easy to manage me, but she’s great at it. And this project was really stress-free because it was just so much fun.
Julia Roentgen: We also had a good division of labor. We developed the characters and themes together, but then everyone sort of went our separate ways. I wrote the stories, he created the music for them. Of course we were always in direct contact.
Julia Roentgen: They are very similar in character. Otto is also more cautious, but still courageous. By the way, he helped us with the book: Because Otto is always called Toto by his cousin and best friend Mili – and he calls her Mimi. So we immediately had the names for our two main characters. When I was writing, I always heard the two of them talking. The editors sometimes found it too casual. But that’s how the two talk.
Sasha: He didn’t want to see it before publication, but wanted to wait for the finished book. He probably got that trait from me. I never wanted to know what I was getting for Christmas. It’s nice that he’s so patient.
Julia Roentgen: We’re looking forward to finally being able to read it to him!
Julia Roentgen: I used to do that mostly, now it’s kind of become a Sasha Otto time. They always have the same ritual: put on pajamas, brush your teeth and read.
Sasha: Reading is a very nice ritual and so calming, I like it a lot. A book is just a wonderful thing. The feel, the beautiful pictures – and you can always go back if you want.
Julia Roentgen: And it also stimulates creativity. I finally managed to finish two books while on vacation. You can dream yourself into your own creative world.
Sasha: That would be great. The pictures in our book also totally encourage you to see them moving. I grew up with series like “Biene Maja”, so I always have moving images in my head.
Julia Roentgen: The stories would also be the perfect length, around 10 to 15 minutes. That would be extremely cool. It’s really great how everything is developing. We have already recorded the audio book, a radio play is in preparation and the next volume is already in the works.
Sasha: First and foremost it was about creating a kind of playlist for the book. There is a song for each chapter. I was able to work totally free. When you create a pop song, you always have a lot to think about – is it the right length, does it fit the algorithm, is it suitable for radio and so on. With the children’s song album I was able to play without these scissors in my head. Of course you have to choose a certain language for the age group, but the songs should also be something that adults want to hear. It’s not classic children’s music, it’s pop songs that are fun.
Julia Roentgen: It’s simply modern German pop music for the whole family – reggae, classic pop, but also ballads. And finally there is a lullaby for children by Sasha. His voice is totally appropriate for it!
Sasha: My wife once said “sleepy” about it. But she meant reassuringly…
Julia Roentgen: With us, the situation is extreme that Otto doesn’t want to go to bed. Especially in summer, when it is light for a long time, he prefers to keep playing. I’m sure many parents know that. That’s why it’s great to have such a nice lullaby that the kids can relax to. By the way, Sasha recorded it in a duet with Mili. Otto didn’t feel like it.
Julia Roentgen: Yes, that’s the way it is. He lets us be children again. You really rediscover the rascal in you. For example, I recently cheated Skittles into his lunch box. In fact, sweets are not allowed in daycare. But I just hid them in the raspberries. And when we went to Disneyland the other day, we were like three equal children. That was really nice.
In ten stories, the author couple answers many of the questions children have before they fall asleep. Toto dreams of the moon every night – and he can even fly there with his rocket. Surrounded by space, there are adventures to be had and funny moments to be experienced. For example, that his cuddly toy Luna turns into a real moon pig there. Toto and his girlfriend Mimi have a lot of fun with their friends on the moon. The man in the moon and his partner Belatrix have magical abilities and can use a telescope to beam Mimi and Toto to another time or place. The cheerful and helpful glowworm Glow is always there.
The book “Toto and the Man in the Moon” will be published by Carlsen Verlag on July 28th. It is recommended for children from the age of four, has 128 pages and costs 16 euros. At the same time, Sasha’s first children’s song album was released.
