Menderes Bagci (38) took part in the RTL casting show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” for the first time in 2002 and became the ultimate “DSDS” regular in the years that followed. On April 7th he will release his debut album “Sieger der Herzen”. For this, the singer has reinterpreted the greatest hits from two decades “DSDS” and recorded four new, thematically appropriate songs. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Bagci looks back on his numerous “DSDS” appearances, talks about his relationship with Dieter Bohlen (69) and reveals his personal favorite songs on his album.
Menderes Bagci: Yes, I follow the current season occasionally. I find Leony very likeable and she does it quite well. Katja is an eye-catcher and ensures a certain extravagance.
Bagci: Dieter and I respect each other. I was very surprised at the time. I never expected him to miss a season. I was happy that Dieter returned. “DSDS” started with Dieter Bohlen and will also end with Dieter Bohlen.
Bagci: Of course, the first reminder was an emotional moment for me. After so many tries, I finally made it. One must never give up. No matter how many times you fail. Always stay on the ball. And of course I like to remember my live performance in the motto show on March 31, 2007 with the song “Beat it”. That was the highlight back then.
Bagci: I motivated myself to keep going and not to let it get me down. I wanted to move forward and never give up. I’ve always believed in myself. At some point the big goal was: the reminder sheet. Then I reached my goal.
Bagci: I took singing lessons and then eventually released my own songs and music videos. I sing almost every day. I’m working on my voice.
Bagci: I’ve believed in myself the most so far and have always supported myself.
Bagci: Since people associate “DSDS” with me personally, the Telamo record company had the idea of recording an album for the 20th anniversary of “DSDS”. Now I am very happy that I will finally release my first album.
Bagci: I became known more because I failed very often with “DSDS”. But it made people realize that I’m a fighter and I never give up until I reach my goal. So maybe people took me to their hearts. In a way, I was still a winner because of it. So: winner of hearts. Because people wanted me to win so much. In the end I did win: I still make music, and I even won the jungle camp in 2016. Some things in life take time. And in the end everything will be fine.
Bagci: I mainly chose winning songs. But I want to be honest: There were songs that didn’t suit me at all, such as “One Night” by Ramon Roselly. But at the end of the day I could only select a certain number of songs anyway. So this was not an easy task. Not all songs are tailored to me. But there were also a few songs that appealed to me, such as “You drive me crazy” by Daniel Küblböck or “Call my name” by Pietro Lombardi, but also “Take me tonight” by Alexander Klaws.
Bagci: Of course I wanted to record the songs as well as possible. So far I haven’t received any feedback.
Bagci: Unfortunately, we were recorded separately because I took part in a television project for a longer period of time. So we couldn’t meet in the studio. I know the artists personally and am happy that they took part in this project.
Bagci: It’s about never giving up and always keep going. At some point you will be rewarded for your perseverance and diligence and you will reach your goal. The songs are supposed to motivate people to pursue their goals and not give up. I recorded the tracks with producer Tim Peters. My personal favorites are: “Winner of Hearts” and “The Brightest Star in the World”.
Bagci: I will certainly continue to perform, like in the past few years. Of course, the big goal is to organize their own concerts at some point. I think that could certainly be realized in the near future. One should never give up.
