Then the Berlin Wall came down and Stefanie set out to conquer the folk music world of all of Germany. In 1992, at the age of just 13, she won in a televised event her first Folk Music Grand Prize, one of the most important German honors for the genre. Viewers watching it idolized the girl with the golden locks and the sweet smile that could sing with such power of »little footbridges« over »tiny streams.« From that point on, her records flew off the shelves and her father stopped worrying about her calling.
Jasmin Wagner, on the other hand, is from the urban world of Hamburg. She enjoyed the usual German city-girl childhood of school, friends, discos. Usual that is, until one day in 1995 when she picked up the microphone at a karaoke party. She happened to sing a German pop hit called »Heart to Heart«?in the right place at the right time. A pair of music industry executives in the crowd were wowed by, as they put it, »Jasmin?s natural gift and her talent potential.« But for what? The idea they had was straightforward enough: have her sing old German pop hits from the 80s remixed to capture the new club sound of the 90s, spiced with flashy outfits and fun packaging.
That?s how Jasmin was turned into Blümchen, or »Blossom.« And so it was, the nickname that her mother had given her as a young child became the moniker for a whole new style: techno-pop with few words and a lot of beat, broken up by the loud chants she drew out of her young dance audiences. In place of the old melodies of the original songs, the music was interlaced with repeated staccato noises that sound like an out-of-control game-show buzzer. To date, Jasmin has sold more than 30 million records, with over a dozen hits in the top of the German charts.
At first glance these two paths to stardom couldn?t be more different. Among Stefanie?s fans, young people are the exception rather than the rule. With Blümchen, in contrast, about the only over-aged audience you will ever find are parents who take their children to her concerts. Stefanie sings at festivals where the women where Dirndls, or traditionally Bavarian dresses, and the men yodel and drink beer. Blümchen?s concerts are events full of stage smoke, strobe lights, and hard-core dancers.
But what happens when you bring the two together? What if they actually switched rolls, the folk singer became the techno-poper and vice versa? It was arranged: The two stars did a photo shoot wearing their usual costumes, and then switching outfits.
The results? Well, look at the pictures. So they aren?t that different. A mere question of styling maybe. After all, both singers offer their listeners a similar escape: Jasmin?s techno-pop markets fun; Stefanie?s folk music sells dreams of a better, easier world. But the basic idea is the same, isn?t it?
Well, the Blümchen fans will tell you, not quite. Because being fresh and wearing the short skirt is part of Jasmin?s act, they say, she has a lot more freedom than Stefanie, with all the tradition her music represents. Not so, says Stefanie. »People see that I?m a really young person and are really pleased when I do something a little bit crazy,« says the folk singer. And she too has a wild side, singing songs about hot nights of mambo and tequila.
As to the actual music, would they change if they could? For Jasmin, the future is wide-open. After five years, she says she has about had her run as Blümchen. Her audience is getting younger each year, while she is getting older. After six months of acting school in the US, she discovered she is outgrowing her old stuff. »I?m just entering my twenties, and there are still so many things I want to try!« she says.
Stefanie, for her part, is equally unsure. »Maybe in 20 years I?ll still be on the stage, or in 5 years, I?ll say to myself I?m not into it anymore. We?ll see.«
Not so different after all. And suddenly it is clear: perhaps both are just totally normal young women, entering their twenties.
Andrea Benda and Bert Heinzlmeier
